im going brutus 10!

http://www.brewersequipment.com/New Brew Stands.html

i think i have decided on this sculpture(the single tier on top of the page) and i know a lot of other HBTers have had good experiences with this one as well. i may have to wait and save up til christmas time to get all the other parts i need to start brewing on it(kettles, pumps, chiller, ect.) but i am ready to step it up. i am sick of stove top brewing and know that my batches can be much better(they are already really good) but there are just so many advantages to a good brew system as you all know. i think i am going to go RIMS because that is what i am use to brewing on at my local brewpub but am looking at more pro cons of HERMS. i cant wait to have accurate mash temps that dont fluctuate throughout the tun, not having to lift heavy pots full of hot wort, getting much better boils, ect. i have enough ingredients for two more stove top batches and after that im quiting til i get one of these bad boys.

i have not decided on this model yet, i am just leaning towards it. anyone have any other recommendations.

Go Electric HERMS... its awesome!!!

i admittedly know very little about electric HERMS but im still looking into it. what in your opinion makes it better?

Well based on my experience I am able to very closely monitor and control my temperatures. Also I don't have to be outside anymore with my LP or Natural Gas. Secondly, I'll never have to run out of gas again in the middle of the brew session...
Electric heating is extremely efficient where as gas is very inefficient.


Hardest part was wiring it all up... I had a great resource P-J on this board as well as Northern Brewer and MoreBeer that basically designed my entire system.

Once you get past that and have an adequate power supply you are home free... My setup is not pretty by any means, but i guarantee you it will get the job done. Also the great part of using a HERMS coil is that you can use it as a chiller as well... Very Efficient!

Cons of Electric is that if you get zapped with 220 your gonna be hurt if not dead... Thats why everything should be GFCI and grounded appropriately... No reason to do something half-assed if you can afford both financially and time to do it.

ill definitely be looking more into the HERMS. as far as electric goes, what would be the general price difference getting everything set up as opposed to using gas?

well it actually depends first on your electrical supply... First off I power my system off of a 220 Dryer Outlet that is Circuit protected by a 30A double pull GFCI breaker in my main box... This only allows me to run one heating element at a time (each element I have is 4500w)

So if I chose to upgrade this to say a 50A GFCI, the breaker itself is usually over $100 BUT thanks to the help from P-J you can buy a spa panel for $60ish at home depot and get the same breaker out of it... Still you have to make sure that the line being run from the breaker to the outlet is the correct size... you can't just add a 50A breaker and not upgrade the line if it needs to be... It will basically set the line on fire if you draw too much power from too small a line.

As far as general price difference... A single PID costs about $50 you need a SSR for each element, and an element is usually only $13-$20...
U need 220 switches as well those are like $24-$30 but you only need one of them...

I can't remember exactly how much all of it was but to be honest you can do it for the same if not less than going with LP... Burners are usually $35 then depending on your piping, its going to cost you another $100 or more for that, then a Regulator which is around $70... Not to mention all the times you have to fill up the propane tank (Unless you have propane at home as a service then you could tee off that)

Still Electric is much cheaper to operate with... I would typically go through about 1 tank of propane per brew... If i had any left it was never enough to brew a second batch with... In my area a tank of propane can run from $16-$20, and I can guarantee you that a typical brew day with Electric doesnt even cost close to $5.

I also am so tired of going outdoors or best case in the garage to brew because by the end of the day I am super tired from being in a damp, moist environment probably half suffering from Carbon Monoxide inhalation... I now brew in my adjoining room to my garage, vent outside any moisture and I am warm in the winter and can step outside or inside for cool in the summer...

Another sidenote is that I can just set my PID to a temperature and walk away... I know that my mash temp will stay in a range that i set no matter what... My pump constantly recirculates the wort which aids in clarity and I have a stir motor to stir the grain gently to ensure accurate heat distribution...

I've never been happier, and the geek in me is absolutely giddy with the fact that i can set and forget for most parts of the brew.

that sounds awesome. i am going to do some research on electric brewing for sure. i do like the idea of brewing indoors to, because its going to be cold in january.

I live in the North, and I have brewed in -15*F weather before and it blows...

A great resource for going electric is here:

http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/Carl's-Electric-HLT

also at this thread:

http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=88163

and here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/pols-electric-herms-thread-compilation-95566/

One of HBTs members here is in the process of doing a tutorial on building an electric brewery as seen here http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/

he has a really nice page and He has quite a system... that slipped my mind when I was recommending threads and or pages to look at.

thanks. very cool stuff

I too have decided to go from LP to electric. All of these links are great, thanks.

Glad to have provided some help... We need to start a good section for Electric brewing... Just like anything, there is a risk vs. reward, with that, but so far I have had no complaints over the electric bill and i and I am super happy with my set up.