This is a more detailed picture of
Deadfly.*
Hopefully, this explaination will help. The malted grain goes in the mash tun (5 gallon Rubbermaid cooler) with the water. The water is then circulated and heated. The recirc pump is a little 12 volt unit normally used for RV water supplies. (about $25.00) The heater unit has a 4500 watt water heater element in it. I'm running it off of 115 volts so the output is actually 1125 watts. I got the temperature controllers from work. They need both output channels and I only need one. So they were free. The temperature probes were free also. Once they get bent up, they cannot use them, but I can. The switches and E-stop came from an older machine that we removed and threw out. (I wnated an E-stop since the case is plywood and besides, it looks cool!) The water in the HLT is kept hot using a small 350 watt heating element and another temperature probe. I have found that if I heat the HLT water on the propane burner to the boiling point and then put it in place, I can leave the lid off until I reach the desired sparge water temperature. Then I put the lid back on and let the little heater maintain temperature.
The first question was how to build a bulkhead fitting for the cooler. A brass nipple goes in the center; two compression fittings for either side; some homemade rubber washers; (I bought a piece of sheet rubber at Lowes in the hardware section for about $1.00) and a couple of pieces of tubing and I had a servicable bulkhead fitting. I am happy to report that after 6 months of use and about 6 batches, it has never leaked!
The second question that I had when I built this thing was how to get clear wort circulation. (Stainless screen is not cheap! Remember, this was a test to see if I was even interested in this Beer Thing!) So, I looked around and noticed that I had some very nice grain steeping bags. So I thought... why not! The manifold (2nd picture) slips loosely over the tube for the bulkhead fitting. (3rd picture) The grain steeping bag fits over this and the tie is wrapped around the tube going to the bulkhead fitting.
This concept worked but on the third batch I had a problem with my pump cavitating. At the same time a person that I know gave me a nice chunk of stainless steel screen material. I use the screen to hold the grain bed and still use the grain steeping bag. Both together work great. My wort runs clear after about 10 seconds.
I built a recirc manifold for the Mash tun. This was a fun test of the newly aquired soldering skills. The maifold is removable from the upright tube. (I drilled a small hole all the way through both pieces and inserted a piece of stainless welding rod. Sorry no pictures.) The whole thing is held in the correct position with a wooden clamp.
After all this, I put together the valve system. These are brass full port valves. (Bought at Lowes also. They have been deleaded.) There are 3 valves in the system. Two are attached to the bulkhead fitting tube coming out of the cooler. One directs flow to the recirc pump and the other allows draining wort into my boil kettle. The other valve is at the outlet of the pump.
So far it's been a great project. It makes great beer. Step mashes are not a problem. (PID units are great for this!) I think I have about $150.00 in it at this point.
My next update is changing out the 5 gallon cooler to a 10 gallon unit, (already purchased) and converting the 5 gallon unit to a HLT.
* Why the name? Deadfly?
Well, a fly was buzzing around the thing the first time I fired it up. I smacked him and he stuck to the front of the control panel. He stayed there the whole time. I was searching for a name, so why not!