Upgrade help

[dordelli]

So I am looking to upgrade my setup, right now I have a gravity based 3 tier wood setup that I have rigged both the BK and HLT to natural gas (see pic). I have just purchased a chugger pump and have plans for a duda diesel plate chiller, with the drought here in SoCal was feeling mighty guilty dumping so much water down the drain on 10 Gallon batches. So now that I will have a pump, would love to get rid of my 3rd highest tier where my HLT sits and add in some type of recirculating mash system, I already have a SS chiller I could repurpose in a Herms. Since my 10 gallon cooler is limited in capacity, planned on upgrading it (as well as my 15g Bk) to 20g kettles and using my 15g current Bk as the HLT. So here is where I ask for the experts advise in automating my setup. I was considering to change my gas fired HLT to electric and lower it to the same level as the MLT. Since I do not have 220V and would be very difficult to add, I would only be able to use a 120V element in my HLT. So my brew day would consist of heating strike water in the BK, pumping it to the HLT then maintaining the mash temps with a 1500 watt electric element in a Herms setup.

My biggest questions (assuming I can get thru building a panel) is;

1) Will it be feasible timewise to expect this setup to be able to raise the mash by 20 degrees for mash out in a ten gallon batch?
2) Would it be simpler to keep the Natural gas and add an automated gas valves/pilot lights instead of going to an electric fired HLT?
3) I currently use a bazooka tube in my MLT, in a Herms system would this be ok or do I need to go false bottom?

Thx in advance for any advice that is offered!!!

 

[showcow]

biggest questions (assuming I can get thru building a panel) is;



1) Will it be feasible timewise to expect this setup to be able to raise the mash by 20 degrees for mash out in a ten gallon batch?

2) Would it be simpler to keep the Natural gas and add an automated gas valves/pilot lights instead of going to an electric fired HLT?

3) I currently use a bazooka tube in my MLT, in a Herms system would this be ok or do I need to go false bottom?



Thx in advance for any advice that is offered!!!

1) no. This would take a long time (really I'm pretty sure it would not work at all. - you're basically talking about using a 1500w element to heat both the remaining liquor in the HLT and the entire mash, which for a 10g batch could be 20 gallons of liquid for a big beer. You'd never get there. Now, make a RIMS tube to maintain / raise mash temps and you us can maybe go that small. Might take a while as well, but it might work. I know you've already got the chiller but honestly there is no way 1500w can heat 20 gals from 150-168 unless you insulate the absolute **** out of it, and even then it would take hours.

2) simpler? I don't think so. I just built an all electric system and the electrical part wasn't too crazy. And with the propane HLT you would have to build a control panel already so I would argue electric is better and simpler (and cheaper) in your case.

3) I'm pretty sure that with any sort of recirculating, you'll need a false bottom. There would be concerns with channeling,and also stucksparges would likely be a problem.

Are you sure you cant get 220 to the brewery? I had to install a 30a gfci breaker in my main panel, and if i can do it, you can. 10/4 wire is like 2.19 a foot at my Home Depot, so if you had a long run it would be expensive but not prohibitive. Maybe also look int generator extension cords, sometimes those are cheaper than plain wire.



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[showcow]

So my main question is, how difficult is very difficult for the 220?


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[dordelli]

So my main question is, how difficult is very difficult for the 220

I live in a condo, we are the middle unit of a 3 unit bldg. I brew in front of my condo and breaker box is at the back. I would need to run this new line thru the house from back to front. It wouldn't be impossible but require some dry wall removal, not sure the wife would be into that.

 

[dordelli]

So based on above, seems my best route is to keep the Natural gas fired HLT but lower it, it's sketchy so high with 10 gals in it, then setup a simple 120v rims system. I will build a control box (for now) that only controls the rims tube and my pump.

I will also need a false bottom for my new 20g MLT. I like the Concord pots on ebay and can go PU to save the shipping costs, anyone know of an off the shelf FB that works with the Concord 20 or 25 gallon pots?