Burco boiler simmerstat

[entertheflagon]

I remember a year or so ago looking at this but then you may as well buy the grainfather connect controller for less than £100. I’ve thought about going down the pi route or maybe arduino but only because I stepmash a lot. I brew Belgian trippels and quadrupples but not often enough to justify. I’ve seriously thought about clearing the brewshed and getting a grainfather or one of the cheaper alternatives but I’m too much of a mad scientist at heart and half the fun is teaching my brew dogs new swear words when something I’m working on doesn’t quite go to plan. Needless to say their range of swearwords runs to four languages and is getting longer by the day

Nothing wrong with mad science, that's how BEER was discovered.
Grainfather= lots of cash, its own quirks and running costs and a cheap burko and a mash tun/ cooler doesn't take up much more room.
If you gave me one I'd use it but I can make beer with a mash tun and a big pan perfectly well though I enjoy making the kit as much as the beer sometimes. A diy pid set up is way cheaper, more repairable/ mod able and you can keep it as simple/ complex as you like.

 

[entertheflagon]

I don’t at the moment. It’s pretty hit and miss what you get when you order them. The first one had a limited number of connections so you couldn’t use a pt100 and the second one had an inbuilt relay so you couldn’t use an ssr. I managed to bypass that but by that point I’d got the inkbird so the 2 rex’s are waiting for inspiration. I’ve got an old 60l poly kettle wit 2 kettle elements so might go all mad scientist on that. I also have an old still that uses a pressure cooker as it’s boiler so may experiment with that and then sell it on if it works.

I've used an SSR with the relay contacts and a 9v supply, relay still going, SSR took the load. You could also trigger it with the relay coil voltage if needed
To be honest, one good PID to do the mash with a 2 gallon tank I put an immersion element in ( it was an over basin water heater originally) , a rims coil inside and a decent, stainless pump would be all I'd want to beat a grainfather . Then the mash tun can be as big as you need, a boil on gas/ electric, whatever.
It's what I'll settle down to I reckon.

 

[Chiparawe]

Nothing wrong with mad science, that's how BEER was discovered.
Grainfather= lots of cash, its own quirks and running costs and a cheap burko and a mash tun/ cooler doesn't take up much more room.
If you gave me one I'd use it but I can make beer with a mash tun and a big pan perfectly well though I enjoy making the kit as much as the beer sometimes. A diy pid set up is way cheaper, more repairable/ mod able and you can keep it as simple/ complex as you like.

I agree. I’ve hummed and haad about the all in one route but making something myself that produces good beer gives me a great sense of accomplishment. My wife is on at me to build a pub/entertainment area so I may have to stop the mad science for a while and sort out a new brew shed. The old barn is looking very inviting at the moment.

 

[Chiparawe]

I've used an SSR with the relay contacts and a 9v supply, relay still going, SSR took the load. You could also trigger it with the relay coil voltage if needed
To be honest, one good PID to do the mash with a 2 gallon tank I put an immersion element in ( it was an over basin water heater originally) , a rims coil inside and a decent, stainless pump would be all I'd want to beat a grainfather . Then the mash tumn can be as big as you need, a boil on gas/ electric, whatever.
It's what I'll settle down to I reckon.

I started this hobby in 1990 with no idea what I was doing. I inherited a lot of equipment, found a book on brewing in the library and started straight off with all grain. I made awful beer but I was hooked. Part of the enjoyment for me is refining my equipment. I have no intention of going downtown the American route with huge brew controllers and shiny big pots but I do want more control over my mash temps, especially with the higher gravity brews. I am happy with my setup but made the rookie mistake of not testing my burco after replacing the simmerstat and element. You guys have been a great help and hopefully on my next days off I’ll sort out my boiler but having said that, you have also given me some ideas to play with between brews and between building a new brewshed. I love being a mad inventor.

 

[entertheflagon]

I started this hobby in 1990 with no idea what I was doing. I inherited a lot of equipment, found a book on brewing in the library and started straight off with all grain. I made awful beer but I was hooked. Part of the enjoyment for me is refining my equipment. I have no intention of going downtown the American route with huge brew controllers and shiny big pots but I do want more control over my mash temps, especially with the higher gravity brews. I am happy with my setup but made the rookie mistake of not testing my burco after replacing the simmerstat and element. You guys have been a great help and hopefully on my next days off I’ll sort out my boiler but having said that, you have also given me some ideas to play with between brews and between building a new brewshed. I love being a mad inventor.

You know, if the burco has been the main hitch then I'd sort that first.
Like it's been said, keep it simple.
If you have a pokey SSR spare and are OK with a soldering iron the a simple circuit with a potentiometer, a 555 chip and a 12v supply would give you a good control, I used a circuit from an American site a while back, could dig it out for you. (Or the cheap triac thing with a fan would work OK).
The advantage is that you are then controlling the SSR manually and could add a PID to control the same for a Mash, to do the job done earlier with the control panel bypass thing.
I'd stick it permanently on your burco if poss so it's a self contained unit if you went that route.
I think I'd always like a seperate mash tun so I'd just stick with manual boiler heat control, boiler problem solved, and save the PID to fix to a cooler mash tun and pump set up and would want a small volume rims tank, 2 galls and a pokey element, standard water heater thing to give fast control of a coil to heat the wort, it's not worth the effort to make one thing do everything A La Grainfather if you have a bit of space in a barn?
I had space in a barn and had kegs and 15 gallon Swedish coppers, gas burners, wood boilers etc but now getting to grips with a smaller set up and having a bit of fun while I'm refining things.

