BoilCoil questions

I have been obsessing over the boil coils. I am not electric handy so I rather buy the coils. I'm a simple brewer so it will always be 5 gallons batch sparging. Going with the 120v 2250 amp versions. My questions:

1. Once I get the wort to a boil can I just keep running it full boar or does it need a controller to reduce output? Boil over a concern?

2. Is 120 really enough power? I don't mind if it takes 30-45 minutes to get to a boil.

3. GFI outlet I assume is required so if I get one put in go 20amp?

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!


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My friend and I installed the blichmann 240V 4500 Watt boil coil into a 19 gallon SS pot with no temp control and it works great. We used to do 5 gallon batches as we were still a bit green to AG brewing but we moved to 10 gallon batches and it works great. When we were doing 5 gallon batches I was a bit concerned about scorching the wort but never had any trouble. Here's the equation I used when determining which boil coil to purchase: Ramp Rate in °F/minute = 0.0068 X Watts / gallons So it should take you roughly 30min to get 6 gallons of wort from your mash temp of +/-150f to boiling.

I just setup a herms system and I'm using the 2000 watt boilcoil, 120v (I'm only doing 3 gal batches and it works great). I'm using an auber PID to dial down the power during the boil. It will boil hard if you keep it full boar, but you'll be fine as long as you have enough headspace and don't mind losing the extra wort volume. If you're doing 5 gal batches, the 120v will be close. It takes my 2000 watt about 25 min to bring 3.5 gal to a boil and the kettle lid has to be on while bringing it to boil, or it takes extremely long. Regarding the GFI, I have standard 20 amp receptacle with an in-line 20 amp GFI that I bought on Amazon. Keep in mind the 120v boilcoil will have an L5-20 prong plug, details are on Blichmann's web site. Good luck, if you have any other questions about the boilcoil, let me know, so far it's working out great in my setup.

I'm running the 3750W version in a 10 gallon G2 and it does boil 7 gallons a bit hard at full power. I'm using a Still Dragon controller which was a pretty cheap and easy option at $42 and I dial it back to about 80%. This still gets me a 1.5gph boil off rate. It takes about 20 minutes to raise 7 gallons from mashout to a hard boil.

Great thing about having a controller is you can dial back the power for additions and not worry about boilovers. I wouldn't recommend plugging and unplugging as a means of control and you will get arcing. At the very least wire an in-line two pole 30A light switch or use the breaker to turn it on and off.

I'm using a 30A GFCI in the breaker panel, but the coil only pulls about 19A a full power. But, I'm in the process of building out a full system and will need the the extra amps. Another option would be a spa panel. They're a little cheaper than GFCI breakers for the main panel

Is the dragon controller hard to put together? Does it come with instructions? I've successfully wired an stc-1000 and stir plate but beyond that I'm done. I'll have my electrician come and put in a dedicated 240 outlet next to the breaker since I brew in my garage.


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But I'll never go full buildout. Always be a batch cooler sparger


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Chrisharvey said:

Is the dragon controller hard to put together? Does it come with instructions? I've successfully wired an stc-1000 and stir plate but beyond that I'm done. I'll have my electrician come and put in a dedicated 240 outlet next to the breaker since I brew in my garage.


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Click to expand...

The controller was very easy to put together. Mine would have been much easier if I'd gotten a 10/2 dryer cord instead of an 8/3 range cord.

There is a link to a PDF with instructions on the product page I linked above.

Chrisharvey said:

Is the dragon controller hard to put together? Does it come with instructions?

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Yes, instruction is available and assembly is not a rocket science. You also willneed a 10/3 power cord which can cost you extra $20+

If you need a similar but preassembled controller I can reccomend this one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191344786552

That's way cheaper than any other controller on the market. I think high gravity sells one for $250. Wonder why it's so much more cheap.


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Chrisharvey said:

That's way cheaper than any other controller on the market. I think high gravity sells one for $250. Wonder why it's so much more cheap.

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The Still Dragon controller is an unassembled kit, without cord or plug and a plastic box. High Gravity's controller comes assembled with a cord and metal box. One is "plug and play", the other is "play and plug". hahah bad joke sorry.

The ebay controller for 99 bucks looks pretty good for a non DIY type IMO.

Chrisharvey said:

That's way cheaper than any other controller on the market. I think high gravity sells one for $250. Wonder why it's so much more cheap.


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The eBay on is cheap because all it has inside is an SSR and a pot. Probably comparable in complexity to the Still Dragon one except you don't have to put it together or provide a cord (but you do have to supply plugs).

$99 is a pretty fair price for what you're getting, parts and labor-wise.

This one from High gravity is way overpriced. It's about $80 in parts, most of which you can get from Lowe's or Menard's. So he's looking for about $170 for about 45 minutes worth of labor.

I still think you'll have a little bit of trouble doing a full boil at only 2000w, depending on your beginning volume. I full boil 5.5 gallon batches, doing so I need to start boil with almost 7 gallons of wort to get there. I use 2 1500w sticks and I get a weak boil to begin. As I begin to lose volume it gets stronger. I think you'll have a very weak boil at only 2000w.

Edit: I see now that it's 2250, so you may get a bit better, but I still fell it may be undersized for full volume boil.

Edit2: insulate the hell out of your kettle or you'll be twiddling your thumbs for a long time!

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