Would these electric burners boil 7-12 gal of wort?

[lunchbox]

I was thinking about going electric, but since I'm no electrician, I thought this might work. Anyone have any idea if these would work? I have no experience with induction stoves.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MVN1M6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0037Z7HQK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045QEPYM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.toolup.com/max-burton_60...n-set.aspx?&utm_source=CAnextag&utm_medium=CA

 

[MikeYoung]

1800 W is equivalent to about 6000 BTU/hr, comparable to a small kitchen burner. There's little question that it can boil wort. The question is how long? 12 gal of wort is about 100 lbs of liquid. It will take 4400 BTU to raise 100 lbs of water 44 deg F, from mash out temp to boil. An uninsulated kettle will lose about 3000 BTU/hr, leaving 3000 BTU/hr to heat the wort. Heating the 12 gal of wort from mash out to boil will take about 1.5 hr. It can boil away about 1.5 qt per hour once it heats to a full boil. (IOW: it probably won't do what you want.)

18/8 stainless is typical of kettles sold by brew supply houses. They are moderately magnetic, and so should work OK with induction cooktops. If a magnet sticks to your kettle, it should work adequately.

Larger cooktops are available, but need 220V. 1800W tops are more common because they draw 15A at 120V, which is suitable for most domestic kitchens (or dorm rooms and garages, for that matter).

 

[lunchbox]

So doing 5 gal batches (7or8 gal pre boil) with an insulated kettle would be a better choice?

 

[MikeYoung]

P.S.: Induction "burners" heat through magnetic induction, hence the requirement for a magnetic vessel. Since it doesn't actually burn, it should be possible to insulate the kettle in blankets or even a sleeping bag. This can cut the heat loss to where a 3 gal boil is easily possible. However, I doubt even a Trappist has the patience for 12 gal batches.

(Yup. You beat me to it.)

 

[MikeYoung]

So doing 5 gal batches (7or8 gal pre boil) with an insulated kettle would be a better choice?

That isn't too horribly bad. With enough insulation, enough of the 6000 BTU/hr will go into the wort. 7 gals pre-boil should heat up in 15 to 20 minutes. That's almost workable if you can live with the slow boil-off rate, maybe 3 qts/hr at best.

 

[AussieBrewerInColorado]

I have also been thinking about induction for heating kettles and wondering if there are commercial outdoor versions that mit have more power to adequately heat a 10 gal batch.

 

[jpc]

As some have said, there is the requirement for magnetic stainless with induction burners. Cookware like All-Clad includes a layer of magnetic steel in order to work with induction, but a keggle or Blichmann will NOT work, as they do not have this layer.

I would guess that finding a pot that will work with an induction burner would be difficult, and if they do exist, they'd be super-expensive.

 

[MikeYoung]

304 SS and 18/8 are very closely related. They work fine with induction. Test your kettle with any old magnet. If it sticks at all, it should work. Almost ironically, the cheaper the kettle, the more likely it is to work with induction.

You should also be concerned about burner size, energy cost, and auxiliary panel size.

1000 watts is about equal to 3400 BTU/hr. Home kitchen gas stoves these days have burners up to about 15k or 17k BTU/hr. A 5000 W induction burner is about equal to 17k BTU/hr. Even this small a burner is out of the question for 110V service. You'll need 25A 220V, which almost certainly requires an auxiliary panel in your brewery.

You should also be concerned about energy cost. One therm of natural gas costs me less than $0.06. A therm is 100k BTU. It thus costs just about 1 penny to run the 17k burner for an hour. Check your electric bill to see how 5 kwH compares. Interestingly enough, one pound of LPG has 15k BTU of energy. The per-pound cost compares almost directly with both.

 

[supersillyis]

but induction is up to 90% efficient, gas, 50. 17k is really 8500, and 1.8 is really 1.62 (5500 btus

 

[copyright1997]

Could do it with the MC3500 (3500 Watts) mentioned in this brochure: http://www.cooktek.com/sites/default/files/MCxx00_Tech_Spec_11088_A_INTL.pdf. Takes 17Amps (208-240VAC). "Only" $1086 at Cooks Direct. http://www.cooksdirect.com/product/cooktek-mc3500?utm_medium=freecse&utm_source=googlebase.

Since 240VAC is used in Europe, you might find a cheaper unit there. Found this one at Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxygen-Nine-UK-Ltd-30511/dp/B000WXM0OE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_kh_1. Much cheaper at 80 pounds...but you would have to re-wire it for USA plugs. Edit: I just noticed this unit is only 2000 watts.

Edit 2: Here's a 3500 watt (European voltage) model: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lacor-69132-Lacor-69132-3500W-PROFESIONAL-INDUCTION/dp/B002KFYT1E/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1332037099&sr=1-1

All disclaimers apply!

 

[EarthBound]

Why not use a water heater element?