Beer Forum

Does anyone have a link to this float switch I've seen used on several of these sweet brew stands? Also, does anyone recommend a different one?

Thanks,
MikeInBoise

This one:

The ones I use are from McMaster-Carr model #50195K93. There is also a stainless model.

You can get one all wired and ready from MoreBeer too.

Push E.

Thanks!

Mike, I think that is my pale white ugly hand you're looking at - yup! and that looks like my old float switch set up too! This is where I got my wiring diagram from

http://www.texanbrew.com/article.php?st ... 3202555383
thanks you crazy whacky texans!

Here's my parts list for the complete package: I bought that float switch off of McMaster for around $15 or less. It is high temperature polysulfone. The switch is simply a pole with a sliding cylindrical encased magnet float. When the float is up, the switch is on, when it's down it's off. (You can also remove the cotter pin at the top of the float to invert the magnetic cylinder so that the switch direction is inverted as I've recently found out!) I bought a radio shack 15 volt AC/DC adapter plug recharger thingy (looks a lot like your cell phone recharger plug) for about $20. And I bought a solid state relay off of EBAY from somewhere in Florida that paralells 120V AC with 12-20V DC. From radio shack I also bought instead of that phono jack you see on the texanbrewer website, I bought RCA male and females to allow the disconnection of the float switch wire. And I also use a ON-OFF-On 3way toggle switch I bought from Home Depot. And I bought a bunch of heat shrink tubing from Harbor freight.

I use this setup on my brutus. Basicly I have one of my pumps hardwired to the "ON"-Off-On on the toggle. When in this position it turns the pump on. The float switch is hardwired to the On-Off-"ON" position via the texan brewer website. By using the SSR you are not running a dangerous 120V into a pot of liquid, instead you are just using 12-15 volts DC.

You might want to think about which pump you control with your float switch if you use 2 pumps (one for pumping sparge from your HLT to MT and one for pumping out wort from your MT to BK) You can have the float switch control the introduction of sparge water into the MT in a oscillating on, off, on, off... by controling one pump as the sparge constantly drains out of the MT into the BK. OR you can invert the magnet cylinder float on the switch and have it control the other pump so that you are constantly filling the MT with a steady flow from the BK while oscillating the drain pump between the MT and the BK. I prefer the latter, but both have different drawbacks.

Also, if you look, SS sheet metal has a 1/2" hole drilled through it. it slides down the copper tubing. All my lines are silicone lines from B3, and I use a slice of that line on either side of the SS sheet to support the sheet. It works really well. Umm you'll also see my attempt at a thermowell made from a scrap piece of SS tubing. I scrapped that idea.
Good luck! Let me know if you can make any improvements to this!!

I bought mine off of eBay, I got 3 for $40 shipped from China.



Wiring diagram...

Nice!
I have some of my parts. I decided on SS float switch from Grainger and I modified the schematic above by using 2 floats in series with a toggle switch to close the circuit and "ignore" the float switch input altogether for other steps in my brewing process as I have a one pump system.

One of the floats will be in my Mash tun as yours with the second one "flipped" and placed in the bottom of my HLT to kill the pump when the sparge water is expended.

Thanks for the pics, comments, and diagrams. I'll post my set up after I buy my SS relay and second the float switch.

I got a brand new DC power supply from (15v) for some computer speakers from our IT guys...

That was sweet!

Here is the link to the Grainger SS float switch I selected:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/2A551

And good luck to you!

Done!
The set up works like I intended. I have not brewed on it yet, just run fluids into the different vessels testing for leaks etc.

I was surprised by how the float switch in the mash tun cycles the pump for really small amounts. I may want to add a delay. Has anybody done that?

-MikeInBoise