Electric brewery location.

Apologies if this has been asked in another thread.
I am wanting to set-up an electric brewery in my home to avoid the cold garage.
Where do most of you guys have your set-up? Is it a permanent brewery or do you set it up each time you brew?

If I want to brew in my kitchen where can I add a 240V receptacle?

Thanks for any advice.

I'm working on building in my laundry room. If the wife makes me move (I didn't really ask permission...) then I will probably move to the 3/4 finished room that we use for storage.

I would have your 240v put somewhere out of sight, the reciprocals are big and ugly. Aside from that, your electrician can put it just about anywhere.

My system is in the basement. I added the necessary wiring during the basement buildout and also installed an exhaust hood and fan. Not exactly easy to accomplish items if the basement is already finished. My garage is pretty darn cold at this time of year.

I just set mine up in the basement. It's a walk-out so I do my mash inside and then transfer outside for the boil. I may eventually set up an exhaust hood but I am pretty happy with it as-is.

For the circuit I had an electrician come out and run it. Since the basement is finished, he opted to run it outside (receptacle inside) using some tubing called liquid-tight.

Mine is in my laundry room. It's not pretty, but it works out well since I have a sink (for my RO water system, my chilling waste water, and clean up) and a door for ventilation and easy in/out to the outdoors.

Mine's also in the laundry room in the basement. Not much space, but it works out. Worked well as there was already a dryer vent to tap into and the panelboard is also there so getting power was easy. Also already had a laundry tub/sink.

My house has a 6' x 12' storage room just inside from the garage. Had to cut through the exterior brick wall to add a vent fan but it is great having a dedicated climate controlled space.

Thanks for the replies. I guess my laundry room is out unfortunately as it is on the top floor next to the babies room!
I could try a spot in the basement but I wouldn't have a water supply.
Maybe the kitchen would be best as a temporary brewery for now...

N

I brew in the unfinished portion of my basement that is also the laundry room, plenty of space and right next to the main power feed. I leave mine set up 24/7 because I have the room.

If you're in the kitchen and you have an electric stove/oven, you likely already have 240v there - just need to check what amperage the breaker is and see if that's enough to run your setup.

-Kevin

BadNewsBrewery said:

If you're in the kitchen and you have an electric stove/oven, you likely already have 240v there - just need to check what amperage the breaker is and see if that's enough to run your setup.

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...and add GFCI protection....spa panel, etc

...and build a panel and electric keggle and...

Yes, there's more to electric brewing than having a 240v outlet in the kitchen - I wasn't remotely implying otherwise. HOWEVER - if he has 240v in the kitchen already, it's a damn good place to start.

I am preparing to build in one side of my furnace room, at least wiring will be easy!

I'm in the same boat. Piecing together my system and trying to figure out where to brew. I had an electrician come to give me a quote to install the outlet in my basement. $280. My dryer is in my master bathroom so I can brew there too. It has exhaust, water and drain for waste water. I may try my bathroom for now since it is already set up with everything I need.

h22lude said:

My dryer is in my master bathroom so I can brew there too.

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That would be met with an instant veto by my wife. Consider the lingering aroma steeped into every item in every drawer. I'd hate my clean-up routine to include wiping down every surface in the bathroom.

If you bought your house and plan to stay there for awhile, a stand alone brew shed is pretty convenient.

Equipment is always ready to go and out of the way.

Plus, you won't burn your house down if your buddy messes with your gas or electric connections (just kidding, hopefully).

Hoppity said:

That would be met with an instant veto by my wife. Consider the lingering aroma steeped into every item in every drawer. I'd hate my clean-up routine to include wiping down every surface in the bathroom.

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I never get any lingering smells when I brew. I brewed in my kitchen for years. I don't have an outside exhaust over my stove either.

I re-arranged the laundry room in the unfinished portion of our basement. Half the reason I wanted to buy this house is because it was a perfect fit for building a brewery. The main water lines were overhead - i tied into those. The washer had a drain, I rigged/tied into that. So the wife has a huge "laundry sink" now. The circuit breaker box is in that corner, I just added a 50A GFCI. And right next to the breaker box is a window, so i have my ventilation.

What's the downside of brewing outside, save for being uncomfortable and have to cart everything out there? Any other issues if it's real cold (<20F) or real hot (>90F)?

I did mine in the basement too - and like bobby4, in the area next to the furnace. It was a really small area - 8'x12' but I got creative and was able to fit in everything I really needed.

Brewing inside rocks. Rainy, cold days are best because you aren't really bucking to do outside things. I have a hangout area/taproom outside the brewery and I love brewing during football and college basketball games.

I loved brewing outside, but the main reason I wanted to move indoors was for greater consistency and control. It doesn't suck that I can brew in comfort all winter.

BBdude said:

What's the downside of brewing outside, save for being uncomfortable and have to cart everything out there? Any other issues if it's real cold (<20F) or real hot (>90F)?

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Being comfortable is #1 on my list. No other downside though.

Have you tried to brew outside in cold weather...even if it is in the 40s, you don't want anything to do with it. Right now we are hitting single digits. You will get frostbite if you stay outside for more than 5 minutes.

Same with being really hot. With the propane burner going, it can get very hot near the brew set up. I don't mind being hot as much as I do being cold but I'd still rather brew inside when it is hot out.

My house has 400 AMP service so I ran a 100 AMP sub panel to a dedicated brew room in my house.

rvklein said:

My house has 400 AMP service so I ran a 100 AMP sub panel to a dedicated brew room in my house.

