Controller
| Component | Link | Price($) |
|---|---|---|
| Main Power breaker switch | Auber | 8.99 |
| Pump LED push button | Auber | 11.98 |
| Element LED push button | Auber | 11.98 |
| Element button 10A extension | Auber | 7.65 |
| SSR | Auber | 9.95 |
| Temperature controller | Auber | 46.95 |
| Temperature probe with wires and connectors | Auber | 44.99 |
| Pump outlet | Auber | 1.95 |
| Power inlet | Auber | 2.30 |
| Element outlet | Auber | 2.50 |
| Enclosure+Heatsink | Auber | 79.00 |
| Fuses and Holders | Amazon | 9.99 |
| Wire splices (20A rated) | Amazon | 9.45 |
| Wire Connectors | Amazon | 16.99 |
| Wiring 12 gauge | Amazon | 12.98 |
| Wiring 16 gauge | Amazon | 9.98 |
| TOTAL | | 287.63 |
Brew Pot
| Component | Link | Price($) |
|---|---|---|
| Pot | Amazon Bed Bath & Beyond | 83.99 |
| Bulkhead with mini dip tube | BrewHardware | 19.00 |
| Ball valve (whirlpool port) | Amazon | 15.99 |
| Ball valve (drain) | BrewHardware | 17.99 |
| 1/2″ NPT Elbow | BrewHardware | 3.50 |
| Triclamp Bulkhead | Amazon BrewHardware | 20.99 |
| Sigth glass | BrewHardware | 28.00 |
| 1/2″ NPT Tee x 2 | BrewHardware | 8.00 |
| 1/2′ NTP Bulkhead | Amazon | 4.00 |
| 1/2″ NPT Hose barb | came with ball valve | 0.00 |
| 1/2″ Male Quick Disconnect | BrewHardware | 5.99 |
| Blichmann autosparge | Blichmann | 69.95 |
| Total | | 261.40 |
Element
| Component | Link | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2250W Element | Brewhardware | 62.99 |
| O-ring | Brewhardware | 2.00 |
| Clamp | Brewhardware | 7.00 |
| Total | | 71.99 |
Recirculation
| Component | Link | Price |
|---|---|---|
| pump | Amazon | 25.50 |
| valve | Brewhardware | 12.99 |
| bulkhead | Amazon | 10.99 |
| nozzle (3/8 NPT) | Amazon | 3.66 |
| hosing | Amazon | 28.69 |
| Total | 81.83 |
Ball lock fittings
Camlock fittings
| Component | Link | Price($) |
|---|---|---|
| type F (3) | Brewhardware | 12.00 |
| type A (1) | Brewhardware | 4.00 |
| type C (4) | Brewhardware | 30.00 |
| Total | | 46.00 |
Cables
| Component | Link | Price($) |
|---|---|---|
| Cable | Amazon | 10.27 |
| NEMA L6-30 Female plug | Amazon | 9.79 |
| NEMA 5-20 male plug | Amazon | 8.99 |
| Total | 29.75 |
Total
| Controller | $287.63 |
| Brewpot | $261.40 |
| Element | $71.99 |
| Recirculation (ball lock) | $53.96+81.83 |
| Cables | $29.75 |
| Total Parts | 786.56 |
Awesome build!
Looking at doing something similar, but the diy controller seems expensive compared to an off the shelf unit like the ink bird 16s.
If you were doing this build again, would you be tempted to use a unit like that, or does the approach here have other advantages (beyond the fun of rolling your own)?
Thanks for your comment! Interestingly, i had not come across this controller when doing research. It seems like a pretty good unit for the price. Short Circuited Brewers did a review on it here. I think the main reason this would not have worked for me, is that it’s a 15Amp unit. It can thus only power a 1650W element at most, which will work for 5G batches but will be very slow (see more details in this post). My built is 20Amps and can deliver 2250W of heat. I would consider this the minimum practical power output for 5 Gallon batches at 120V. Beyond that you have to move to the 240V “dryer outlet”.
Interesting- yes the 15A/120V limitation does seem to be an issue. The build I’ve been thinking about uses dual 15A heaters, so the custom controller approach would let me run both of those in a PID loop (I would need a second SSR). On the other hand, I assume the extra wattage is most important when going to full boil and holding it. I wonder if a single element under PID control would be adequate, with the second heater wired to an on/off switch? Do you regulate temperature during the boil, or just set a heater power (open loop)?
Correct, extra power is most important when ramping to boil after the mash. Your 2 heater idea would probably work, at least conceptually. I am not sure if there would be an issue in having a heater that is always one for the entire period of the boil. I’ve done this on my first batch, and got burnt beer that went down the toilet. There could have been other reasons for this, but i am weary of having a heater 100% on during the whole boil. I typically boil at ~85% power and leave the pot 3/4 covered.
There is no sense in having a closed loop boil, as the temperature does not change with more heat. Boiling water will be 100C no matter how much heat goes in. The difference will be in the rate of evaporation rather than in a rise of temperature. A close loop system would have to measure the rate of evaporation rather than the temperature, during the boil.