1800W Induction plate

[NewkyBrown]

Hi,
I have read most things I can find about induction brewing and I am interested to buy a plate so I am ready for the Calgary winters and able to
brew indoors.
I noticed most people recommend to buy a 3500W plate as it is obviously
quicker to heat up water and you are able to do 10gallon batches.
Can anyone confirm if the 1800W plates are adequate? The most I am ever
going to brew is 5 gallon and would even consider 3 gallons.
I was also going to buy a 'Tallboy' pot.
Thanks
D

 

[Owly055]

1W = 3.412141633 BTU/hr Thus 1800 watts = 6138 BTUs per hour.

It takes 1 BTU to heat 1 lb of water 1 degree F.

water weighs in at 8.4 pounds per gallon (approx)

5 gallons of water weighs 42 pounds

This means that it will take 42 BTUs to raise 5 gallons of water 1 deg F

This then means that in one hour your 1800 watt cooktop will raise 5 gallons of water 146 deg F

Thus if you start with 40 deg water, it will be at 186 deg F after an hour......... assuming 100% efficiency and no heat loss

In reality it is going to take 90 minutes or more to boil 5 gallons of water.........

Obviously this is nowhere near enough power for a 5 gallon brewer.......... 3500 watts would be a minimum practical cooktop. It's also a "sweet spot" in terms of price. Get bigger than this and prices go through the roof.

I'm a 2.5 gallon guy, and I would consider 1800 watts marginal at best for my purposes. I am however considering one for my "inline mash" process where I to BIAB, and strike with 130F tap water, heating the mash steadily to about 155, simply because I could achieve a very predictable temp rise.......... repeatability. I would then drop in my floating 2500 watt heating element (not yet built) after draining my bag, and run it up to boil fast.

H.W.

 

[sumbrewindude]

1800W would be a no-go for a 5gal batch, assuming AG/full volume boil.

If doing partial mash with extract, keeping your volume under a total of 4gal of fluid, with the right pot, you'd be okay just slow.

I routinely use 1800W induction on 3gal AG, boiling 4gal total for 1hr. That's the limit in my experience, averaging a maximum of 84% EFF with insulation around the pot.

The 3500W is the way to go for 5Gal AG.

If you want to try and stay with 120VAC, I'd look into the triclover heatstick setup from BrewersHardware (code named "Hot Rod", see the Vendor section on here) with a 2000W waterheater element.

Even that would be excruciatingly slow for boiling 6gal of liquid, IMO.

 

[NewkyBrown]

Thanks. I appreciate the replies. I guess I could of done the math myself. If I buy a 3500w plate can I just plug into the stove 220V receptacle?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[augiedoggy]

Thanks. I appreciate the replies. I guess I could of done the math myself. If I buy a 3500w plate can I just plug into the stove 220V receptacle?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

yes... you may have to change the plug or make an adapter cord since the stove outlets are usually a different type but the power is correct.