[hiphophead]

I am in the prosses of building a RIMS for myself based off of billy d's setup from youtube.  i wanna see your RIMS though.  post some pictures.  not to steal but to educate myself.  ill post up mine too.

[denny]

It seems like RIMS has kinda fallen out of favor due to scorching issues and now most people are building HERMS systems.  I'll be curious to hear from people who use RIMS if this is really an issue.

[6thstreet]

I have the brew magic from sabco and don't have any scorching issues at all.

[mabrungard]

Scorching was definitely an issue with my RIMS until I incorporated a PID controller into the system. 

I built my system with an ultra low density heater element and controlled the heating with a simple hand switch.  I also did not have a temperature measurement point downstream of the element. 

I noted that my brews were not attenuating as much as I expected and that they had a really heavy mouthfeel.  That clue finally turned on the light for me.

I modified my system and inserted another thermometer at the heating chamber outlet and was not surprised to see that it only took moments of heating element operation to bring the wort temp to well over 160 to 180F.  I was killing off my enzymes throughout the mash and the wort was not sacrifying!!

So the message is that to use a RIMS, you MUST use a PID to moderate the heating applied to the wort.  A brewer could not possibly cycle the heater power fast enough and when needed as can be achieved with a PID controller with its temperature sensor located at the heating chamber outlet. 

With the PID, NO PROBLEMS!

Live and learn.

[tschmidlin]

Am I the only one going crazy from the title?  Fixed it   Whew!

I don't have RIMS, never used one, never brewed with anyone who has one.

[tom]

I have a poor man's single tier RIMS. My mashtun is a converted keg with a full-width SABCO false bottom. I recirculate with a pump and heat the keg bottom on a turkey fryer burner. I have a thermometer in the middle of the keg and on the output of the keg so it doesn't get too hot.

[kylekohlmorgen]

Scorching was definitely an issue with my RIMS until I incorporated a PID controller into the system. 

I built my system with an ultra low density heater element and controlled the heating with a simple hand switch.  I also did not have a temperature measurement point downstream of the element. 

yep... if you're going RIMS, that heating element needs to be dialed wayyyy back, either automatically (PID) or manually (with a simple light dimmer).

Good thing is... you can install it with the dimmer now, and then swap out for PID as funds become available.

[bluesman]

I'm in the final stages of getting my single tier brewstand up and running. I'll be using a RIMS. I am controlling the heat with a Love controller and a banjo burner. I have a false bottom in my mash tun with a thermocouple in a thermowell near the bottom of the kettle. I'll post my system when it's complete.

[jeffy]

I have a very old sabco system, which I think is RIMS.  I have no problems with scorching.  I raise temps with a burner under the mash tun (keggle with false bottom) and pumped through a heater element back to the top of the mash tun.  The only problems I've had are when the pump doesn't act as well as expected, whether it picks up some air or whatever, and stops recirculating the mash.  Usually I'm standing right there and can correct the problem.  So no scorching for me in a couple years.

[paulhilgeman]

I think that's what it should be called!  You can see the PVC RIMS tube on the left side of the picture.  It is now mounted right behind the flash boiler.  It uses an 4000W element run at 120Vac, so it is about 1000W, fast enough to do step mashes, and a mash-out, but controlled by a PID and never have any scorching issues. 

[denny]

Man, Paul, that looks like a level of engineering beyond my comprehension!

[timmyr]

Here's my poor-man's RIMS.  I just watch the temp on my mash-tun and run it manually.  Man a PID controller'd be nice.

From Left to right, Boilermaker 20 gallon boil kettle & CampChef 60K burner, MoreBeer HD 15-gallon mash tun w/Autosparge & CampChef 30K burner, March Pump mounted in toolbox, MoreBeer 26-gallon HD HLT and CampChef 60 Burner.



I've recently upgraded to a 20-gallon Boilermaker for my mash tun and have added a site glass onto my HLT.  The input on top is still an Autosparge with a dial thermometer T'd into it.  If I am single-step infusing, then I wrap the kettle in reflectix once the temps stabilize.  I just have to pull it off when I heat so I do not melt it (anymore).

The only time I've ever had a potential scorching or over-temp issue has been pre-pump when I did not realize you had to constantly recirculate and intermittently stir.

[beerocd]

I think that's what it should be called!  You can see the PVC RIMS tube on the left side of the picture.  It is now mounted right behind the flash boiler.  It uses an 4000W element run at 120Vac, so it is about 1000W, fast enough to do step mashes, and a mash-out, but controlled by a PID and never have any scorching issues. 

How about starting a build thread and explaining this whole thing?

[lonnie mac]

I voted no... Most know that my system is a direct fired mash. I have used a rims, but honestly this system is way too easy for me to control, or step how I wish.

[oscarvan]

Yeah, I got rims......24" on my Tschevvy....

Oh, THOSE rims....eh no. Gravity is my friend. I want no wires going to my brew setup right now......

Like Denny, sort of, said......it makes my head hurt just to think about it.

Maybe, in a way, I am trying to be more like the people that soaked malted barley in hot water, and then stuck it in a cave for a few weeks......