why go electric?

I see a number of brewers mention "going electric". This seems to imply that they were once using propane and switched to electric.

Is it cheaper to use electric? Other advantages?

 

You are going to have much better luck in the Electric Brewing subforum- Electric Brewing

 

Electric has many advantages in that it's cheap, never have to fill a propane tank, no fumes so you can do it in your basement, easy to automate, the list goes on...

 

Cheaper
Quieter
Easier (for me) to build controls
No Exhaust to worry about
More convenient (no tanks of propane to run out of!)
More efficient (less heat wasted to the atmosphere. All of the energy that goes into the element goes into the brewing liquor.)

 

Much cheaper than propane
Can brew indoors (very nice if you live in a cold climate)
Very easy to control temps

 

The issues for me were, in order of importance:

Safety
Convenience
Controllability/ease of automation

But whether electric brewing is more or less safe, convenient, or controllable depends very much on your preferences, equipment, and circumstances.

 

For me it was all about being able to brew indoors. February Michigan winters were no kinda fun for me to brew in.

 

Started inside with Mr Beer.
Went AG and moved outside with propane.
Jacked the wifes gas kitchen stove so that it'd do 10 gallon boils.
Moved back indoors.
Can't beat having heat, airconditioning, a sink and lots of counter space.
Went electric because I like being married.

 

Went with electric for the convenience. Nothing like going to the basement in the dead of winter wearing pajamas and slippers sipping a coffee and brewing beer!

 

OK. I've looked at the electric forum and it doesn't look like it is as simple as getting an electric burner and putting a pot on it. I've got the 220V outlets in the basement but I really don't care to get involved in rigging up a water heater element on the side of my brewpot.

How about natural gas burners? Can you get something that would do a 10 gallon batch?

 

Use the search function or Google.

 

No? Then I have to stop doing that. [grin]

I make 5 gallon BIAB on the kitchen range. It heats slowly but it gets there eventually.

If you want to go 3-vessel and larger capacity then it does get more complicated. Sometimes I think about adding a 2Kw element and running off the 20A kitchen circuits. For more amperage than that I would move the mash setup near the service panel and install a larger 240v circuit.

But you have 220V already! I would jump on that and ask for help as needed.

 

Yeah sure. My problem is I don't have the vocabulary to know what to plug into the search engines. "electric burner" is so darn broad I get a ton of threads that are useless to me. I've tried "hot plate" and all I get are those rinky-dink things that burn houses down. Nothing worthy of 10 gallon batches. I've tried 220 volt hot plates and I get $300 restaurant grade appliances or stuff for European electricity.

 

I am leaning towards a 100,000 BTU Carolina Cooker from Agrisupply and getting a Natural gas converter from brewers hardware.

 

Went electric after carbon monoxyde poisoning with propane... never again. Plus :
-everything in the same room (no need to carry stuff outside)
-brewing indoors
-cheaper
-temp control
-no fumes
-no tank to refill
-as Ben58 said : brewing in pajamas and slippers


Electric brewing FTW !

Cheers !

 

Absolutely this!!

Went the 20L braumeister route, and it has been the greatest purchase ever!! My brew day is much shorter then it was with propane. No fumes.

Brewing in underwear in wintertime is the best!

 

I suppose Natural Gas would have the same carbon monoxide risks as propane.

What I don't get is how all these gas kitchen stoves are set up for propane yet fumes are not a worry?

 

Thanks Yooper. That makes sense. Used for their intended purpose gas stoves do not produce the volume of CO that would be dangerous (we've always had outside exhausting fume hoods too).

Say I don't want to put an element in the boiler a la water heater style, but want to use a regular pot on a stove type coil. What sort of coil should I look for to do 10 gallon batches? I noticed someone mentioned 2 Kw. And what would I spend?

 

I went with the Braumeister 20L. Living in Canada kind of limits the outdoor brewing opportunities (in winter). So, it can be -35C outside and I'm able to be brewing in comfort in my basement. Another benefit is that its sooooo quiet.