Grainfather sparge boiler for BIAB?

I respectfully disagree. Have you tried offsetting your controller to match the "actual" grain bed temp? There is a way to adjust the reading for better accuracy. Honestly, I have found that if you constantly recirculate the grain bed temp comes up much closer to the "actual" temp. Because of this, I often only set my temp 2 degrees higher than what the recipe calls for. It has worked great for the near 3 years I have had the system.
...and I respect that :D @Blackmuse

No, I have not tried setting the display 'calibration', but ya' know, that'd probably work. I'll try it, even though it'll indicate a little wonky at boil it should not matter.

So if I get (for example, in F) 154 in the mash and 163 at the sensor when I set the temperature goal to 163, I should set the display to be 9 degrees F lower, meaning at '154' (163) it'll read 154; I of course need to set the goal as 154 as well. Seem right to you?

I'll need to check my notes to find the best middle point for that 'calibration' number.

If this works, I'll kick myself a couple of times for not seeing the obvious.
 
Pity it doesn't have a probe sensor calibration so you can match probe temp more accurately to the controller?
 
Reading all of this, I think that I will do a test by heating about 10-15 liters of water to a variety set temperatures so I can see what the actual temperature is at the probe with another thermometer, compared with the display.
 
Reading all of this, I think that I will do a test by heating about 10-15 liters of water to a variety set temperatures so I can see what the actual temperature is at the probe with another thermometer, compared with the display.
I would, but without the mash pipe and grain, the temps are pretty accurate. All those stainless bits get in the way of heat distribution.

@Trialben I wish they would offer a 'remote' sensor. Plug it in and put it in the middle of the mash. Next time you visit them* tell 'em what I said.

*Yes, I know they're 2 days away...
 
I would, but without the mash pipe and grain, the temps are pretty accurate. All those stainless bits get in the way of heat distribution.

@Trialben I wish they would offer a 'remote' sensor. Plug it in and put it in the middle of the mash. Next time you visit them* tell 'em what I said.

*Yes, I know they're 2 days away...
It's true recirculating the mash gets a pretty uni form mash temp.
For instance i mashed for first time with new pid i had it's probe in the thermowell near bottom outlet on kettle and I had STC probe in the middle of the mash bed up top of kettle.
They were within a degree C on temp close enough for me;).

So recirculating mash will eventually even out the temp from the controller. If the controller don't line up with what your thermometer is saying in the mash bed adjust controller temp to suit...
 
Pity it doesn't have a probe sensor calibration so you can match probe temp more accurately to the controller?
It does, though I haven't used it.

I know that for my usage it's off by around 1C, so I just set the controller a degree lower. Though I probably should use the calibration. I'm sure the wife doesn't know this when she brews, but 1C hardly seems worth the effort.

Temp between between bottom and top of mash is up to 2C. I use a bag, so recirculation keeps the temperatures pretty close throughout the system.

 
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I know that for my usage it's off by around 1C,
1C sounds right. That should be about 2F which is what I've been using. The top of the grain bed for me can be about 4 degrees (F) off which would roughly match your 2C I suppose.

@Donoroto - not sure I followed exactly what you said but the idea would be that if your controller reads 163 when your grain bed is actually 154 then - you would enter an offset of 9 degrees so that when you set it to 154 it'll match what your grain bed truly is.

Not sure where you got that number from - maybe it was just a coincidental example.... However, I recently thought I had a 10 degree difference and decided to go ahead and forgo my typical 2 degree offset and jump all temps up by 10 degrees. I DON'T RECOMMEND IT! LOL - A recipe that would have typically finished at 1.012-1.014 finished at 1.018! (I brewed 2 versions of an Oktoberfest and the only things changed in the recipes were this temperature offset and the hops (GR Opal instead of Magnum/Tettnanger). BIG DIFFERENCE in the final beer. The one with the offset is a bit cloying and there is no real hop presence (GR Opal) to balance the beer.

I'm disappointed but at least I now know that my offset is not as great as I had started to suspect. Prior to this one recipe the biggest offset I had used was 4 degrees F. I think I'll stick to my 2-4 F method - 2 being my typical offset and honestly, my beers have been great. Since using the robobrew and having a new water source (built a new house a couple towns over from the old one) my beers have really improved - as has my consistency... - I took the advise often given on here about brewing the same beer many times over to hone in my equipment and methods.

Anyway - sorry for the novel! LOL
 
Not sure where you got that number from - maybe it was just a coincidental example....
Plucked from thin air. I'd brewed Saturday and remembered the setting and reading so I put it down, at least what I think it was. But just a number less than 11 (the system can only compensate up to 10 degrees, but I believe that's degrees C, so about 19 degrees F...) was what I picked.
 
Plucked from thin air. I'd brewed Saturday and remembered the setting and reading so I put it down, at least what I think it was. But just a number less than 11 (the system can only compensate up to 10 degrees, but I believe that's degrees C, so about 19 degrees F...) was what I picked.
Right on. Coincidence it is :)

Let me know what you find on your next brew session - if you plan to adjust anything temp-wise.
 
@Blackmuse A huge thank you for your suggestions and advice. Setting the calibration to -5 had the effect of all temperatures being within a degree of setpoint.

Now I can start to automate the mash!

Amazing that such a simple change can make all that difference. Perhaps a smidge disconcerting too...:oops:
 
@Blackmuse A huge thank you for your suggestions and advice. Setting the calibration to -5 had the effect of all temperatures being within a degree of setpoint.

Now I can start to automate the mash!

Amazing that such a simple change can make all that difference. Perhaps a smidge disconcerting too...:oops:
No problem! Glad I could help! Let me know how automation goes. I'm not sure if I'll ever really try it... We'll see I suppose
 
I go kind of semi automatic. I put an extra hour or two on certain timers so that the machine will stay status quo until I am ready to move to the next step.
 
I go kind of semi automatic. I put an extra hour or two on certain timers so that the machine will stay status quo until I am ready to move to the next step.
Yeah, i could see that maybe at the end of mash-out. Just hold 168F and beep like crazy...
 
Or if my main rest is say 152, and I figure that I will be at that temperature for 2 hours, I will set the timer for 4. I like to check the gravity before doing the mashout.
 
Hi @PeterJ93 , I modified a 30Lt tea urn to make it my brew kettle. I added an extra switch to force a boil situation plus a variable control to get what ever temperature I want. It is not difficult to bod any boiler - as long as the parts are available.
View attachment 15691

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IF you need a hand... give me a call.
Sorry about the slow response, I didn't seem to get the notifications come through....

I did do this previously on my first boiler, but I wanted to move away from having to wire it myself (I don't have the tools or experience). I will keep this though as it's a super helpful diagram!

Edit: realised I was being dumb
 

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