BeerBorg

There are also 18" and 3' and 6' GFCI extensions that plug into a standard grounded outlet. You can get those for $20-$40ish and they should work fine and give perhaps more versatility as far as where you can position the thing in a room.

mashani wrote:I've got to play around with mine, but from things I've read it seems any temp 205+ for the boil shouldn't power cycle and potentially trip an error and require a reset. So you can probably play around with the "boil" temperature to reduce steam output and boil off rate, and quite possibly even do a "not quite boil" type of boil like the Zymatic does. As long as it's hot enough that the wort is circulating around it should be fine, boil off less, and not fill up your house with as much steam if you are doing it indoors.

That said, I think Berryman would suggest that you put it on something (or make something to put it on) where you can get to that reset switch on the bottom just in case something trips the sensor (IE if a whole hop leaf sticks to it, it might trip because apparently it's pretty finicky). It would be a huge PITA if the thing was full of wort and you had to push that button and can't get to it. I guess with lesser boil volume for a 2.5-3 gallon batch it would be safer to tip when "full" but I'd still not want to have to do that.

I like your idea of running it just under boiling temperature, which for me is 212F. I’m not able to use the Mash and Brew until I can figure out how handle the moisture it creates. I’d like to plug it in outside but it’s 40-50 degrees. I don’t know if the elements are strong enough to overcome the elements.

I read on one of the sites that you need to set the boiling temperature at a certain number to maintain a boil. They probably suggest boiling temperature plus 6 degrees.

If I could use an extension cord I could put the MB under a window with a room fan in the window. Maybe a thick gauge extension cord would be ok. I need at least a 3-4 foot cord to get under the window.

I don’t want to start a fire with this thing.

Mcmurdo Mike wrote:BPGreen-
If you are not an electrician-
Instead of installing a GFCI outlet, you can buy a GFCI that plugs into your existing grounded outlet at Lowes or Home Depot https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tower-Manuf ... wAoduYwGog.

Adventures in Homebrewing offers the same one for 16 bucks.

Thanks. I stopped at Home Depot yesterday and picked up one of the ones that plugs into an existing outlet. It was about the same price as the ones that require doing some wiring, and I figured that would give me some flexibility until I decide where I'm going to be using it.

mashani wrote: That said, I think Berryman would suggest that you put it on something (or make something to put it on) where you can get to that reset switch on the bottom just in case something trips the sensor (IE if a whole hop leaf sticks to it, it might trip because apparently it's pretty finicky). It would be a huge PITA if the thing was full of wort and you had to push that button and can't get to it.

YES. It is not a real common problem, but can happen when least expect it and not good to deal with when happens so better being prepared. Happened to me twice so far and know the reasons why now and don't do it. It kills the boil but after the reset and put the numbers back in, back to normal. I think Brian will like to use his with his home grown hops a lot and will work fine, but don't use a hop sack and spider. use the grain basket as a catch all hop spider. I don't put it back in there when doing commando on pellet hops, but works good when using a lot of whole hops.

Banjo-guy wrote: If I could use an extension cord I could put the MB under a window with a room fan in the window. Maybe a thick gauge extension cord would be ok. I need at least a 3-4 foot cord to get under the window.

I don’t want to start a fire with this thing.

In the FAQ they say not to use an extension cord, but there again I think for liability reasons. A short good quality and of the proper gauge extension cord should not be a problem. I put in two new 20 amp circuits with GFI's before I plugged this unit in, and might be a overkill on my part but I also run a grainfather sparge water heater the same time and a pump too. As far as a GFI, I say YES, anytime dealing with electric and around water or moisture, should have it for your safety. The reason why it is required by code for Kitchens and Bathrooms.

Mine arrived today. It's still sitting in the box, but I'll take it out this evening.

FWIW, those purposefully designed 18" to 6' 15 amp GFCI extensions I mentioned above are designed to handle ~1850 watts and are often meant for use on industrial sites where there is just a regular outlet (because if it rains or there is a leak/spill/whatever and there is a short...), so they should be ok with the Mash and Boil. The GFCI circuit sits near the plug, and then the cord goes out for however long from there. There are also 20 amp versions that can handle more if you have a 20 amp circuit to plug them into.

I think Brian will like to use his with his home grown hops a lot and will work fine, but don't use a hop sack and spider. use the grain basket as a catch all hop spider. I don't put it back in there when doing commando on pellet hops, but works good when using a lot of whole hops.

I have a 6"x14" 400 micron metal mesh hop spider that I think will sit nicely on the internal rails that the basket sits on when draining/sparging, so it should fit even with the lid on. (I haven't tried yet, but will soonish).

