New equipment

[JVi]

Ok, today was/is brewday. First real run for my new system.
Couple of observations(boiling still going on), part of these are also comparison for my old DIY kettle.
- Temp control is not that smooth/quick, setting for mash temp was 66.5C and it variated between 65-68.5C.
- Slower to heat than old one but that was expected
+ Easy to use(recipe memory)
So and so section
Temp probe place could be better, one reason for not that stable temp
After first run i can see where heating element is under bottom, little scorch maybe

 

[Brew Cat]

that was my problem as well
couple problem with these kettles
the heating element is in the center which cause hot spots and the mash pipe lets cooler water stay around it
the temperature probe is located below the actual mash
you need to recirculate and stir to get a constant temp
also the 3 degree offset is problem
you could involve an inkbird style temp controller with the probe directly in the grain bed

 

[JVi]

that was my problem as well
couple problem with these kettles
the heating element is in the center which cause hot spots and the mash pipe lets cooler water stay around it
the temperature probe is located below the actual mash
you need to recirculate and stir to get a constant temp
also the 3 degree offset is problem
you could involve an inkbird style temp controller with the probe directly in the grain bed

In this kettle temp probe is under the bazooka, not sure if that is the best place for it.
I have that inkbird controller for my DIY kettle which is going to be HTL/Pot still, i could maybe us that and long temp probe that i could stick middle of grain bed

 

[Brew Cat]

I would prefer it in the grain bed for accuracy
for now I would just monitor the temperature with a long stem thermometers until you trust your system
I did 2 mashed in mine before I figured out how inaccurate the temperatures where

 

[Semper Sitientum]

Maybe you tried this already. I have an Anvil Foundry and after dough in, I reduce the power to about 50%-60%. This keeps the mash temp very close to my desired setting without big swings. YMMV.

Regarding the pump, the Anvil has this little clampy thing that goes on the recirculation tube with which you adjust the flow. It’s a bit cheesy so I installed an inline ball valve which works much better. But, maybe you can attach something similar. It looks like the last few inches of the recirculation line on your unit is high temp silicon so it may work. You also may have to put a hose clamp where the silicone attaches to the metal tube because back pressure could cause it to disconnect.

 

[JVi]

Maybe you tried this already. I have an Anvil Foundry and after dough in, I reduce the power to about 50%-60%. This keeps the mash temp very close to my desired setting without big swings. YMMV.

Regarding the pump, the Anvil has this little clampy thing that goes on the recirculation tube with which you adjust the flow. It’s a bit cheesy so I installed an inline ball valve which works much better. But, maybe you can attach something similar. It looks like the last few inches of the recirculation line on your unit is high temp silicon so it may work. You also may have to put a hose clamp where the silicone attaches to the metal tube because back pressure could cause it to disconnect.

Buddy at work who bought same kind of kettle(actually 5 days before i did) had same idea about reducing power when mashing. I will probably do some testing with water first.

 

[JVi]

I would prefer it in the grain bed for accuracy
for now I would just monitor the temperature with a long stem thermometers until you trust your system
I did 2 mashed in mine before I figured out how inaccurate the temperatures where

Grain bed would be would be my choice also.
I have cheap long stem thermometer that is also inaccurate by 1C
work buddy had little less fluctuation on temps but he was constantly stirring, said it was lot of work with 5gal batch.

 

[west1m]

Maybe you tried this already. I have an Anvil Foundry and after dough in, I reduce the power to about 50%-60%. This keeps the mash temp very close to my desired setting without big swings. YMMV.

Regarding the pump, the Anvil has this little clampy thing that goes on the recirculation tube with which you adjust the flow. It’s a bit cheesy so I installed an inline ball valve which works much better. But, maybe you can attach something similar. It looks like the last few inches of the recirculation line on your unit is high temp silicon so it may work. You also may have to put a hose clamp where the silicone attaches to the metal tube because back pressure could cause it to disconnect.

I also have the Anvil, I also reduce to 70%
During the mash. 50 to 60% might be even better...

 

[Brew Cat]

I don't know you need to constantly stir but every 15 minuets would help
I would want to stir stir stir when using heat for your step mash
does your unit have the spray over the grain option?
that would be hard for stiring or pulling decoctions
the lower wattage setting is good but would be to slow for step mashing IMO
you are using a false bottom

 

[Bigbre04]

if you insulate your "recirculation" tube that might help to stabilize the internal temp. also insulating the whole exterior would help with keeping things hot and my help your overall thermal efficiency. you could use the rubber foam sheets and take it off after boil.

i assume you drop a coil in to cool the wort down post boil?

if you are worried about boil over, you could slope the whole thing away from you just a touch, until you get the controls sorted out. I also toss a little silica gel(fermcap) as im headed to boil to prevent it from boiling over. You can also add your 60min hops early to help with foam control as well, but this is less effective then fermcap.

I think that it is funny that the chinese are under-sizing(based on claimed volume) thier systems while the germans are the exact opposite. my system is a 2HL, but i am easily able to push over 2bbls out of it.

