Finally started my electric brewery build

[bigvalen]

https://goo.gl/photos/BEqugkJSKm7oENKP9

After a year of thinking about it, I pulled the trigger, and decided to go the Electric Brewery route. Seems more..industrial.

Anyway. It never occurred to me that it'd come with crazy Californian power connectors. I think I want to swap the NEMA L5-15 and NEMA L14-30 sockets with something..more Irish. Anyone know a) what they should be and b) where I could get them around Dublin ?

I think I want something like an IEC 60309 from the wall to the control panel. But..most of the ones I can find are only 32A, not 50A.

What have people used for the element connectors ? Would an IEC60320 do ? It also occurred to me that I don't know how to cover the wires when they are attached to the element...some folks use some sort of ... metal box ?

I also need two sockets for the cables to a pair of chugger pumps. IEC60320 might be overkill, but would do the job there...

[dcalnan]

I'm also planning going down this route, the panel is the one thing I haven't started buying components for, you bought it directly from them? I'm looking at assembling it myself, for all thing electric brewery build I look at ozbrewers thread here http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/index.php/topic,5267.0.html good luck with it and I'll be following closely.

[nigel_c]

Looking good.

[Will_D]

Why not just stick with IEC 60309 for all - as they are the standard european industrial connectors and are easily available at any electrical wholesalers.

As you are near Swords try Mainscourt Electrical!

They also have a good range of bits and bobs including "pannel wiring" cable and crimpy ony things.

[molc]

Great to see a full electric brewery build around here - those kits look great and take a lot of pain out of the build. There are a lot of moving parts involved, so simplifying them really does help.

I'd echo Will on the connectors - just go for standard european.

Enjoy the build - you won't look back once it's all done. I'm sitting here having a cup of coffee while my mash is working away upstairs - won't have to start doing anything until mash is complete and I need to sparge. Once you get these dialed in, it makes the brewday a breeze.

[bigvalen]

I'm mildly concerned by some things...when I asked the electrician to wire-up, I asked for a 50A circuit. He stuck a commando socket in the workshop, I assumed I was sorted. Just checked it this morning; there is a 63A breaker on the workshop box alright...but seems he put a 32A breaker on my commando socket which also has a 32A-6H mark on it. So...maybe I won't be doing back-to-back batches, after all.

Will, thanks for suggesting Mainscourt. Nice one. Though seems they are never open when I'd be able to get there. Might take a half-day off work and head out. I don't think I'll have enough room on the box for outputs for 5 IEC60309s (input, 2 element outputs, 2 pump outputs), so if I can just go with 3, that'd be great.

On the panel itself - I think it was really expensive, once you factor in shipping & VAT. But I couldn't imagine doing anywhere near the same quality job if I hacked on the case on my own. Very happy I went that route.

[Will_D]

They are open Saturday mornings (but not if its a bank holiday long weekend!)

[Leann ull]

Looks sweet.
Your sparks should have run that cable through protective PVC tubing or even better metal, is that socket very high up?

[bigvalen]

Yeah, those sockets will be pulled out completely. The original electrician wasn't good at following directions like "All sockets 3m up, please".

Anyway, nearly there; just making up the counter top, and waiting on a mate to help me wire up the panels. I just realised though - I'm not sure on kit for cooling. I'm thinking of ditching the copper-tubing chiller I had, and going for a 32-plate chiller + ThruMoMeter. Is this sensible, or are there cunning ways to not lose my mind with the coil ? I suppose I have pumps now, so could push water or wort around...


The rest of the album; https://goo.gl/photos/BEqugkJSKm7oENKP9

[nigel_c]

You could use the coil to build a counter flow chiller.