110 set up
 

hello i am wanting to go electric but i live in military housing and don't have 220 is there a good way of doing this using 110. or should i just keep using gas.

thanks

with 110, it will take forever to brew any volume of beer. If you have any of the following, you have 220v: dryer, stove, range, unless they are gas, in which case, you would be best to stick with your current methods

mxman06,
You are limited in your options, but all hope isn't lost.
Look into going with a hybrid setup, use a 110v element in a RIMS configuration, and then transfer the wort to a propane or gas cooker for the boil. As for boiling on 110v, NoCornOrRice is pretty accurate. You'll be lucky to get a 5 gallon batch rolling.

thanks for the help i do have 220 dryer, i would just need to make a LONG extension cord witch is not completely unreasonably. i would like to brew in my basement as that is were my fermentation chamber is and moving 10 gal down stairs is not fun. how much dose a basic 220 set cost to make.

Be careful with the LONG extension cord, especially with 220v. Depending on the amperage you run, and distance, you will need a pretty heavy cord.
The panel you should be able to do for around $1000 if you build it yourself and go PID. I built my BCS control panel setup for about $1200, since I already had the kettles done. I built a 50a setup, you may be able to do 30a for slightly less. Which would give you the power to run a 5500w element.

cool that's a little out of my budget ( military doesn't pay that good lol) so i think i will stay with my current three burner set up. thanks for the help

If you use a long extension cord, 10/4 SOOW is by far the best option for brewing 10gal batches powered by a dryer. Bought in bulk, it is usually about $2.50 per foot, including shipping and tax. It is very flexible, but heavy. Make sure you don't leave a coil of wire when drawing power, or it will turn into an inductor and bad things will happen (fire).

Another issue is ventilation: you will need a fume hood that has a motor and vents outside.

I was on a tight budget as well, but the though of brewing in winter outside was too unapealing. A really simple, economical option you may wish to consider is:
http://www.highgravitybrew.com/productcart/pc/Electric-Kettle-Controller-158p3084.htm

If you were to make it DIY style, it would be cheaper too. Search for PWM controller on this forum

I added two 20amp 110v breakers and added electrical outlets beside my panel and have a brew pot with two 1500 watt elements in it....no special controllers.....works amazing.. cost for everything was around $250... just another thought

I wouldn't say 110 brewing is out of the question at all. In fact many of us do just that to great effect. Check out SIMPLE and 2P-Twent-E in my sig and look for jcarp's countertop brutus. Those are all great systems that operate on a single 20amp 11vac outlet available in any kitchen that is up to code. My systems push out 4.25g finished volume into the fermenter and 4 gallons packaged volume per batch.

This is what I do. Two separate 110v circuits at 15-20A each. My BK has two 1500w elements, my HLT has one 1650w element (though it is a little underpowered). Boil is extremely vigorous after 20minutes from sparging (sooner if I heat first runnings while continuing to sparge.)

Check your circuits. Chances are there are some that power things you can unplug/not use while brewing, giving you dedicated power.