Electric BIAB

[SailorJerry]

Hey everyone, looking to move from propane to electric BIAB. Looking for recommendations for 110 and 220v options.
We currently do 5 gallon batches in a 10 gallon pot. Thoughts? Input?

 

[soccerdad]

Are you wanting to buy something or build something?

 

[cubalz]

Regardless of brand or configuration, you will want 240v. 110v takes way too long to heat or boil water for typical 5 gallon batches.

 

[SailorJerry]

I'm just looking for an electric hot plate instead of a propane. burner, im not looking towards an all electric system yet.

 

[GreenHomeBrewery]

I use a 15 gallon Anvil Tri-clad kettle with an Avantco 3500W 240V induction cooktop. I takes about the same time to boil 12 gallons as my Hellfire propane burner. Easy to maintain temp and I haven't had any boil overs thus far. Brewing this way for the last couple of years and wish I did this sooner.

 

[soccerdad]

Greenhome has a good option .. IMO

 

[The_Bishop]

Just a piece of advice:

I did the 'incremental' electric upgrade, starting with the Avantco 3500. It works, but lacks in a few ways. No temperature control is a big one, for me. Also, the circle of the kettle that's actually heated is on the small side with a fairly high watt density, so if you have sediment on the bottom when you fire up the induction cooktop, there's a chance you can scorch it.

My advice: Save the Avantco money and put it towards building a true electric kettle. If your current kettle is a good one and sized appropriately, all you need to do is add the element to it and build a control box. As far as power, either way you'll need 220v.

 

[Horseflesh]

One of the great things about electric is that it makes temperature control easy. I would definitely recommend a 240V element and PID controller instead of just an electric "burner."

 

[OldDirty]

Regardless of brand or configuration, you will want 240v. 110v takes way too long to heat or boil water for typical 5 gallon batches.

I'm going to disagree with you wholeheartedly.
My current E-Biab setup is based on dual 110V heating elements.
I currently brew 5 and 10 gallon batches and don't have any issues getting to or maintaining temps. I get to mash and boil temps within the same amount of time as a single element 220/240v setup. My setup allows me to maintain mash temp with one element on to reduce fast on/off cycling of the SSR. I have 2 dedicated 20A circuits that power my E-Biab through a PID and SSR's. I even used plans that were originally posted here by P-J.
His schematics are rather easy to follow so long as you can read a schematic.

 

[ba-brewer]

I am with olddirty you can get by without 220 for 5gal batches. I am not a BIABer, but I do 5 gal batches with 2 1500W hot rods using two 15A 120V circuits. I can dial down power to 70 to 75% and still maintain a decent boil. I am sort of a cheap skate so time to boil is about the same because I would not blast my propane burner most of the time anyway. I heat mash and sparge water separately so that helps on time too.

 

[McKnuckle]

I'll put in another plug for the Avantco 3500W induction cooktop. True, it has no strict temp control, just a variety of settings (which do maintain temps well enough for mashing).

I did not want to deal with the bewildering array of PIDs and schematics, and the headaches of pumps and more gizmos to fail during brew day.

So after much trial and error with recirculating, insulating the kettle, etc., I went back to my trusty cooler for mashing. I employ a mash cap to reduce heat loss, and cover it with a winter coat. Who would guess that it loses only a degree or two over an hour? That's more than good enough for me, easily over 80% of the solution for a lot less hassle.

So I use the Avantco for boiling wort, of course, and for all water heating duties. At 220V it's fast and safe and cozy in my warm basement, year-round electric brewing without the complexity or expense.

Another small perk of external electric heat (vs. an element) is that you are not tied to a specific kettle this way. I have a small 2.5 gallon kettle that I use for BIAB 1 gallon batches, just for fun. Works just as well on the Avantco as my 8 gallon and 11 gallon kettles do. Very flexible setup.

