ECC Forum

I tried to setup a simple start . It would heat the water while the pump is recirculating the water. The PID did a great job controlling the heaters as it neared my Temp 0 setpoint of 169 deg. F. Once it hit the temp, it set the alarm to go off. Which it did and go to the next state. How do I tell the system to shut the pump off when it hits the set temperature. for now I then want to use a web button to turn the pump on after I moved the hose to the Mash tun.

I am sure I will have more questions as I get farther along.
TIA
Brett

Sounds like you want an Idle state. Just exit into a state that the pump isn't being controlled On.

State0
Pump=On
Out=PID@169
Exit => State1 when Temp=169 (do you want to exit when you hit temp? Or hold temp until user input?)

State1: Swap Hoses
Pump=Off (or just don't check the 'control' box)
Exit => State2 when Win0

State2: etc

Thanks Adam , Thats what I ended up doing. making a pump shut off state. I thought there was another way. Thank you
How do I keep it at the set point temp in state 0?
Brett

Same thing, just add 'Out=PID@169' in State1 as well.

can't I maintain a sparge temperature, by the temp exit condition go to the same state. Then a user input goes to the next state?

So state 1 out0@pid 165 exit condition temp i>= 165 goto state 1
out1 pump on
+ exit condition Web ON goto state 2

State 2 pump off. ??


I got about 7 gallons of water starting at 67 deg. up to 165 in 50 minutes using a SS coil in the HLT with 2 2KW water heaters and about 4 gallons of water in there. just enough to cover the coil.

Creating an exit condition to exit into the same state is unnecessary. Setting out0@pid 165 will ramp to 165 and hold at 165, no additional exit condition required

I rely on a circulation to pull water/wort over the sensor. then it will stay in that state with the outputs I set to be on . 2 heaters and a pump, until I Din or Web input to exit that state? that makes sense ,I will try that in the AM'
Thanks Adam,

well I ran a brew on sunday.. the temp 0 out of the HLT (carrying wort while mashing) was a lot higher than the actual mash temp. (temp 1)
So I guess this is what is meant by "dialing in " the system. I dont want to denature the enzymes coming out of the HLT coil , but the mash temp was lower than my target mash temperature..
This was a 5 gallon batch in a 10 gallon system. the mash vessel is a 15.5 gallon Sankey keg the HLT tank with the HE is 8.5 gallon SS pot with 4 gallons of water in it.. I guess I need to get some insulation wrap for the mash tun.
Temps out of the HLT coil were up to 157 while the mash temp was only 142. so I switched heater control from the mash temp 1 back to temp 0.
but over the course of the entire mash I had trouble getting the temps in the mash back up . Maybe a mash stirring device is needed. Line ID is 3/8 inch.
How did others overcome this issue?
TIA
Brett

Not sure how much benefit stirring the mash would get you, probably a little. But I don't like disturbing the nice grainbed. In my experience, the best way to reduce the diff is to get a higher flow rate. When you run the water tests, do you see the same temp spread? The biggest difference in a water test and a brew is the flowrate, since you have to cut it down to avoid it sticking. More flow means less time for a temperature difference to appear. Are you running on a false bottom, or some kind of screen/manifold?

Insulation also helps, you already touched on that.

When I ran the water tests , that was just the HLT , then when I ran the HLT with a coil in the HLT and with half filled keg of water pumping through the coil, I didn't have a second temp probe in that water.
so I never saw the difference until I started the mash( my bad) I have a false bottom in the bottom of the keg. Even if I did change all the hoses and fittings from 3/8 to 1/2 inch.
the pickup tube of the false bottom is still 3/8 thats the restriction. I have mashed in this keggle before and it held heat well . I guess I just need insulation and get the strike water temp right just right so the Heaters do not have to heat as much or just recirculate to clear the wort. Unless I put a third element in the mash tun, I am not sure how to change it. Maybe put the Temp probe right before where the wort drops into the Mash tun. the difference is only 3.5 feet or so of thermoplastic tubing
Thanks for the Help, Adam . I will post up on what I end up doing. Oh and I dont close any valves while recirculating the mash. All valves were wide open. flow seemed pretty good.