Somebody want to start a rims thread lol? as long as the probe is at the tube exit you are controlling the temp in the tube and no boil but have to speed up cycle snd reduce power
What are you doing with homebrew today?
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Seems higher flow to start and decreasing as the temperature rises might prove to be the safest way to avoid scorching and denaturing. Anything has to be better than what I was doing. Adding recirculation was an improvement, but moving the temperature probe to a better place to control the temperature should be the best improvement I have made yet. Heating and stirring only to find out the mash is too hot is quite frustrating, knowing at pitch that the batch isn’t going to ferment well, leaving a weaker sweeter beer. If it’s a low IBU beer, they usually turn out way too sweet. I’m gonna do a couple of extract brews with it first to practice control methods.
Brewing a German inspired lager. Fairly even mixture of pilsner, Vienna and red x. 25 Ibu of tettnang and magnum to bitter. 34/70. Basically a mini marzen.
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Most everything I’ve read or seen shows the RIMS tube in a vertical position with the heater and inlet at the bottom. Not sure how much difference it makes, but how well does yours work horizontal? Forced flow takes out some of the temperature gradient in the tube, but a low flow rate could be hotter at the inlet end than the outlet. Gotta be a pretty low flow rate though because the stainless will have a very good heat transfer coefficient and should spread out the heat evenly. I can certainly see the advantage of a vertical installation for cleaning activities.
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I tried mine horizontal for a while. just doesnt work. you will always have an air pocket in there and causes the heating element to glow red. not good.
It worked perfect. No issues. I did some initial testing, with a good safe flow, at 30% power. Did a 10degree ramp, then held temp fine. There so little room inside of the tube with the element in there. That said, a vertical mount would make positioning it on the table a whole lot easier, but I'd have to find some mounts that are easy to take off.
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Yup, already studying the same problem. I’m figuring some wood blocks for clamping with some star nuts for quick removal.
Oh, btw, got my new RIMS tube today. No photo, just being lazy and nursing a sore back. Gonna start on a new control box and order a couple more QDs tomorrow.
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Before even starting with a rims make sure you have a hands free cut off to keep you from dry firing
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Or make a pump interlock. Pump not on, rims not on
Planning to mount it below lauter/mash vessels so that it has no choice but to flood the tube. (With appropriate valves for clean up and prep)
Also considering some much larger indicators to let me know it’s on. A certain amount of common sense is useful when brewing, but in my case, bucket loads of stupid proofing is required. This might be why the missus won’t let me cook in her new kitchen.
Already in the design, but that doesn’t guarantee running the pump with the wrong valve closed. See above regarding common sense.
Since I don’t expect to use it for anything over 170F, I thought about a safety switch on the outside of the tube to interlock the heat as well. Again, it’s easy to make it too complicated and fancy, but more cost effective to use some old school common sense when using it. I’ll shoot for a happy medium.
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Don't disagree. But Good insurance . Easy to turn off the pump and forget the heating element.
Testing in progress right now. Still gotta tweak the contact between the Inkbird probe and the thermowell. I put the Tee on the tube cross ways which should give plenty turbulence around the well. But the temperature was reading way low on the Inkbird until I tossed the probe into the test water. I have another probe, but it’s loose in the well too. The well is probably SAE size (1/4”?) and the probe I have looks like 3-4mm. I’m hoping heat sink grease will fix that problem. If so, I’ll be ready to try it out with a batch of oatmeal stout.
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cooking oil works too. fill the thermowell with cooking oil, then put in the temp probe. then seal it with plumbers putty.
I was thinking about something like that, but I wanna say that I’ve seen some RTV silicone or epoxy that’s for installling thermistors and thermocouples somewhere along the very random path of my career. The biggest trick is to make sure to get all the bubbles out. The RTV would solidify yet stay flexible. The epoxy not so much flexible but very permanent. I’m gonna have a little search tonight after I pump the kettle out.
Like I said, I’m not impressed with the thermowell as is. I’d like to see it extend farther into the flow path. I don’t have enough muscle to twist tapered threads far enough, especially stainless steel. I might wanna take it apart again one day. Whatever the case, I already know it’s a surface area problem with the thermistor. Makes me wonder how wacky my fermentation temperature really is, but that’s in a relatively sealed environment where the temperature should stabilize.
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ya, you can get stuff like this, but as you said. its permanent
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Milled grains for today’s Buckwheat Pale Ale. The black grains are Buckwheat Malt from Deer Creek Malthouse. They give hardly any color when mashed.
Will hop this with Cascade and Centennial.
Will hop this with Cascade and Centennial.
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I have a batch in the fermenter ready to keg. But I may have gotten ahead of myself when I brewed right away on top of the last brews yeast/ Trub. One keg is full and I didn't drink the other one empty yet. I have a small keg ,2.5 gallon job, I could transfer it into so I can use the large keg, or bottles. I think the keg would work better but I would have to park a small co2 bottle and reg in the fermentation fridge and use a picnic tap.
Too much beer? Is this a bad thing?
Too much beer? Is this a bad thing?
