HLT PID with Timer

blatz · Joined: 12 Jul 2011 Posts: 71 Location: Florida

I’m interested in trying to cut out some time on brewday, one area where I could save a lot of time is getting my HLT up to temp before I even start, since this tends to be the biggest dead time for me.

One way I know that I could do this would be to set the temp maybe 10-15 degrees below where I want to be before I go to sleep, another is a PID with a timer.

Is it possible to swap out the Auber PID in my panel purchased from theelectricbrewery.com with this one: http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=239 which from what I can see can be programmed to turn on at a desired time and temperature?

Any advice or feedback welcome.[/quote]

**kal** · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2020 7:29 pm Post subject:

If I'm in a hurry on brew day I'll fill and overheat the HLT 20F higher than my strike temp the night before and then turn everything off, and place a few folded towels on the HLT lid. It's surprising how much that helps keep the heat in. In the morning you should be close to your strike temp. Just turn everything back on, set the HLT to the designed temp and a few mins later you're good to go.

I prefer and recommend this approach to anything automated as it's considerably safer. What if the pump wasn't primed properly and water's not flowing? You'd wake up to a dead pump (likely seized/overheated) and you'd overshoot your target temperature and bring the HLT to boil, introducing other possible issues. What if the hose wasn't hooked up correctly and at the automated turn on the extra push disconnects hoses and you now have ~20 gallons of water flowing on to the floor... And so forth.

Good luck!

Kal

blatz · Joined: 12 Jul 2011 Posts: 71 Location: Florida

you bring up a lot of excellent points. I like your idea of heating the night before and insulating it. I'll give that a go next time. Thanks!

**kal** · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2020 8:36 pm Post subject:

Good luck! Another benefit of that method is that it's completely free.

Kal