• Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
    Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.

Digi Boil 35l Kettle Beersmith equipment profile needed.

Wayne

Apprentice
Joined
Jan 2, 2021
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Does anyone have a Beersmith equipment profile for the Digi Boil 35l Kettle with the mash upgrade kit.
The closest profile I can find on BeerSmith is the Robobrew, however there are a few settings that I think are not correct.  My volumes always seem to be off and I cant't narrow it down to where in the profile, its incorrect.  My SG is also off on most of my brews.  It's frustrating trying to get consistency in my brews, when I can't get a accurate equipment profile.  I also have the 110v model. Any help would be appreciated.

Wayne
 
Wayne,

Setting up an equipment profile is key to getting the software to accurately reflect your process output.  While I don't have the Digiboil, I did go through the process of setting up my own equipment profile with my Anvil, which I outlined in a series of posts starting with: http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php/topic,20873.0.html.  This could serve as a guide for you to set up a profile for your unit using the methodology I used with my unit.

 
I recirculate, but this profile should fill in most of the blanks.
 

Attachments

  • Digiboil.bsmx
    1.7 KB · Views: 50
thank You very much. I think that may work for me.  A few settings like elevation I need to change, but not a big deal.  How would I go about adding this profile into the BeerSmith equipment profile section, so I can make that my default piece of equipment.  Also do you know the difference between this profile and the Robobrew?  I used Robobrew profile my last brew and my columns and gravity was still off?
 
Bob, Should the adjust mash volume for losses be checked off in the profile? I think my boil off rate is .7 gallons per 60 minutes.  Does that seem accurate?
 
I don't have "adjust mash volume for losses". What profile is that in? I get about .65/hr. boil off, but .7 sounds reasonable. It can vary with conditions. Just highlight, copy and past it into your equipment profiles.
 
Even though you may find a profile to use you still need to customize it for your use. Even Brad Smith cautions against using these supplied profiles without customizing them. They are a starting point not the finish line. Don't skimp out on this step or you will be setting yourself up for future headaches. All of those equipment profiles you find in Beersmith were supplied by there users. They work great for those users but probably not for you or me. That is because your processes and mine... and theirs are all different. Oginme has provided a very good walk through. Here is another tutorial that might be useful:

https://youtu.be/HwEbjOt8OR8
 
It's under the mash headspace loses.
I changed a few settings on the equipment profile I think may help. I uploaded a photo of my settings.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2021-01-02 at 9.03.23 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2021-01-02 at 9.03.23 PM.png
    913.2 KB · Views: 23
Thanks Kevin, I did watch that video before.  I have been using the all grain 5 gal. stainless kettle profile for the first 5-6 batches but my numbers were all over the place.  So I then tried the Robobrew profile which was a little closer on my volume but the SG was way off.  When I bought the Digiboil, I took measurements of the liquid under the valve ( Trub loss) and the volume from the valve to the bottom of the false bottom.  I entered these calculations into the equipment profile originally and began brewing.  I'm not sure why my numbers were way off.  I may try another brew with the numbers I entered into the profile in the pic.
Hopefully I can get some type of consistency and be close on my OG and volume
 
I'm not seeing it because I haven't entered a value for dead space loss. All of the volume under the malt pipe is a recoverable dead space. There is no loss because you're not transferring from mash tun to boiler. If you measure the volume it takes to reach the malt pipe screen, you should have ~2 gallons, which should be entered under recoverable loss.
 
Ok, so I changed it back to mash tun addition of 2 gallons.  Do these numbers seem correct to you based on my grain weight, and water to grain ratio.  Im a bit confused by some of the settings for the equipment profile.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2021-01-02 at 9.57.55 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2021-01-02 at 9.57.55 PM.png
    647.1 KB · Views: 11
Wayne said:
Thanks Kevin, I did watch that video before.  I have been using the all grain 5 gal. stainless kettle profile for the first 5-6 batches but my numbers were all over the place.  So I then tried the Robobrew profile which was a little closer on my volume but the SG was way off.  When I bought the Digiboil, I took measurements of the liquid under the valve ( Trub loss) and the volume from the valve to the bottom of the false bottom.  I entered these calculations into the equipment profile originally and began brewing.  I'm not sure why my numbers were way off.  I may try another brew with the numbers I entered into the profile in the pic.
Hopefully I can get some type of consistency and be close on my OG and volume

Did you follow the steps in the video? You could... and if it were me I would... forget all those profiles made by other people. There is no way for you or anyone to know how the person who provided the Digiboil or the Robobrew profiles used their equipment. Did they use a bag or basket? Did they use recirculation hoses and if so how long were they? Did they use a pump? Do they begin their boil at 100% and then back it down and if so by how much? What kind of chiller are they using... immersion, counterflow, plate? There is a wide range of volume losses associated with each of those. Do they leave behind the trub when transferring to the fermenter or dump it all in? Those things are part of their brewing process. If your process isn't the same as theirs then it is no wonder your numbers are way off.

Start from scratch. Study the tutorial again and follow the steps. Measure the liquid volumes by weighing on a scale. Use the calculator that Brian provides in the description in that video. Do an actual boil off test and measure the results. There are no shortcuts. You have to roll up your sleeves and do all the mundane things if you want future brew days to go smoothly.

Here is another video tutorial I find helpful from Brulosophy. If you search that channel you will also find tips on making custom mash profiles.

https://youtu.be/QmW7pwQP5mQ
 
Wayne said:
Ok, so I changed it back to mash tun addition of 2 gallons.  Do these numbers seem correct to you based on my grain weight, and water to grain ratio.  Im a bit confused by some of the settings for the equipment profile.

Grain absorption of .1 gallon/lb. Is a good starting point. It can vary depending on how long you let the malt pipe drain after sparging. You may get slightly different results than I do, but you'll be close with that equipment profile. Use the session pane to monitor your results and tweak as needed. You should be dialed in after a few batches. The grain absorption can be adjusted by going to Tools/Options/Advanced.

I failed to mention in my previous response that the volume remaining after draining is your loss to trub and chiller. So, your recoverable dead space is ~2 gallons and loss to trub & chiller is ~.5 gallons. I pad that, so the actual volume is more like .45 gal.
 
I'm going through my entire equipment setup again.  Dialing in the numbers now.  Doing a boil now, to calculate how much water is lost in the 60 minute boil along with the cooling shrinkage. 
 
I concluded the boil off process.  I started with 3 gallons water and boiled it for 15 minutes.  At end of boil, I shut heat off and the volume in kettle was exactly 3 gallons.  I then cooled the water and the volume dropped to 2.75 gallons  So I lost .25 gallons due to the boil off in the span of 15 minutes.  So if I multiply .25 x 4 which would make it a 60 minute boil, I would have lost exactly 1 gallon.  My setting in the equipment profile is set to .79 gallons.  I will change that to 1 gallon of boil off in a hour.  That may help some with my volume and gravity. 
 
I think 1gallon of boil off may be a bit high because if I look at my last brew, my boil off was set to .7 gal per hour and I was short by .25 gallons.  My initial guess of .79 gallons per hour seems to be more accurate to hitting my final volume.  I'm not sure how accurate that boil off experiment I did with 3 gallons of water for 15 minutes was.  I'm not sure if boiling worth as opposed to boilng water, equals the same amount of boil off.
 
Back
Top