Electric/Propane Combo Set up

Hi all -

Getting ready to build a set up at my place that will combine some electric and some propane elements for heating water, etc.

One thing that stuck with me though, is that electric elements, even the low output ones, could potentially char grain that it comes in contact with in the MLT. Even if not the case, is there really a reason to have an electric heating element in an MLT? It seems if you set the temp with the HLT, then the MLT should stay about right. Maybe need a single small burner for temperature maintenance...

If that was the case, then I was planning on going with this set up:

• 20 Gallon HLT with 4500 Watt Electric Element
• 30 Gallon MLT, with Potential Single Burner (Banjou)
• 30 Gallon Kettle, w/ 3 burner 2 tank propane system
• 2-teirs w/ Electric Pump

I figure I can heat water electric on one tier, pump into MLT for mash and sparge. Gravity down to lowest tier with multiple burner set up - easiest to boil and operate a few inches off the ground.

Does this set up sound reasonable? Anyone see anything similar? Is the burner for the MLT even necessary?

Thanks for any input. I'll post with pics as I put it together.

Cheers!

3 burner 2 tank 30 gallon???? what kind of burners? A banjo / BG-14 is adequate.
Heating your mash in the kettle is dependent on your mashing style which you never stated. Is it direct fired, HERMS, RIMS or???

OneHoppyGuy said:

3 burner 2 tank 30 gallon???? what kind of burners? A banjo / BG-14 is adequate.
Heating your mash in the kettle is dependent on your mashing style which you never stated. Is it direct fired, HERMS, RIMS or???

Click to expand...

So a Banjo does not have slow heat up times? Enough to do a 30-gallon pot (probably never more than 25-27 gallon of wort)? I have some propane burners from an old grill mount, so it is a bit of a kludge, but could shell out a few bucks on a new burner maybe.

Also, am I correct in assuming that even for a 30 gallon mashtun, I would never need more than a 20-gallon HLT, right?

Thanks all.

The Banjo burner BTUs is dependent on the pressure fed and orifice size. With the smaller orifice size that comes with them standard and a 0-20 psi regulator running at about 20 psi should be plenty.
Rule of thumb on grist to water ration is 1.25 quarts of water to each pound of grist. At a theoretical 80% efficiency you would need 70 lbs of grist to make a beer with an o.g. of 1.095.
(70 x 1.25) / 4 = 21.86 gallons. So, in theory a 25 gallon HLT is sufficient. However, most home brewers are most likely not shooting for a 1.095 o.g. So, at 1.075 o.g. you need 55 lbs of grist @ 80% efficiency. (55 x 1.25) / 4 = 15.6 gallons of water. That means a 15 gallon kettle is sufficient.
Yes a 20 gallon is good. If it were my setup, I would go with a 25 gallon because I like big beers.