# Equipment

{% content-ref url="../getting-started/setting-up-your-equipment-profile" %}
[setting-up-your-equipment-profile](https://docs.brewfather.app/getting-started/setting-up-your-equipment-profile)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## Overview

Equipment profiles define your brewing system's physical characteristics and efficiency settings. Accurate equipment profiles are essential for proper recipe scaling, water calculations, and achieving your target volumes and gravities.

## How to Use

1. **Create Profile**: Go to Profiles → Equipment → tap the + button
2. **Enter Basic Settings**:
   * Name your equipment profile
   * Set batch volume and batch volume target
   * Enter boil time
   * Input efficiency percentage
3. **Configure Losses**:
   * Trub/chiller loss
   * Fermenter loss
   * Mash tun dead space
4. **Set Boil-off Rate**: Enter your typical evaporation per hour
5. **Save**: Tap save to store the profile
6. **Apply to Recipe**: Select this profile when creating or editing recipes

## Key Settings

### Volumes

* **Batch Volume Target**: Choose whether batch volume should match the final fermenter volume or the hot end-of-boil kettle volume (Post-Boil Volume)
* **Batch Volume**: Your target volume based on the selected batch volume target
* **Boil Size**: Pre-boil volume in kettle
* **Fermenter Top Up**: Water added directly to fermenter

### Efficiency

* **Brewhouse Efficiency**: Overall system efficiency (65-75% typical)
* **Mash Efficiency**: Conversion efficiency in mash (often 5-10% higher than brewhouse)
* **Efficiency Type**: Choose between "Fermenter" or "Kettle" based on your measurement point

### Losses

* **Trub/Chiller Loss**: Volume left in kettle after transfer (liters/gallons)
* **Fermenter Loss**: Volume left in fermenter after packaging
* **Mash Tun Dead Space**: Unrecoverable volume below mash tun outlet

### Evaporation

* **Boil-off Rate**: Volume lost per hour during boil (liters/hour or gallons/hour)
* **Boil Temperature**: Adjusted automatically based on altitude if enabled
* **Boil Expansion**: Volume expansion percentage during boil

### Hop Settings

* **Hop Utilization Multiplier**: Adjusts hop utilization calculation. Normally left at 100%.
* **Aroma Hop Utilization**: Option to calculate aroma hop utilization separately, with a "Calc aroma hop utilization" checkbox.
* **Whirlpool / No-Chill Time**: Extra minimum whirlpool or hopstand time.

### Volumes (Additional)

* **Calc Boil Volume**: Toggle to automatically calculate boil volume.
* **HLT Deadspace**: Hot Liquor Tank dead space volume.
* **Sparge Water Overflow**: What to do with excess sparge water (default: Top-Up).
* **Sparge/Mash Water Volume Limits**: Min/max limits for sparge water, HLT water, and mash water volumes, with an enable toggle.

### Losses (Additional)

* **Mash-Tun Loss**: Unrecoverable mash volume (distinct from Mash-Tun Deadspace which is recoverable).

### Efficiency (Additional)

* **Calc Mash Efficiency**: Toggle to automatically calculate mash efficiency.

### Water Calculations

* **Water/Grain Ratio**: Mash thickness (liters/kg or quarts/lb)
* **Grain Absorption**: Water retained by grain (liters/kg or gallons/lb)
* **Sparge Water**: Calculated automatically or set custom formula
* **Sparge Temperature**: Target sparge water temperature.

## Advanced Settings

### Temperature Settings

* **Hop Stand Temperature**: Default temperature for hop stand additions (°C/°F)
* **Grain Temperature**: Default grain temperature for strike water calculations
* **Ambient Temperature**: Room temperature for heat loss calculations
* **Mash Tun Heat Capacity**: Thermal capacity of the mash tun (for strike water calculations).
* **Calc Strike Water Temperature**: Toggle to calculate strike water temperature from equipment settings.

### Altitude Adjustment

* Enable to automatically adjust boil temperature based on elevation
* Enter your altitude for accurate calculations

### Custom Formulas

* **Mash Water Formula**: Override default mash water calculation
* **Sparge Water Formula**: Override default sparge water calculation
* **Water Calculation Type**: Choose from Default, No Sparge, or Custom

### Other

* **Description / Notes**: Free text notes field for the equipment profile.

## Tips for Accuracy

1. **Measure Actual Volumes**: Track your actual volumes over several batches
2. **Calculate Efficiency**: Compare expected vs actual gravity to determine your efficiency
3. **Account for All Losses**: Include losses from transfers, sampling, and equipment
4. **Temperature Calibration**: Verify your thermometer accuracy
5. **Boil-off Test**: Measure actual evaporation rate with a water-only boil test

## Common Equipment Profiles

### All-in-One Systems

* Grainfather G30/G40/G70
* Brewzilla/Robobrew
* Anvil Foundry
* Clawhammer Supply

### Traditional 3-Vessel

* HERMS (Heat Exchange Recirculating Mash System)
* RIMS (Recirculating Infusion Mash System)
* Direct Fire Systems

### BIAB (Brew in a Bag)

* Single vessel with bag
* Full volume mash
* No sparge method

### Extract Brewing

* Simplified profile
* No mash efficiency needed
* Focus on boil volume and fermenter size

## Troubleshooting

**Missing Target Volume?**

* Check boil-off rate
* Verify all losses are accounted for
* Confirm grain absorption rate

**Wrong Original Gravity?**

* Adjust efficiency percentage
* Check mash efficiency vs brewhouse efficiency
* Verify grain crush quality

**Water Calculations Off?**

* Review water/grain ratio
* Check dead space volumes
* Verify sparge water settings

## Profile Management

* **Set as Default**: Star/mark an equipment profile as your default.
* **Copy**: Duplicate a profile.
* **Reset**: Reset default profiles to factory settings.

## Related docs

* [Setting Up Your Equipment Profile](https://docs.brewfather.app/getting-started/setting-up-your-equipment-profile)
* [Recipe Designer](https://docs.brewfather.app/recipes/designer)
* [Mash-Tun Calibration](https://docs.brewfather.app/tools/mash-tun-calibration)