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Wow, 400A is a good amount. 100A dedicated just for brewing is pretty sweet though my soon to be new BIAB system just needs the 30A for the element and 15A for the pump. 100A would be great if you have 2 or 3 elements with 2 or 3 pumps going. Nice for doing back to back batches.

I have no basement in my house.... I am planning to buy a new house this fall with a dedicated mancave/brewery bar setup... until then the bar is in the dining room and the electric brewery occupies most of a spare bedroom we store linens and towels and such in... I had to run a 30a service line up and back down through the attic but have it setup so I can easily remove it when We move. I use a dual fan unit in a window with a homemade foam board hood for ventilation which works well..
the real downside is having to run hoses from the bathroom to the plate chiller every brew and using the bathtub /shower for cleanup...

h22lude said:

Wow, 400A is a good amount. 100A dedicated just for brewing is pretty sweet though my soon to be new BIAB system just needs the 30A for the element and 15A for the pump. 100A would be great if you have 2 or 3 elements with 2 or 3 pumps going. Nice for doing back to back batches.

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Actually, 30a will accommodate a 5500w/240v element (~23a) and a few pumps. The pumps generally draw no more than a couple of amps each.

P.S. Go Pats! Great day at Gillette last Saturday.

I may be the only electric brewer stuck in the garage! The wife refuses to let me brew inside. She's got a sensitive nose that hates the "brewing aromas". But on the positive, I have a dedicated side of the garage for the brewery. The best part is the floor drain. Makes easy clean up of messes and spills.

Summers aren't bad with the garage door wide open, although I try to avoid brewing on the hottest days. In the winter, I can crack open the garage door to air out the steam and I can turn on a space heater. Not as warm as a basement but it works fine.

The AC pumps most here use draw less than 2 amps a piece.... the DC pumps I use draw even a fraction of that... I have no ussues running 2 pumps at the same time as my 4500w element and 1000w rims element ...total draw 25.xxamps...

hio3791 said:

I may be the only electric brewer stuck in the garage! The wife refuses to let me brew inside. She's got a sensitive nose that hates the "brewing aromas". But on the positive, I have a dedicated side of the garage for the brewery. The best part is the floor drain. Makes easy clean up of messes and spills.

Summers aren't bad with the garage door wide open, although I try to avoid brewing on the hottest days. In the winter, I can crack open the garage door to air out the steam and I can turn on a space heater. Not as warm as a basement but it works fine.

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Its weird but I here this a lot here, My girlfriend loves the smell... Its a lot like baking bread until the hops go in than its a spicy smell..(and good ventilation takes care of 90% of it).. I'm guessing a lot of people have wifes here that dont really cook, they seem to be more fussy about any temporary smells from brewing

Induction plate (IC3500) in the kitchen here. And yes, the whole house smells like a brewery at that time even with a fan in the window. I like having the stove/oven nearby for steeping dark grains, making sugar syrups, toasting some oats or other grain, boiling down some first runnings to caramelize them, etc. Easy access to water and large sink. I convert the faucet on the fly, replacing the combo sprayer head with a 1/2" NPT barb on the pull-out hose to connect the plate chiller.

Cons:
Cleanup, avoid spills, leaks, and other "accidents." Not a permanent setup. I always have a bunch of towels on the floor.
Buckets and stuff in the "living area."

Eventually I'd like a more permanent indoor solution on the lower level, probably the utility room, and move the keezer, fermentation fridge, and washer and dryer to an adjacent room, or vice versa.

BBdude said:

What's the downside of brewing outside, save for being uncomfortable and have to cart everything out there? Any other issues if it's real cold (<20F) or real hot (>90F)?

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It depends on your climate.

Our frost line is about 8 feet deep, so that means no water to outbuildings or outdoor faucets. That would be a major downside to brewing in the garage or other building for me!

It a more modest climate, as long as you can run water, the only downside would being a bit chilly in the winter.

augiedoggy said:

Its weird but I here this a lot here, My girlfriend loves the smell... Its a lot like baking bread until the hops go in than its a spicy smell..(and good ventilation takes care of 90% of it).. I'm guessing a lot of people have wifes here that dont really cook, they seem to be more fussy about any temporary smells from brewing

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Oh we cook a lot, breakfast/lunch/dinner and rarely go out to eat. With two younger kids, we like making healthy meals and we like to make things from scratch. Still though, she hates the smell! She's not a beer drinker so maybe that plays a part. But I digress. It works for me and I wasn't complaining.

Yooper said:

It depends on your climate.

Our frost line is about 8 feet deep, so that means no water to outbuildings or outdoor faucets. That would be a major downside to brewing in the garage or other building for me!

It a more modest climate, as long as you can run water, the only downside would being a bit chilly in the winter.

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I've had to wear jeans and long sleeves on occasion. Winter is rough. :fro:

Of course I don't brew in the summer. There are days when walking out of the garage into 115 is 'cooling off'. I've had both extremes and I would give this up in a second.

geoffey said:

Mine's also in the laundry room in the basement. Not much space, but it works out. Worked well as there was already a dryer vent to tap into and the panelboard is also there so getting power was easy. Also already had a laundry tub/sink.

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I'm thinking about brewing in the laundry room, too. What sort of fan do you have set up, and does it vent well enough?

i brew in the garage currently... moving soon, but will probably do the same in the next house. it does get cold with the garage door open, even if it's only a foot or so

I brew in the garage, I picked up an electric unit heater that after changing the plug end I can plug it into my panel and use temp control to bring the room to a cozy temp! Which is a big job for someone in Canada.... In the dead of winter..... But it works awesome!