Joe_in_GA
Active Member
I'm looking at building an electric brew system and going all grain. I wanted to bounce some ideas off of you guys to see if I'm missing anything. I'm thinking of using one kettle and two coolers. I could use the kettle for all of the heating and the coolers for mashing, sparging, and chilling.
the kettle:
I'm thinking of using 3 heater elements: two 1500 watt and one 2000 watt. Each would be run on a separate circuit. The kettle would have, at least initially, a drain valve and a temp probe. I'm thinking of installing a sight glass as well, but I figured I could just mark off my mash/stir paddle to start. The 3 element setup would give me several options for heating power depending on which ones are plugged in. Also, I will have to run GFCI electrical lines for it to my garage, and I figured 120v would be better, because I could always use more outlets in the garage.
the coolers:
I would build a 10 gal cooler mashtun using the instructions posted in the forum/wiki and a second cooler with just a drain and pickup tube for the sparge water.
I was thinking of using the coolers to run ice water through a counterflow chiller(also have to build) as well, draining from one to the other. Would 10 gallons of ice water be enough to cool 5 gallons of wort? I could then use that water for cleaning.
Any input would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post, but I'm still working it out in my head before I tackle it.
the kettle:
I'm thinking of using 3 heater elements: two 1500 watt and one 2000 watt. Each would be run on a separate circuit. The kettle would have, at least initially, a drain valve and a temp probe. I'm thinking of installing a sight glass as well, but I figured I could just mark off my mash/stir paddle to start. The 3 element setup would give me several options for heating power depending on which ones are plugged in. Also, I will have to run GFCI electrical lines for it to my garage, and I figured 120v would be better, because I could always use more outlets in the garage.
the coolers:
I would build a 10 gal cooler mashtun using the instructions posted in the forum/wiki and a second cooler with just a drain and pickup tube for the sparge water.
I was thinking of using the coolers to run ice water through a counterflow chiller(also have to build) as well, draining from one to the other. Would 10 gallons of ice water be enough to cool 5 gallons of wort? I could then use that water for cleaning.
Any input would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post, but I'm still working it out in my head before I tackle it.
