1800 watt induction boils how much wort?

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bigdaddybrew

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Searched the forums but found varying conclusions. I would like to do 4 gallon boils. I have two 750 watt traditional hot plates but even together they only simmer 4 gallons of water. Good for sparge water but not boiling.

I see 1800 watt induction 110 volt hot plates.

Any experience with the induction hot plates?

How much wort can be boiled with this type of hot plate?
 
Searched the forums but found varying conclusions. I would like to do 4 gallon boils. I have two 750 watt traditional hot plates but even together they only simmer 4 gallons of water. Good for sparge water but not boiling.

I see 1800 watt induction 110 volt hot plates.

Any experience with the induction hot plates?

How much wort can be boiled with this type of hot plate?

I've used a 1500W unit to boil 3 gal. Takes about 40 min from room temp. Less if you start at mashout temps.
 
Thank you for sharing your experience. Sounds 4 gallons wouldn't be a stretch if I wasn't in a hurry.
 
see here for a similar setup, and my post at the end on efficiency
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/induction-infrared-282175/

basically at full power, an 1800w induction buner is good for around 3500BTU/hr. that is similar to the output of a 1000w immersion element. that is enough power to maintain a boil, it just might take some time to get there with 4 gallons.
 
I love my induction hot plates. I generally do 3 gallon brews so my wort is about 4 gallons. You can use them anywhere without danger of fire.

The cheapest setup which works very well is - 1800w plates ( the largest you can use at 120V) which I found on Amazon for $66 each and graniteware 34 quart stock pots which have magnetic steel. I insulated these by wrapping each pot with folded over bath towels tied with belt. One of the great things is that they can't burn with induction. I put ball valves on them for convenience. Mash tun has mesh filter.

Procedure;

Put mash tun on burner and heat to strike temperature. Takes a little while.
At strike temperature dump grain. Set induction plate to very low to keep mash temp constant.
Meanwhile, in wort boil kettle heat water to sparge temperature
BAtch sparge in usual way.

Transfer wort to boil kettle set induction plate to highest temp. Wort boils pretty quickly because wort from mash tun is quite hot. lower temp setting to low prevent boil over.
 
I routinely boil up to 6.5 gallons of wort on my commercial 1800w induction burner. After sparging and collecting all of my already 160 degree ish wort it takes me 30-40 to reach a low rolling boil. I use a cheap polarware pot that just by chance actually worked with my induction burner.

I really like using induction and am planning on getting a 240v 3600w burner to try and do ten gallon batches with.
 
What brands/models of burners are you all using? I see a Max Burton 1800W for under $70, anyone use this one?
 
An 1800 watt induction hotplate will bring 4 gallons of wort/water to a rolling boil at a rate of ~2.5F per minute as long as there is a single layer of Reflectix insulation (the silver bubble wrap stuff) on the sides and lid of your kettle. Two layers of insulation is slightly faster. Heat radiating from handles, thermometers, ball valve, etc. are minimal. The biggest heat loss is around the rim of the kettle, so I keep mine covered with a couple towels while heating.

With an eight gallon kettle, if you keep the lid on the boil it is nearly as vigorous as propane. If the lid is completely off (which I do for the last half of the boil) then it rolls in the center, but not the entire surface area. With four gallons you can't get a boil over, with six gallons you better have your spray bottle ready.

The thermal efficiency of the 1800 watt max burton hotplate greatly outstrips any apartment-sized coil stove I have ever used. And if you have two 20amp circuits for your kitchen (you should, but *always* verify) then you can easily run the induction cooker plus say a 1000 watt immersion heater from amazon for $35. That will boil (slowly) 11 gallons of wort. Or you could build a 1600 watt heat stick and boild 11 gallons pretty quick.

If you need any more metrics, let me know. I had to move to a 300 square foot apartment for work for the next two years, so I have been really on the 'high efficiency, low space' angle.

tl;dr 5 gallon batch + induction burner == rawk
 
Thanks, I purchased the hotplate and have used it for a batch already. I did insulate my kettle and kept the lid partially on and it did a good job. My observations are exactly how you described.

I have a Brewers Best 2200W stick heater but I didn't realize how close to 20amps it draws, it tripped a breaker. I think I'm going to install a 40amp circuit for kitchen brewing.
 
Thanks, I purchased the hotplate and have used it for a batch already. I did insulate my kettle and kept the lid partially on and it did a good job. My observations are exactly how you described.

I have a Brewers Best 2200W stick heater but I didn't realize how close to 20amps it draws, it tripped a breaker. I think I'm going to install a 40amp circuit for kitchen brewing.
30 amp would work too if all you need to power is 2200W at 120V (which is 18.3 amps).

I'm surprised it pops on a 20 amp circuit. It's close but not overly close.

If you do want more power just make sure to not simply change the breaker without also changing the wiring in the wall. The breaker is there to protect the wiring in the wall.

Kal
 
My thought was to use the induction underneath and the stick in the kettle. Thats 1800+2200= 4000/120= 33.3amps. Hence the 40W line. Although I need an outlet that'll take that.

My house is wired funny, there are quite a few plug-ins on the 20amp circuit I used. Plus being 40 yrs old I'm not sure the wire is heavy enough by today's standards.
 
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