Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

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chapelhouse
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Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by chapelhouse »

I’ve done my first stripping run, and now am prepping for my first spirit run in CCVM mode.

The brewzilla (220v) has three elements that I can turn on or off: 500w,1000w, & 2000w.
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So I can achieve steps of 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, and 3500 watts. Which worked fine for stripping, but I needed more fine tune control. So I got a 1500w cartridge heater and added a 1.5” TC port to the brewzilla. I wired the cartridge heater to a 10,000w SCR (110v with heat sink and small fan in it) which will be plugged into a separate circuit in my garage.
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I also found some lava rock to use as packing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GPLUNDW/r ... UTF8&psc=1
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rubberduck71
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by rubberduck71 »

Nice!

I have the little brother to this: 110V Digiboil + a Brewhaus power controller and both pot & reflux heads from Kegland.
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howie
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by howie »

good job.
i have the smaller 35l with only 500w & 1900w.(wish I'd got the 65L)
the 1900w element is rewired underneath to a separate on-off-on switch.
depends on your still and charge, but i run about 1700w on a reflux run.
so you might have to use a combo of 500w/1000w plus the extra heater.
whichever way, you will have good control over the boil.
did you have any problems sealing the 1.5" TC port with the o-ring & nut inside?
can you still use the false bottom/malt pipe?
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Deplorable
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by Deplorable »

That's finding a way. :thumbup: If that lava rock doesn't get you to 95% after a couple of tries, I can tell you what I use in my 2 inch column that is exactly like yours to get you there. My first attempt was 93%, and the 2nd attempt got me to a clean 95% on copper mesh. I was going to play with lava rock, but since my current packing material is working so well, I figured there is no need to mess with anything else.
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Deplorable wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:55 pm got me to a clean 95% on copper mesh.
Copper Mesh is hard to beat as a packing imo.
chapelhouse
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by chapelhouse »

howie wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:53 pm good job.
i have the smaller 35l with only 500w & 1900w.(wish I'd got the 65L)
the 1900w element is rewired underneath to a separate on-off-on switch.
depends on your still and charge, but i run about 1700w on a reflux run.
so you might have to use a combo of 500w/1000w plus the extra heater.
whichever way, you will have good control over the boil.
did you have any problems sealing the 1.5" TC port with the o-ring & nut inside?
can you still use the false bottom/malt pipe?
I just used a ton of ptfe tape and twisted it into a gasket shape, no leaks so far. I can still get the malt pipe in, but I’m going to have to slightly modify the false bottom to fit around the nut.
chapelhouse
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by chapelhouse »

Saltbush Bill wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 5:44 pm
Deplorable wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:55 pm got me to a clean 95% on copper mesh.
Copper Mesh is hard to beat as a packing imo.
I’ve got some stainless scrubbies as well, but I thought I’d give the rocks a try. (Seems to be some controversy around it, though)
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Rocks will work well to.
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by howie »

should the chassis of the SCR be earthed?
i also thought there should be an earth on the heater.
or is that another country/another voltage :think:

a few weeks ago, the soldered live wire came off inside my power controller while i was using it.
i noticed it pretty quickly, but the wire had sprung up, very close to the chassis.
mine is earthed, checked for continuity and on a earth leakage breaker thingy.
chapelhouse
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by chapelhouse »

howie wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:30 am should the chassis of the SCR be earthed?
i also thought there should be an earth on the heater.
or is that another country/another voltage :think:

a few weeks ago, the soldered live wire came off inside my power controller while i was using it.
i noticed it pretty quickly, but the wire had sprung up, very close to the chassis.
mine is earthed, checked for continuity and on a earth leakage breaker thingy.
There wasn’t a spot for the ground (earth) wire, but I did see a post where I could ground it to the metal frame of scr, however, I only had a power cord with 2 wires (no ground).

The three original elements are grounded through the brewzilla so I don’t know if that makes a difference. I do have it plugged into GFCI outlet for some extra security.
howie
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by howie »

the earth from the main power lead is connected to the brewzillas chassis,with the pump earth.
i'm not an electrician, but i would be uncomfortable handling a un-earthed standalone live metal box. :think:
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Yummyrum
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by Yummyrum »

I’m with Howie . Ground (earth) the metal box . It’s a serious safety issue .
chapelhouse
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by chapelhouse »

howie wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 5:15 pm the earth from the main power lead is connected to the brewzillas chassis,with the pump earth.
i'm not an electrician, but i would be uncomfortable handling a un-earthed standalone live metal box. :think:
Yummyrum wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:30 pm I’m with Howie . Ground (earth) the metal box . It’s a serious safety issue .
Thank you! I’m going first thing tomorrow to get a three prong plug and get the box grounded.
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Yummyrum
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Re: Upgraded Brewzilla Boiler

Post by Yummyrum »

Good Man 👍
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