RIMS Page
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So I finally made the jump to RIMS. For those who don't know what RIMS means, it is Recirculating Infusion Mash System. It is a simple device to maintain the temperature of the mash by directly heating the wort and returning it to the mash tun. The one I'm using was bought from Brewers Hardware but could be made from stainless or copper pipe from the hardware store just as well. There are lots of plans out there on the internet if you search as I'm not going to tell you how to build one here, rather give you my experience with my setup. As this uses electricity, and electricity in close proximity or contact with water, you should consult a professional if you are not qualified to set this up yourself. You could easily find yourself dead if you make a simple mistake and electricity is not very forgiving.

At the current time, I've just hung the tube on the side of the kettle as that was possible due to the fit of the clamps. I'm experimenting with a bracket system, but the final setup may be a bit far off as I have several ideas to use this and keep it out of the path of the flames of the burner as I will still use the propane burner to heat the strike water and make a faster transition between steps in a mash and also get to mashout when needed.

On the first test using a Ranco ETC 111000 controller, it kept the mash within about one degree once stabilized. I set it to 170 for mashout, and it took about 30 minutes from 148-170F to get there. Once I got near the 170 in the kettle, I had to set the controller a few degrees higher to keep the heater active and make reaching the mashout a bit faster. If using a PID and a SSR that could "pulse" the power a bit more it may have been faster and not required any tweaking, but that may be a future project and the Ranco ETC works well so far. We'll see how I feel about it after at least 10 brew sessions.

More to come.....
The RIMS tube temporarily mounted on a makeshift bracket. This is to keep it high enough not to be affected by the burner when adding heat to the mash tun from the bottom. I'll see how this works until I get the brew stand finished.
The RIMS tube hanging on the side of the kettle as it just happened to do that perfectly for the first test. I didn't want to continue this for fear of stressing the joints. Worked well for the first mash and sparge, but it is going to be eventually mounted on a brewing stand.
Photo of the parts from the Brewers Hardware website. To mine I added a Ranco temp probe and disconnect cord, and also 1/2" FNPT caps adapted to my quick disconnects. The two piece design allows the positioning of the inlet and outlet at any direction desired at any time.
Email me at Dean_Palmer@jabil.com if you find errors, bullshit, or have questions.