 

[TexasWine]

Another 120v brewer here. No need for 240v if it's not available to you already. This past weekend I did a 7.5 gallon boil with one 1650 watt element.

The only two reasons I have a second element on a separate circuit is for a little faster heating time and for when I do larger 12 gallon batches.

And back to your original question, it's not very clear what you're going for. Do you want hot plate options or all electric options?

 

[bertden]

I have what you might call a hybrid system. Since I wasn't quite ready to deal with what's involved with adding 220V where I brew (furnace room in basement) I use both a 5000W element connected to 120V in a 10G kettle and a 1800W induction plate I already had. Both on different circuits of course.

I've done about a dozen 6G batches so far and it's working great. The boil I get with both the element and the plate is so vigorous that I have to run the plate at 50%. Quite happy with the setup so far.

 

[D-roz]

Be sure to put your plan down on paper first. If you have the ability to use 240V you will not regret it. If you intend to brew 5 gallon batches a 15 gallon kettle works fantastic, even for the biggest bears you can dream up. I use a Stir-Plate 240V RIMS controller for my EBIABasket system. The main inspiration was a YouTube video, The Ultimate Electric Brewery. Another was Colorado Brewing Systems. It makes for a fun, efficient brew day. It is worth noting that the Nano Brewer Home system is priced well. Checking other threads will verify that a 20 gallon system maybe more than you want to handle IF your focus is 5 gallon batches. Otherwise you will find it necessary to use the 20 gallon system to achieve 10 gallon finish. Best wishes, enjoy the journey.

Cheers

 

[SailorJerry]

I guess I never followed up here - I'm not looking for the big control boards to run everything. I'm looking for just a hot plate to heat the water to mash them, then heat up and continue a boil. We are moving all of our stuff to a buddies garage, which has a shop built onto it, and it seems safer with electric than LP. Plus, if we use LP, then we have to crack doors open, and that lets heat out, which certainly isn't efficient!

 

[The_Bishop]

Well, you'll still need to ventilate do deal with steam and condensation buildup, but at least it won't asphyxiate you!

 

[SailorJerry]

Well, you'll still need to ventilate do deal with steam and condensation buildup, but at least it won't asphyxiate you!

Yes, that is correct, we still need ventilation eventually, but I'd rather have a brew or two with just moisture in the air than or brew or two that'll give me a pounding headache at best, death at worst

 

[jalc6927]

I checked very thoroughly over last few months and decided on the 20 gallon brew boss system

Looks to me to be the best overall value and can do 10 gallon brews at about same price as Grainfather

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I guess I never followed up here - I'm not looking for the big control boards to run everything. I'm looking for just a hot plate to heat the water to mash them, then heat up and continue a boil. We are moving all of our stuff to a buddies garage, which has a shop built onto it, and it seems safer with electric than LP. Plus, if we use LP, then we have to crack doors open, and that lets heat out, which certainly isn't efficient!

Here's what I did.

20gal kettle, 240v induction cooktop (avantco equivalent eBay score), bucket heater from tractor supply to help get to strike temp and boil faster, little tan pump with camlocks, harbor freight cart, Wilserbag. I just got this setup and I freaking love it! I'll continue to make some tweaks (like I fixed the aggie engineered connections from pump to kettle) as I keep dialing it in. Brewing in the basement with the window open and a fan going works but I need to build a better ventilation fan.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Another shot with the new pump connections and insulation

 

[SailorJerry]

Very nice!

 

[Thinpizza]

Hey everyone, looking to move from propane to electric BIAB. Looking for recommendations for 110 and 220v options.
We currently do 5 gallon batches in a 10 gallon pot. Thoughts? Input?

my 2 cents....
I moved from propane 3 vessel system to biab with a 15 gallon spike kettle, wilsner bag, avantco 3500 cooktop.
I am going for simplicity.
I am 3 batches in and am very happy.