 

[Chiparawe]

You know, if the burco has been the main hitch then I'd sort that first.
Like it's been said, keep it simple.
If you have a pokey SSR spare and are OK with a soldering iron the a simple circuit with a potentiometer, a 555 chip and a 12v supply would give you a good control, I used a circuit from an American site a while back, could dig it out for you. (Or the cheap triac thing with a fan would work OK).
The advantage is that you are then controlling the SSR manually and could add a PID to control the same for a Mash, to do the job done earlier with the control panel bypass thing.
I'd stick it permanently on your burco if poss so it's a self contained unit if you went that route.
I think I'd always like a seperate mash tun so I'd just stick with manual boiler heat control, boiler problem solved, and save the PID to fix to a cooler mash tun and pump set up and would want a small volume rims tank, 2 galls and a pokey element, standard water heater thing to give fast control of a coil to heat the wort, it's not worth the effort to make one thing do everything A La Grainfather if you have a bit of space in a barn?
I had space in a barn and had kegs and 15 gallon Swedish coppers, gas burners, wood boilers etc but now getting to grips with a smaller set up and having a bit of fun while I'm refining things.

Sounds like the way to go. I’d be interested to see the circuit diagram if you do manage to dig it up. I certainly have some food for thought now so time to try something new. Many thanks for the help and info.

 

[bobukbrewer]

it's like a foreign language - ssr, rex, stc, ctd46, pt100, pi, arduino, itc100vh, kiss,

 

[Chiparawe]

it's like a foreign language - ssr, rex, stc, ctd46, pt100, pi, arduino, itc100vh, kiss,

Yep and kids think they are the only ones who can make up strange words the rest of us don’t understand.
It’s like being a junkie. You start of with the basic gear and before you know it you’re hooked. You enter the dark side and learn all these strange new names but at the end of the day it all comes down to the same thing.
Brewing has come a long way since I started in 1990.

 

[entertheflagon]

it's like a foreign language - ssr, rex, stc, ctd46, pt100, pi, arduino, itc100vh, kiss,

qué dijiste?

 

[entertheflagon]

Sounds like the way to go. I’d be interested to see the circuit diagram if you do manage to dig it up. I certainly have some food for thought now so time to try something new. Many thanks for the help and info.

I've got it in front of me, I'll scan it in later on and post it.

 

[entertheflagon]

Sounds like the way to go. I’d be interested to see the circuit diagram if you do manage to dig it up. I certainly have some food for thought now so time to try something new. Many thanks for the help and info.

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/img_0666-1.739/full
I'm new to this image posting, I could email a clearer copy.I think it was from the American homebrew forum many years ago.
But save it and expand it yourself. I've indicated how I'd slot in a PDI to also control the relay, I like the SSR's for their isolation and zero crossing switching, built in snubbers etc.
Nice,simple boiler control for as much power as the relay you use can take.
.https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/img_0667.740/full

 

[Chiparawe]

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/img_0666-1.739/full
I'm new to this image posting, I could email a clearer copy.I think it was from the American homebrew forum many years ago.
But save it and expand it yourself. I've indicated how I'd slot in a PDI to also control the relay, I like the SSR's for their isolation and zero crossing switching, built in snubbers etc.
Nice,simple boiler control for as much power as the relay you use can take.
.https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/img_0667.740/full

Many thanks for that. I’ll pm you my email address. Might be easier

 

[entertheflagon]

Many thanks for that. I’ll pm you my email address. Might be easier

Also, just noted an overlapping thread here but I've not properly checked it out yet.
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...a-cheap-digital-boiler-power-regulator.74112/

 

[Chiparawe]

Just a quick update regarding my original post. I had a day off and decided to have another look at my simmerstat wiring. One thing that always puzzled me was the little green thing connected to the live and neutral wires (post #6). This came with the original wires and I never questioned what it was so I took a closer look and it turned out to be a capacitor. Don't ask me why it was there. I downloaded a wiring diagram for the particular simmerstat I had installed from some stove website and lo and behold, there is no capacitor and i was also missing a wire. 5 minutes later I filled the boiler and blow me down I got a really good boil going, lowered the power slightly and settled it down to a lovely rolling boil with no cycling. Gadzooks and all that but it looks like tomorrow is brew day. Should the worst happen and it doesn't work, I have a fall back. I scored a 37l Burco wash boiler for the grand sum of 5 english pounds. Perfect condition, square double skinned monster that came via a deceased estate together with as many bottles as my Rav4 could take, 25l of amber LME, a truckload of hops, a couple of bags of crystal malt and a few other bits and bobs. Happy days and thanks to all for your input. I may be sorted for now but I have definitely gained some great tips for my continuing mad scientist development

 

[entertheflagon]

Just a quick update regarding my original post. I had a day off and decided to have another look at my simmerstat wiring. One thing that always puzzled me was the little green thing connected to the live and neutral wires (post #6). This came with the original wires and I never questioned what it was so I took a closer look and it turned out to be a capacitor. Don't ask me why it was there. I downloaded a wiring diagram for the particular simmerstat I had installed from some stove website and lo and behold, there is no capacitor and i was also missing a wire. 5 minutes later I filled the boiler and blow me down I got a really good boil going, lowered the power slightly and settled it down to a lovely rolling boil with no cycling. Gadzooks and all that but it looks like tomorrow is brew day. Should the worst happen and it doesn't work, I have a fall back. I scored a 37l Burco wash boiler for the grand sum of 5 english pounds. Perfect condition, square double skinned monster that came via a deceased estate together with as many bottles as my Rav4 could take, 25l of amber LME, a truckload of hops, a couple of bags of crystal malt and a few other bits and bobs. Happy days and thanks to all for your input. I may be sorted for now but I have definitely gained some great tips for my continuing mad scientist development

That model is aluminium I think , careful with the caustic cleaners to not bother the anodizing.