[angus703]

Hey,

I am in the process of building my HERMS system and I am in need of some help, I am looking for the best way to control the temperature in my mash tun.  I've seen that people will put a temperature control either in the HLT or in the wort coming out of my 50' copper tubing.  I've got propane and pretty 2nd hand burners with no pilots.

What products do people use for this and what have you found to be the best method of controlling temperature in a HERMS system?

Thanks any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[dshepard]

My system has a three-way ball valve piped such that the wort from the MT can go into the HERMS in the HLT or bypass the HERMS coil. During a step rise the wort is sent fully to the HERMS. During a rest it is usually bypassing the HERMS but during the winter I may slightly crack it open every now and then to keep the mash warm. In my setup the pump runs continuously during the whole mash. I should also mention that my temperature control is manual control (me hand controlling the valve while watching the wort temperature exiting the coil), although I am looking at the possibility of automating just the temperature control. I am having a tough time finding a S/S 3-way valve that comes with an electric actuator.

During the rise I have the HLT 12-20(F) degrees above my target mash temp. This is enough heat to raise the mash, but prevents me from denaturing the various enzymes if I don't pay attention. I also use propane burners for my setup and simply raise the temp of the HLT manually 15 minutes before the next step rise by hand. I can't see the benefit of automating the propane control.