Amateur HERMS

[DEMPSEY]

Instead of 10mm why not 12mm seamless stainless steel pipe. If you have 10mm it makes it that bit tighter if any grain bits come through in the earlier run from the mash.
barker the seamless will bend without kinking. Harder than copper but no problem if you use a fixed pole 1 metre high that just happens to be in train stations and Tesco shopping centres and the likes. 2 pairs of hands one bending clockwise and the other anti clockwise and bending tight,voila

[Hop Bomb]

Barkar switched from fat fryer herms to kettle herms as the fryer didnt heat quick enough.

I bought the asparagus steamer pot. SS heat exchange coil is next. You want to go splits on an order from http://www.totalstainless.ie/  ?  (6 meter length of 10mm OD seamless is 9.70p/m ex VAT & delivery)

Can I get in on that Tom?

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah of course. We could probably get the order ourselves seeing as we're both in Galway. Easier for delivery etc.

@ Barkar -  Cheers for all that. Pics would be great.  Dempsey got the same ss tubing & you can bend it by hand without kinking it as its seamless. Thats what he did for his herms I think.

Edit - Dempsey beat me to it.  That is a deadly idea! Il get a quote for 12mm now. Cheers.  (whats the tubing around the stainless tubing for?)

[barkar]

@ Barkar -  Cheers for all that. Pics would be great.  Dempsey got the same ss tubing & you can bend it by hand without kinking it as its seamless. Thats what he did for his herms I think.

Edit - Dempsey beat me to it.  That is a deadly idea! Il get a quote for 12mm now. Cheers.  (whats the tubing around the stainless tubing for?)

Here are some pics one is of the herms , control panel was a bit of a butcher job you will see i had intended putting more plugs on it - The pid at the top was a cheap one which was relay so no good ....
The next one is a stc 1000 which was used to for lagering during fermentation, i had a chiller linked to coil in a fermentor  , chillers compressor fried so only used for measuring temp in in mash, hlt copper etcc adn fermentor occasionally

The next is a pid  for the herms


The second pic is copper with new dome shape lid - it allwos for better extraction though the Extractor fan adn heat is maintained better as well - no issue with dms in first brew using it which is good...

   

[DEMPSEY]

The tubing around the pipe is the counterflow that cathalbrua and I were making
Here is the 12mm pipe I bent for my HERMS pot.

[Ciderhead]

Ok so hungover like a dog yesterday I tried to wire up a PID with an SSR for the herms, I have an stc1000 which controls to +/- 0.3 Degress but hey!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PID-Digital-Temperature-Controller-0-to-400-K-Sensor-With-25DA-SSR-Hotsell-WST-/390564121872?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:IE:3160

I wired it all up correctly as unit comes on and clicks at desired temp.

2 Is mains live
3 is mains neutral

13 and 14 are the thermocouple and I know they are ok got temp probe to work and reading fine, but I am really stuggling with the correct wiring on the output 5,6 and 7 from the PID to the SSR, which is the + and which is negative to the SSR. I thought it was
5 +
6 -

The theory is that when the unit reaches temperature it outputs to the SSR at connection point 3 and 4 and opens or closes a switch to allows live to pass across that is connected on 1 and 2.

I can hear relays clicking on the PID as it fluctuates but right go wrong cannot get the correct wiring to operate the SSR anybody any thoughts.

I have tested the SSR using a 9V supply and it opens an closes fine, so I know its not the SSR which is at fault.

I am thinking the PID is kaput and I need a new one.
I don't have a multimeter yet!

Can JD or any other electrical engineer mark my card?

[Garry]

Here's how I got mine working.



My PID is a REXC100 so it looks a little different to yours.



It looks like the 3 & 4 PID terminals on my diagram should be terminals 5 & 6 on your PID.

Here's the tread where JD and brenmurph helped me out. You might have already seen it though?

[Ciderhead]

Garry you little star  !
Sorry I missed your thread on Hols for June
So I need a 12 transformer, easy enough, I have loads of them
I will post here this ave as to how I get on.
I should have remembered Brendans Bucket!
JD thanks for the original input on Garrys post.

[Ciderhead]

Ok Garry I used your diagram and it works to a t and drives the radio which I have plugged in the top of the project box socket but as soon as my 2.2KW Burco is plugged in it triggers the main breaker?
I have an earth from the mains to the socket and I have tested the burco on another socket and its fine?

Any thoughts anyone

[Ciderhead]

Is it the main house breaker that's tripping?

Check your wiring again, as you might have an earth where a neutral should be, which will drive a radio, but trip the RCD if anything big is plugged in.

In a lot of houses earth and neutral are actually bound together, but there is no RCD (old board) so you can drive things with no neutral, just live and earth. Mine is one of those houses with no RCD.

Thanks for the input.
Yep its the RCD in the garage thats tripping, there is only one earth connection which is straight from the mains cable through to the socket and its good.

[Garry]

Have you any pics?

The SSR you're using looks identical to the one I have and I've used mine to power a 3kw element without problems.

What kind of transformer have you got to power the SSR?

[Ciderhead]

Transformer



I did tried  it on its own and it switched radio fine


Sent from my Fukushima Daiichi Geiger counter

[Ciderhead]

Balls just checked all the wiring again and I must of had a loose wire as it was being pushed into project box, its a bit tight in there now alright with the transformer, as all seems to be fine now.



Thanks chaps.


Now to test the accuracy!


Sent from my Fukushima Daiichi Geiger counter

[Ciderhead]

Heat sink doing its thing 5 degrees above ambient



I am wondering does the constant cycling on and off not bugger the element in the burco?

Oh Jesus it's way overshot and still powering on and off wtf




Sent from my Fukushima Daiichi Geiger counter

[Ciderhead]

thanks, it all got tipped and a big blow job before it was sealed up for the last time and ids now finally working.

[Ciderhead]

Garry I just noticed your heat sink on the outside very clever, I have a good few holes drilled so I will watch the temperature.