cimirie
Well-Known Member
I have just purchased a new house in the metro Detroit area (well, 1930 isn't exactly a NEW house, but it's new to me). As most of my brewing to this point has been done in Florida, I'm not looking forward to the prospect of brewing outside in Detroit in February. Because of that, I'm looking to going electric.
I've been doing a ton of reading on this site and elsewhere and I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm reading about PID and hot tub controllers and control boxes and....
So here's the deal. I'm not looking for fancy. I'm not looking for automated. I want to convert two kegs - one for use as a HLT and one as a BK. I'll still use my cooler as a mash tun. I'll gravity drain (or perhaps at some point use a pump) everything for now. I want to use a screw in heating element in both. I plan on having an electrician run a dedicated 240 line to my basement brew room (so that it doesn't take forever to boil). I've read about controllers and the like, but I'm wondering if I can simply wire the heating elements directly to a wire and plug that in to the 240. When it's time to switch or stop the temp increase, I'll simply unplug.
I have read nothing in the hundreds of pages about doing just this, but I can't tell if that's because it can't (shouldn't) be done, or if it's just brew geeks doing what we do and having way to much fun and overdoing things.
I have a decent amount of experience wiring easy household things, but I'm not an electrical expert and the vast array of electrical diagrams can make my head spin.
I'm just looking for the electrical equivalent of a propane turkey fryer so I can brew in the basement. Thanks for helping me sift through the vast knowledge dump I've gone through in the past week.
I've been doing a ton of reading on this site and elsewhere and I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm reading about PID and hot tub controllers and control boxes and....
So here's the deal. I'm not looking for fancy. I'm not looking for automated. I want to convert two kegs - one for use as a HLT and one as a BK. I'll still use my cooler as a mash tun. I'll gravity drain (or perhaps at some point use a pump) everything for now. I want to use a screw in heating element in both. I plan on having an electrician run a dedicated 240 line to my basement brew room (so that it doesn't take forever to boil). I've read about controllers and the like, but I'm wondering if I can simply wire the heating elements directly to a wire and plug that in to the 240. When it's time to switch or stop the temp increase, I'll simply unplug.
I have read nothing in the hundreds of pages about doing just this, but I can't tell if that's because it can't (shouldn't) be done, or if it's just brew geeks doing what we do and having way to much fun and overdoing things.
I have a decent amount of experience wiring easy household things, but I'm not an electrical expert and the vast array of electrical diagrams can make my head spin.
I'm just looking for the electrical equivalent of a propane turkey fryer so I can brew in the basement. Thanks for helping me sift through the vast knowledge dump I've gone through in the past week.