 

[Dave Y]

Maybe you tried this already. I have an Anvil Foundry and after dough in, I reduce the power to about 50%-60%. This keeps the mash temp very close to my desired setting without big swings. YMMV.

Regarding the pump, the Anvil has this little clampy thing that goes on the recirculation tube with which you adjust the flow. It’s a bit cheesy so I installed an inline ball valve which works much better. But, maybe you can attach something similar. It looks like the last few inches of the recirculation line on your unit is high temp silicon so it may work. You also may have to put a hose clamp where the silicone attaches to the metal tube because back pressure could cause it to disconnect.

I also have the Anvil, I also reduce to 70%
During the mash. 50 to 60% might be even better...

I don't know you need to constantly stir but every 15 minuets would help
I would want to stir stir stir when using heat for your step mash
does your unit have the spray over the grain option?
that would be hard for stiring or pulling decoctions
the lower wattage setting is good but would be to slow for step mashing IMO
you are using a false bottom

I started my all in one adventures with the 10 gallon Anvil and moved to the 18 gallon 220v. One thing to be cognizant of with 220v power, at least on the big anvil, if you mash at 100% power, the kettle can fault during the boil with an overheat code. Of course, this only happens when you turn your back on the kettle for 5-10 minutes. What I tend to do is along the lines of this.

Mash in at 100% power (because I schedule the mash water pre-heat). Once I have everything going and recirculation started, I reduce the power to ~45%. Blichmann recommends about 40% but, I find this too low and slow to recover.

If I step mash, I raise the power to 100% for the 'step' and reduce the power back to 45% for resting periods. You have to be sure the burner element doesn't scorch the residue. I use a wooden paddle to 'scrape' as best I can pre-boil.

WRT the anvil recirculation pump: While it works for a recirculation, it's woefully inadequate for whirlpool. The larger class pumps by Blichman, Spike, etc work much, much better and you get integrated flow control. You'll need braided 1/2" ID hose though, that silicon hose will collapse with a more powerful pump.

 

[Bigbre04]

a stand alone pump is a good investment. I had to get a bigger one for CIPs and Knockouts, but it also helps with whirlpool. the one that speidel included was totally not up to the task. It was barely able to push through my heatex. Mine is 1hp CPE with a VFD, but that isnt what yall would need or want.

@Dave Y beefin'

 

[JVi]

I don't know you need to constantly stir but every 15 minuets would help
I would want to stir stir stir when using heat for your step mash
does your unit have the spray over the grain option?
that would be hard for stiring or pulling decoctions
the lower wattage setting is good but would be to slow for step mashing IMO
you are using a false bottom

Spray over the grain? Yeah, mesh plate that are placed over the grain bed to spread that circulated mash.
Can't use that if you need or want to stir very often, or you can but it is quite annoying. I didn't use it because i did BIAB as i had grains ready for that process.
I used over the grain bed mesh plate as false bottom under bag so that it would not touch bottom.

 

[JVi]

if you insulate your "recirculation" tube that might help to stabilize the internal temp. also insulating the whole exterior would help with keeping things hot and my help your overall thermal efficiency. you could use the rubber foam sheets and take it off after boil.

i assume you drop a coil in to cool the wort down post boil?

if you are worried about boil over, you could slope the whole thing away from you just a touch, until you get the controls sorted out. I also toss a little silica gel(fermcap) as im headed to boil to prevent it from boiling over. You can also add your 60min hops early to help with foam control as well, but this is less effective then fermcap.

I think that it is funny that the chinese are under-sizing(based on claimed volume) thier systems while the germans are the exact opposite. my system is a 2HL, but i am easily able to push over 2bbls out of it.

Chinese are cheap Germans not so much, cheap and not cheap it is allways relative. You pay more you get more

 

[Bigbre04]

Chinese are cheap Germans not so much, cheap and not cheap it is allways relative. You pay more you get more

i mean...the brewhouse i have has very undersized heating elements and pump for more then 200L. but at 200l the kettle is roughly half empty.

 

[Brew Cat]

Chinese are cheap Germans not so much, cheap and not cheap it is allways relative. You pay more you get more

Maybe not so much but still cheap
I'm German heritage and consider myself thrifty my friends think otherwise
My friends also think I'm a know it all
I just think I know things better
I guess it's point of view
I don't want to hijack this thread so no need to respond

 

[Donoroto]

Maybe not so much but still cheap
I'm German heritage and consider myself thrifty my friends think otherwise
My friends also think I'm a know it all
I just think I know things better
I guess it's point of view
I don't want to hijack this thread so no need to respond

Must be a Swabian. They know how to spend the same pfennig twice.

Too late, hijack in progress…

 

[Dave Y]

 

[Brew Cat]

Must be a Swabian. They know how to spend the same pfennig twice.

Too late, hijack in progress…

you say that like its a bad thing

 

[Donoroto]

The hijack or the Schwab?
I like them both.
I’m American but from Sicilian grandparents, and I too can spend a penny twice, sometimes more.