solenoid valve for herms in idiot english please

Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:05 am

ok. I am struggling to find information. I have a herms system with a separate vessel for my hot water/heat exchanger. In that vessel i have a bucket heater on a unistat iia temp controller. My temps hit 155 all the time just fine and hold well.

Now, I'd like to ditch the heat exchange vessel and use my HLT as a heat source. I can do a few things.
1. I can cycle my pump on and off with the temp controller. This would work but I'd like to circulate continuously because my mind tells me that is better for some reason.

2. I can put a solenoid valve in line so that it opens and closes with the temp controller sending water to the heat exchanger as needed. ????

My first choice is number 2, but I have no idea how to wire up a solenoid valve. I know they make 110V valves. Can I just put a plug on it and plug it into my temp controller? I have zilcho electrical skills and figure that it can't be that easy. I see all of these PID dealios and have no desire to go that route unless it can be done on the 3rd grade level, which is where I am. HELP!
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Re: solenoid valve for herms in idiot english please

Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:23 am

Are you really sure you want to ditch the heat exchange vessel? You will then need to worry about the temp of your hlt come sparge time.
Too hot and you'll have to cool it before sparging. Too cool, and you will have trouble stepping up quickly enough.
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Re: solenoid valve for herms in idiot english please

Sat Jul 08, 2017 9:04 am

OH snappy. then maybe I don't want to. I was just hoping to streamline my number of vessels. what I've been doing is batch sparging:
1. drain to boil kettle
2. add calculated sparge water
3. turn temp controller up to 168 for mash out (which kinda took forever)
4. drain to boil kettle.

I just scored a keggle mash tun hoping to ditch the plastic mash tun. my heat exchange vessel is a 5 gallon cooler that I used to mash with for small batches. I wanted to ditch the 5 gallon cooler so I could put it on the same tier as everything else without melting it. But ... hmmmm....????
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Re: solenoid valve for herms in idiot english please

Fri Jul 14, 2017 3:52 pm

BDawg wrote:Are you really sure you want to ditch the heat exchange vessel? You will then need to worry about the temp of your hlt come sparge time.
Too hot and you'll have to cool it before sparging. Too cool, and you will have trouble stepping up quickly enough.


+1. I have a separate heat exchange vessel as well. Been using that setup for about 5 years, and I think about mods to my rig all the time, but no real plans to change that part.

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Re: solenoid valve for herms in idiot english please

Tue Jul 18, 2017 3:12 pm

You are correct most valves are 110 and normally closed add voltage and it opens.
1. You have a 110 output and just tie into that if your not going to pull too much current and there you go.
2. Your working with a 24v output add a relay to pass the 110 to the valve, and away you go. If it is operating backwards swap the output side of the relay between NO and NC.
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