I think as long as I attach it to the side opposite the sensor, it should work fine, it will never touch the sensor or the bottom of the pot.

I usually just commando pellet hops, but if I'm using a ton of them when channeling my inner Beer-Lord I might use the spider just to keep anything that isn't @flameout away from that thing. I'm just imagining a big blob of hop sludge piling up there and blah...

The holes in the basket don't look like the would contain pellet hop sludge so well. It would be great for whole hops though.

mashani wrote:
I have a 6"x14" 400 micron metal mesh hop spider that I think will sit nicely on the internal rails that the basket sits on when draining/sparging, so it should fit even with the lid on. (I haven't tried yet, but will soonish).

I think as long as I attach it to the side opposite the sensor, it should work fine, it will never touch the sensor or the bottom of the pot

And I think that will work just fine. What I am saying a muslin bag once gets loaded down and comes in contact with the sensor will trip it.

mashani wrote: The holes in the basket don't look like the would contain pellet hop sludge so well. It would be great for whole hops though.

Right and Yes on this.

mashani wrote: I usually just commando pellet hops, but if I'm using a ton of them when channeling my inner Beer-Lord I might use the spider just to keep anything that isn't @flameout away from that thing. I'm just imagining a big blob of hop sludge piling up there and blah...

I haven't tried the beerlord amount yet on commando pellet hops so I don't know if that would cover the sensor or not and trip it LOL. but on a normal beer seems to be no problem.

After work, I lifted weights, then walked for a couple of miles, then went swimming. Then I cooked and ate and relaxed in front of the TV, when I suddenly remembered I had a rather large unopened box sitting just inside the front door.

I opened it up and unwrapped everything and I have to say that I really think I'm going to like this. I had a stovetop partial mash planned for this past weekend that I never got around to brewing, so I think I'll break this in doing that. I need to stop at the LHBS to stock up on grains before I do an all-grain batch. So far, I've only done a couple of small batch all-grain batches. I also already have the LME thawed and ready and the recipe designed, so I'll go ahead with it. I'll probably need to either adjust my crush or use a bag, because for smaller amounts of grain, I use my KitchenAid attachment and make it almost like coarse flour.

I just read in the manual that a grain bag should not be used, so I guess I need to adjust the crush. Maybe I'll just use my cereal crusher. I'll want to be using that when I crush larger amounts of grain, anyway, so I guess I should get used to it.

When I pulled the basket out, I looked at it and thought that I could put that back in for the boil when I use whole leaf hops. Then, when I got on here to write this message, I saw that this was already covered (and even mentioned me by name). My batch this weekend is with pellet hops, so I won't be able to test the theory, but I think it should work.

Are those plastic (silicone?) spacers able to withstand boiling temperatures?

I just ordered this. There's a thread on HBT about the M&B that had a link to a similar cart, but this one came up as a suggestion and seemed a little better to me.

It's high enough off the ground that I should be able to fill my fermenting buckets directly.

It's rated for 500 lbs, so I think it would be safe to cut a hole in the center to access the reset button if needed. I won't cut a hole unless it's needed (of course, that means that it won't be there the first time it's needed).

I read a little further in the HBT thread and ordered this instead. It's wire mesh, so I can get to the reset button without needing to make any changes to the cart.

When you do your PM, make sure you turn off the M&B, then mix in the LME until it is not sticking to the bottom / coating your mixing device (I hope you have a mash paddle or very long spoon). Otherwise I am pretty sure you will trip that sensor.

Also I'm just going to toss this out there for folks.

If your M&B heating element ever blows up after warranty expires don't throw it out. Instead, buy a distilling lid and get a #10 stopper and an airlock.

You now have a 7.5 gallon stainless steel fermenter.

Which is kind of cool as a consolation prize.

mashani wrote:When you do your PM, make sure you turn off the M&B, then mix in the LME until it is not sticking to the bottom / coating your mixing device (I hope you have a mash paddle or very long spoon). Otherwise I am pretty sure you will trip that sensor.

When I do partial mashes, I always add the extract as a late addition, after the boil. I find that I get better hop utilization that way (also less caramelization, etc).

bpgreen wrote: Are those plastic (silicone?) spacers able to withstand boiling temperatures?

This site here https://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREWERS ... P4216.aspx is the original seller of the M&B and has a lot of Q&A answers and reviews there, and worth reading.

This looks to be about perfect for this thing to sit on, and one of the short ones to put containers on to rack into for a Vorlauf if you are into doing that.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X9 ... UTF8&psc=1

mashani wrote:This looks to be about perfect for this thing to sit on, and one of the short ones to put containers on to rack into for a Vorlauf if you are into doing that.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X9 ... UTF8&psc=1

That does look really good, but the other one is already on its way to me.