HERMS tank for 3 bbl

[CSBC]

Does anyone use a HERMS system on their systems? I, as well as many homebrewers, use a HERMS system on our 1/2bbl setups, but I would like to on my 3 bbl system I am building.

I am thinking of popping out the spear and inverting a keg and cutting out the bottom (which would be the top now). I would like to use 30-40 feet of 3/4" copper coil inside the keg with nipples welded through the keg with tri clamp fittings on the outside for the top and bottom of the coil. I would use this clamped to the keg ferrule with the heating element sticking upright in the keg full of water.

Process would be having a PID control the temp of the element in the HERMS control tank. Flow from the MLT to a grant, then pumping from the grant through the HERMS coil and returning on top of the grain bed.

Do you think maintaining and stepping a 120 gallon mash tun will work through a 3/4" copper coil in a 15 gallon control tank with a 6000w 208v element? Is 30-40 feet coil enough? Is a grant necessary? I think so for this constant 2 hour mash.

Thank you for any input.

[gagners]

Should work. We used a HERMS in our 1bbl system. Only thing I think you'll have issues with is moving enough mash through the coils to maintain/move temps. You'll have to pump pretty fast, so beware of channeling and sticking in the MT. a grant may help. I would recommend more tubing than that. We used 50' for 1bbl and it took awhile to effect temps in the MT. (we had a 12kw HLT too)

all that being said, I'm not an engineer...

Steve
14th Star Brewing

[Horsepoorx2]

I have a 7 BBL . . .

. . . with a HERMS. You will want to gravity flow from your grain bed into a grant so as to not compact your grain bed. A frequency controller on your pump may suffice, and I may try that down the road, but since I already have the grant . . . I am in the process of putting a float switch in my grant so that i do not have to baby sit the thing. I will let you know how it all works out, and where I get the parts. prices, etc.