BREWHA BIAC® specifications

Fermenter pressure rating: 5-in-1 conical fermenters are rated to 14.9 psi in the vessel and 7 psi in the jacket.

*5-in-1 adds approximately 15%.

Recommended breaker size is approximately 20% larger than stated draw. Confirm final requirements with a qualified electrician, BREWHA and the local Authority Having Jurisdiction.

1. Controller installation. Small through Large controllers require a NEMA 14-30R four-conductor receptacle. Touchscreen controllers must be securely wall-mounted. 1.5–15 BBL systems are hard-wired to the building main with appropriately sized cable; position the controller within about 6 ft of the brewing fermenter because heater extensions are 12 ft long.
2. Fermentation temperature regulation. Provide standard 120 V / 15 A circuits near brewing and fermenting areas for ETC controllers and Water, Beer and Wort Chillers. A four-gang receptacle per two fermenters is recommended where dual-pump chillers are used.
3. Hoist and pump. The Kito hoist has a 12 ft whip and needs a receptacle or hard-wired power source. The 7S commercial pump must be wired by an electrician; see the Kito chain hoist product page for details.
4. Safety certification. BREWHA touchscreen controllers are third-party inspected and certified by CSA or ETL/Intertek under Canada’s SPE1000. Acceptance is subject to the local authority.

A 3/4 in. water line is sufficient; 1 in. or 1.5 in. is preferred for commercial use where available. Install a pressure regulator on the fermenter-jacket supply at or below its pressure limit. For tap-water chilling, maintain a flow rate of at least 3% per minute of total wort volume—about 20 L / 5 gal per minute on larger systems.

A closed-loop one-stage plate chiller or two-stage plate chiller can reduce post-boil chilling time. Total BIAC water use can be as low as about two times beer volume, compared with 6–7 volumes in a traditional brewery. Typical cooling-water use is 3–4 times beer volume, with the first 1–1.5 times potentially recoverable for the next batch; cold liquor tanks can recirculate the balance.

For water treatment, reverse osmosis provides a neutral starting point for mineral additions; flow rate should be sized for the time available. If local tap water is low in metals, chlorine and carbonates with stable mineral content, basic carbon filtration may be sufficient. Consult municipal water reports and a local water-treatment specialist.

Municipal and site-specific requirements vary; confirm local code and consult an engineer where appropriate. Where permitted, direct outdoor venting is normally the simplest humidity-control approach. Lower the fermenter lid to within approximately 1 in. during the boil, attach a steam elbow to the lid’s centre port, and use flexible ducting with a fan—typically a 350 CFM inline 6 in. fan—to vent outdoors.

Where outdoor venting is not possible, a BREWHA non-mixing steam condenser can knock down steam indoors. Dehumidification can also be effective when appropriately sized. To estimate vapour production: W × 3600 ÷ 2,300,000 = kg/hour of water boiled off; divide by 0.59 kg/m³ for vapour volume, then convert to CFM. A 5 BBL system produces approximately 51.5 CFM of steam vapour—size ducting and fans with significant additional capacity for entrained air.