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Brewery build thread
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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 7:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


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Thanks for the feedback. After a fair amount of research and the fact that most of our food is cooked in aluminum I am not worried about using aluminum. My budget is pretty tight on this build is the reason I am leaning toward aluminum. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have stainless Blichman's but with all of the other projects that need to be done that is not in the cards. Between the control panel and the cancer surgery on my dog my brewery funds are about depleted.
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Geosmashing




Joined: 25 Apr 2014
Posts: 36
Location: Ottawa, Canada


PostLink    Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2015 2:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use a 20 gallon aluminum stock pot as a boil kettle. It is actually a hand-me-down from a very active brewer in my area who had used it for dozens, if not hundreds of batches before me. Aluminum is fine!
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Homebrewer52




Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Posts: 6



PostLink    Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nimbus, I don't know if you have checked at your local ethnic markets, but at the local Mexican market they have both aluminum and stainless stockpots for very good prices. I think the last time I went there they had a 20 gallon stainless stockpot for around $65.
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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 9:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have almost completed my control panel stand and have a couple of questions about stranded wire into receptacles. Because of the way I designed my stand (hard to explain, pictures to follow) I am using NEMA 10-30 receptacles for the 220 volt kettle elements and Leviton 15 amp single receptacles for the 120 volt. My question is if stranded wire can be used in the NEMA 10-30 receptacles or do I need to run solid wire from the DIN rail breakers to the 10-30 receptacles (this is less than three foot of wire)? As for the 120 volt receptacles, these have both the side screw and "back-stab" wire connections. Same question, solid or stranded and if stranded is it legit to use crimp on connectors for the side screw connections or can stranded be used in the "back-stab" connections? Thanks
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itsnotrequired




Joined: 15 Sep 2015
Posts: 177
Location: central wi


PostLink    Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 5:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

look at the back of the receptacles, there should be text on there indicating max/min wire sizes and solid/stranded applicability.
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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 8:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My bad. Realized after posting that this is the wrong receptacle. Going to use a Leviton 2620 receptacle instead.
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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 5:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Need some help with wiring up my ammeter. The ammeter that I purchased is fed from a current transformer instead of a shunt. The leads from the transformer look to be 22 gauge wire and are about 3" long. What is the best way to extend the wire length and would it cause problems to use a larger gauge wire (though I am not sure how to connect different gauge wire)? Thanks.
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Vesteroid




Joined: 02 Sep 2015
Posts: 57



PostLink    Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Extending wires....you could solder and heat shrink, or use blue or maybe grey ( I am a little fuzzy on colors for that size wire as I usually work with much larger wires)wire nuts. Either would let you extend wires of different gauges. As to what that does to your amp meter, I really don't know
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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 5:34 am    Post subject: Brewery Build Thread Reply with quote

Just thought that I would post a picture of the final configuration of my panel back plane. I do still need to install a couple of more ground terminals. I hope to have the rolling stand completed in a week or so (became a bigger project than planned). Then I can mount the panel and run the wiring to the sockets.


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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As I keep plodding along towards completion I just keep thinking of more questions. In the directions for a 50 amp panel the ground for the power in is shown as a #6. As I do more research I found that the NEC code allows (as I read it) for the use of a # 10 ground for up to 60 amp. Is there a reason for using the #6 ground instead of a #10? I really do not want to screw this up. Thanks.
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itsnotrequired




Joined: 15 Sep 2015
Posts: 177
Location: central wi


PostLink    Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nimbus3000 wrote:
As I keep plodding along towards completion I just keep thinking of more questions. In the directions for a 50 amp panel the ground for the power in is shown as a #6. As I do more research I found that the NEC code allows (as I read it) for the use of a # 10 ground for up to 60 amp. Is there a reason for using the #6 ground instead of a #10? I really do not want to screw this up. Thanks.


