Controlling G30 power when using a Steam Condenser

[Doreblade]

Has anyone found a quick way to reduce the element power on a G30 when using the Brewfather app brew controller to run a brew?

The only way I've managed this is to disconnect brewfather, connect using Grainfather app, switch mode to reduce the power, disconnect the Grainfather app, reconnect the brewfather app...

All very fiddly so any better suggestions?

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[nallum]

Plug the GF into a power controller?

[MashBag]

Nah, the voltage drop will also affect the controller. You would need to wire that in to the elements only.

Gotta ask why do you want to turn it down?

[Doreblade]

Nah, the voltage drop will also affect the controller. You would need to wire that in to the elements only.

Gotta ask why do you want to turn it down?

With the condenser lid on the boil is far far too violent - far more than a good rolling boil. Huge chance of boil over.

Experiments with using the Grainfather app alone has shown that I only need around 40% of the power to keep a good rolling boil when using the condenser.

Have been looking at power controls as suggested but cost and not fully understanding the physics of it all (my electrical knowledge is very limited!) makes me think there's a better solution.

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[nallum]

The controller unit itself needs very little power to function. Considerably less than the heating element(s). I use a power controller to balance things with a steam condenser. Totally not a problem at all. Works like a charm. Elements off, it pulls <1 amp. I'm not qualified to offer advice re putting together a power controller, but it's not that much more than wiring a plug, tbh. Avoid cheap off-the-shelf controllers from China. If you buy the components from aliexpress, read the reviews first to gauge reliability. There's a lot of shite out there.

[Doreblade]

The controller unit itself needs very little power to function. Considerably less than the heating element(s). I use a power controller to balance things with a steam condenser. Totally not a problem at all. Works like a charm. Elements off, it pulls <1 amp. I'm not qualified to offer advice re putting together a power controller, but it's not that much more than wiring a plug, tbh. Avoid cheap off-the-shelf controllers from China. If you buy the components from aliexpress, read the reviews first to gauge reliability. There's a lot of shite out there.

Cheers for the info Nallum, sounds promising if I can get my head around the set up.

Can you show a pic of your set up possibly, might just help with my further search/digging around on t'net?

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[MashBag]

If it works that's great. Wiring them in is really simple. Indeed just like a plug.

For the record it is not how much power the controller it needs. These units don't work like turning the tap down. Sometimes they can affect electronics. Elements of the other hand, are just a simple inductive load.

If that is the case buy a plug in one. But be very careful of the quality and never run it at full on with full load. They get very hot very quickly. Which may seam counterintuitive, but again they are not a tap.

[nallum]

'I always get chocolate stains on my pants.' Phil Lynott (1976)

[nallum]

Power controller without anything connected:

IMG_0419.jpeg (1.23 MiB) Viewed 4351 times

BM20 controller:

IMG_0420.jpeg (1.21 MiB) Viewed 4351 times

BM20 controller + pump:

IMG_0426.jpeg (1.47 MiB) Viewed 4351 times

BM20 controller + pump + heating element:

IMG_0421.jpeg (1.24 MiB) Viewed 4351 times

I run the system at about 5.0-5.4 amps to balance heat/element output with my steam condenser. We still want a nice simmering boil, so the power isn’t going to be less than the kettle controller demands, which, in my case, is only about 0.03 amps. After about 18 months and at least a dozen brews, I haven’t noticed any problems at all. Works like a charm. Nor have I noticed any significant heat coming from the power controller. I fitted a small fan and drilled vent holes to help dissipate heat, but at the wattages used for typical AIO brewing kettles, it doesn’t seem essential, in my experience. That said, I did initially buy a cheap off-the-shelf power controller, which fried itself on its first run. Hence my advice.

[Doreblade]

Thanks Nallum, that was great info. It's given me confidence to source a power controller that should cope with the 2kw element requirements without overheating/burning out.

I'll be running some tests at the weekend to test running power through the controller to the G30 controller directly and seeing how much I can dial a boil down before the G30 controller doesn't have enough juice to function.

My main thought though is to test running the G30 controller at normal 240v and at boil point disconnect the element cable and run the element directly via the power controller. In theory I should be able to dial down the boil to whatever I wish with impacting the G30 controller.

I did a very quick test with 2l in the G30 and it seemed to be feasible so will mock up a full scale brew test this weekend with 23l.



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[nallum]

If bypassing the kettle’s controller simply involves ‘unplug n play’, it’s going to work fine. That was my initial intention. I even wasted about £25 on a compatible connector to link the BM element directly to the power controller, but it was too much hassle trying to remove the element connector from the back of the BM controller, due to heat and limited accessibility making it too awkward. In my case, plugging the BM controller into the power controller is the simplest option. For a 2000W AIO system you probably won’t use <50% power to balance things, so the kettle controller is going to function as normal. I have the power controller set on 100% for reaching strike temperature, mash and ramping up to boil. As soon as it reaches a boil I dial the power down to about 65% then keep an eye on it to make finer adjustments until I’m satisfied it’s sufficiently balanced and not going to boil over or stop simmering nicely at 100*C.

[Doreblade]

Just to keep you posted, my test at the weekend proved very successful.

I used brewfather brew controller to control the G30 and at the boil step, when a rolling boil was achieved, I simply unplugged the G30 heater element cable from the G30 and plugged it into my 5kw rated power controller using a cable just the same as the G30 power cable.

The power controller worked very well, and I got a nice rolling boil with the steam condenser lid attached at about 50% on the power controller (around 145v).

On a 30 min boil the controller barely got warm too.

For the record, my boil off with the condenser was 1 litre over the 30 mins boil.

Here's some (not very good) pics



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[MashBag]

Next stop gin

[Doreblade]

Next stop gin

Can't stand the stuff, but as for whiskey.....

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