I am trying to get started in electric brewing but I don't have any real electrical experience beyond wiring up a few light switches. So here's my current situation.
I just got my final quote from my electrician to run the power to my planned electrical brewing area and I think I need to re-evaluate my original plan. As I had just recently received a $1,000 bonus from work I wanted to have a basic electric brewing setup for around that amount. Initially I wanted 2 5500 watt elements in my HLT, and 2 5500 watt elements in my boil kettle (this would require 2 separate 30 amp 240 volt circuits). Of course this was before I started reading and learned about PID's, SSR's, heat sinks, control boxes, and all the switches, lights, and alarms I will need. The dollars add up fast!
In any case, step one was to get the appropriate power to my brewing area in my basement. I asked my electrician for a quote as described below.
75 feet from my breaker panel I needed:
2 - 30 amp 240 volt GFCI circuits, with a total of 4 receptacles.
1 - 20 amp 120 volt GFCI circuit, with a total of 4 receptacles.
The quote came back as $700. Wow, that took a much bigger bite out of my budget than I had planned on. So I called my electrician this morning and asked him to provide another quote that removed one of the 30 amp 240 volt GFCI circuits and the two receptacles that went to it. I am hoping that will get the cost down to the $500 range.
My goal is to get the right power configuration to my brew area so that I don't have to revisit that expense as my the brewing equipment side grows in the future. Then I need a usable brewing configuration to get me started, one that allows me the capability to grow in the future too. I did purchase "The Complete Guide To Building Your Home Brewery" from theelectricbrewery.com and I am trying to digest all that information. In the meantime, I would love to get some advice and direction on how to get started in electric brewing from people in this forum that have been down this road already.
I just got my final quote from my electrician to run the power to my planned electrical brewing area and I think I need to re-evaluate my original plan. As I had just recently received a $1,000 bonus from work I wanted to have a basic electric brewing setup for around that amount. Initially I wanted 2 5500 watt elements in my HLT, and 2 5500 watt elements in my boil kettle (this would require 2 separate 30 amp 240 volt circuits). Of course this was before I started reading and learned about PID's, SSR's, heat sinks, control boxes, and all the switches, lights, and alarms I will need. The dollars add up fast!
In any case, step one was to get the appropriate power to my brewing area in my basement. I asked my electrician for a quote as described below.
75 feet from my breaker panel I needed:
2 - 30 amp 240 volt GFCI circuits, with a total of 4 receptacles.
1 - 20 amp 120 volt GFCI circuit, with a total of 4 receptacles.
The quote came back as $700. Wow, that took a much bigger bite out of my budget than I had planned on. So I called my electrician this morning and asked him to provide another quote that removed one of the 30 amp 240 volt GFCI circuits and the two receptacles that went to it. I am hoping that will get the cost down to the $500 range.
My goal is to get the right power configuration to my brew area so that I don't have to revisit that expense as my the brewing equipment side grows in the future. Then I need a usable brewing configuration to get me started, one that allows me the capability to grow in the future too. I did purchase "The Complete Guide To Building Your Home Brewery" from theelectricbrewery.com and I am trying to digest all that information. In the meantime, I would love to get some advice and direction on how to get started in electric brewing from people in this forum that have been down this road already.