 

[smbdyshero]

my 2 cents....
I moved from propane 3 vessel system to biab with a 15 gallon spike kettle, wilsner bag, avantco 3500 cooktop.
I am going for simplicity.
I am 3 batches in and am very happy.

How big of a batch can you knock out with the 15 gallon kettle?

 

[PhilipLoyd]

I know we are all DIY type people, but I was starting to build a three keg system and as I started figuring out all the costs on a stand, pumps, false bottoms, valves, etc, etc. I figured my costs around 3k by the time I got done. If you want automation with burners and pumps etc., you are talking 5k. At least that was my estimations. I was well on my way until I discovered the Speidel Braumeister Plus Electric Brewery. It is basically an all in one BIAB system that is electric. It is an amazing system. I have the older system that doesn't have the cooler. For about 2k you have a sweet simple system that sits on a small space and just works fantastic. They are very popular in Europe.

 

[Zimm9]

Here's what I did.

Sorry to thread hijack a little, but @TANSTAAFB this is so close to what I was hoping to do when I'm ready to move to BIAB. Thanks for posting your setup!

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Sorry to thread hijack a little, but @TANSTAAFB this is so close to what I was hoping to do when I'm ready to move to BIAB. Thanks for posting your setup!

PM me if you want details or more info. I've been brewing about 8-9 years and my system has gone through MANY incarnations (and much redundant expense) before getting to this point!

 

[brueng78]

This looks like a pretty old post, but I'll throw in my two cents anyway in case anyone is looking for info.
I started home brewing 6 years ago with using the stardard big box store turkey fryer kit. Pretty quickly I got tired of hulling gas tanks and open flames in my garage, so I started looking for information on electric BIAB.
Found a number of cool looking electric controllers, but was turned off by the price. After 6 months of prototyping and as many failed experiments I finally built a controller that is simple to use, reliable and significantly less expensive than anything comparable out there.
GC-M2 is a 120V, 2000W version with pump control.
I also build one rated for 240V, 6000W, GC-M8.
You can find them on ebay and craigslist. I keep the overhead down so I can keep the price as low as possible.
I back everything I build with a 1 year warranty.

 

[SanPancho]

How about a box for a DIY HLT? Have two 240v elements to be run off of a basic inkbird type pid. A float level relay/shutoff would be great too.

 

[brueng78]

What about it SanPancho? Do you need help designing? building?

 

[SanPancho]

a quote would be great if thats in your wheelhouse.

 

[brueng78]

I need more info to quote this:
1. Watts per element?
2. You want On/OFF element control, or power intensity (more expensive)?
3. Both elements controlled simultaneously or one at a time (one or the other not both)?
4. What circuit would you be power this from? 240V 30A, or 50A?
5. What type of float switch do you have in mind? Switch power off to elements if water level too low, or something else?
6. Do you have a float sw selected or open to suggestions?
7. What model Inkbird PID would you be using?
8. How do you want to connect to each/both elements (what type of connector(s))?
9. what type of connector for the 240V power outlet?

 

[Polobeers]

I didnt read through all of these posts but I constantly see the argument between 120 volt and 240 volt which is better, basicly it boils down to (pardon the pun) watts. Elements have a designed amount of resistance, resistance does not change. Voltage and amperage however do. I'll use a 3000 watt element as a example. Power or watts / voltage = amperage so 3000 watts at 120 volts leaves you needing a 25 amp circuit, or a 3000 watt element at 240 volts uses 12.5 amps. A common configuration I see is 2 1500 watt elements plugged into 2 seperate circuits wich is perfectly fine. So 1500 watts/120 volts = 12.5 amps on 2 seperate circuits in your house still nets you 3000 watts total. The only problem I would see is if some one used say a single 3000 watt element on a 120 volt circuit the load on that circuit would then be 25 amps obviously overloading a 20 amp circuit. I have a 5500 watt element on a 240 volt circuit in my keggle, it pulls 22 amps per phase with a total load of 44 amps on the panel. Long story short a watt is a watt.