it depends on the type of conductors/cables being installed. if installing nm cable, #10 is acceptable. in fact, #6 nm cable is manufactured with a #10 equipment grounding conductor (egc)as part of the cable assembly. if running individual thhn conductors, it will depend on the size of the ungrounded conductors. assuming the terminals at either end of the conductors are rated for 75 degree c terminations, it is acceptable to use the 75 degree c amapcity columns for the thhn conductors. this allows the use of #8 awg ungrounded conductors and a #10 awg (egc) on a 50 amp circuit. any circuit breaker or terminal worth a lick should include 75 degree c rated terminals, you should see the temperature printed on the equipment near the terminals.

now, if those ungrounded thhn conductors are increased in size, the requirements of 250.122(B) kick in. when ungrounded conductors are increased in size beyond the minimum required by the nec, the equipment grounding conductor needs to be increased in size proportionally. so if you run #6 thhn on that 50 amp circuit, you would need to run a #8 egc.
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When in doubt, given the short amount of ground wiring needed and the subsequent low cost difference of installing #6 instead of #10, use the larger #6. Nothing wrong with oversizing wire.

Kal

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itsnotrequired




Joined: 15 Sep 2015
Posts: 177
Location: central wi


PostLink    Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yes, no problem going larger on the egc. i was speaking strictly to code minimums. an important point though is that oversizing the ungrounded conductors typically requires a correspondingly increase in the ground conductor size. sometimes folks want to run larger ungrounded conductors, over unfounded voltage drop or conductor heating concerns. knock yourself out if you want to run larger but many are not aware of the requirement to increase the ground size. Cool
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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 4:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks. Will go with the #6.
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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:00 am    Post subject: Brewery Build Thread Reply with quote

I am currently wiring up the volt meter and need some help with the wiring. I purchased the volt meter from Auberins http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_50&products_id=489
and the wiring diagram has the connections as hot / neutral. It seems like this would only provide readings of 120 volt. Is there a different way to wire this meter to be able to read 240 volt ( I may be and probably am wrong on this). I have attached a picture which shows the wiring schematic and also an image of the back plane. Any help on how to wire this meter to read 240 would be appreciated. Thanks



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Last edited by Nimbus3000 on Mon Nov 16, 2015 7:18 am; edited 1 time in total
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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 7:13 am    Post subject: Brewery Build Thread Reply with quote

After thinking about this some more this is what I think might work (think twice, post once). I have attached an image of my panel back plane showing how I think that this meter needs to be wired to display 240 volts. This will pull power from the downstream side of the power in relay. Does this look like the proper way to wire up this meter or is there a better way? Any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks


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Yo_Pauly




Joined: 30 Nov 2014
Posts: 42
Location: New Richmond, WI


PostLink    Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's where I would connect it.
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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 7:36 am    Post subject: Brewery Build Thread Reply with quote

Just thought I would post a picture of my in progress brewery control panel stand. Main panel is a 50 amp Kal clone. The top center panel is the amp / volt meters, the top left and right panels are for future expansion if needed. The top panels can fit two 1/32 din PID's with two XLR connectors and four LED indicator lights in each. The four stainless covers on either side of the panel are also for future expansion. The temperature probe cables are fed out through the round black cable port under the panel. The lower panel with the two PID's is for running two more 30 amp panels that will be mounted inside the cabinet base (one PID for each panel). This panel is punched out for XLR connectors above each PID and an element on/off switch and LED element indicator light below each PID. The plan is that this will allow me to run two 4500 watt elements per kettle off of the 50 amp and one 5500 watt element per kettle off of each of the secondary 30 amp panels with the 5500 watt elements independent of each other and the 4500 watt elements. I am still working on wiring all of the receptacles which are located on the back lower half of the cabinet. Will post a picture of the back when it is completed.


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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 1:15 am    Post subject: Brewery Build Thread Reply with quote

First test today. Magic blue smoke was not released. No temp sensors attached yet. Only thing that confused me was that when I turn on the boil kettle and hlt alarm switches the alarm led has a dim glow. When I turn on the mash tun and timer alarms the led does not glow. I have them wired per the diagrams here. Any ideas why two of the four alarms would be feeding low power to the led?


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Nimbus3000




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 123
Location: Western Washington State


PostLink    Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Figured out the dim led. Feel kind of dumb now. I switched a red lens onto a yellow led.
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