Amazon has this 3500w/240v induction plate from a brand called Cuisunyo for $151.98. I just ordered a slightly smaller unit used but with the same wattage/voltage for almost half the price. Check it out and let us know if it's worth it or not. I just couldn't pass up the good deal on the used one so I'll see when it gets here. Just beginning switching to electric so I'll still have to order an induction ready pot, though I have some pans that will work just to test if it heats.
240v 3500w induction plate on Amazon for $151.98 - Good or Not? Not sure..
- Thread starter KniepHaus
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That $152 Cuisunyo unit looks similar to my $170-190 Avantco IC3500, but with far fewer power level settings.
Welcome to the induction powered brew crew!
Welcome to the induction powered brew crew!
How many settings does the Avantco ic3500 give you?
13 power settings: 500-800-1000-1200-1500-1800-2000-2300-2500-2700-2900-3100-3500 W
Plus in temp mode every 10 degrees F between 140 and 460F
Once boiling, a large pot of soup stock with an insulating jacket keeps simmering (switches off and on) at the '170F' setting for 4 hours (max timer).
Not sure if all induction plates have similar issues, but the fan in my Avantco needs a few drops of oil (I use 10W-40 or 20W-50) in the bearing cavity every 4-6 months or so, perhaps every 100 to 200-some hours of run time? It probably gets used 4-8 hours a week on average.
You can hear the fan surging/rattling when it need to be lubed. The oiling is a piece of cake, opening up and re-closing the unit takes most time. With dust cleaning, 15-30 minutes tops in total.
You can hear the fan surging/rattling when it need to be lubed. The oiling is a piece of cake, opening up and re-closing the unit takes most time. With dust cleaning, 15-30 minutes tops in total.
Sound advice once again. The unit I received seems to be doing the job after getting to test it today. I'll give it the real test in about a week or two for my next brew day. Have you tried putting yours on a table with no top, maybe just two boards for the legs to keep a higher degree of ventilation under the unit? I was thinking about something like this or even just cutting out a hole in one. Not sure what my cheapest/easiest option is for that yet..
Good to hear you like your new induction purchase! That was a good price, I must say.
Don't overthink it, brew instead!
I think it gets plenty of ventilation the way it is, the feet on mine are at about 1/2" high. I regularly clean the vent ports (the entry underneath mostly) from grease/dust.
Frying/wokking creates vaporized oil, that sticks around the fan area, then dust sticks to that. When you only use it to boil water/wort, you'll miss out on the tacky grease part.
I have my cast iron wok resting on 6 silicone "washers" to prevent damaging the glass top. I cut the washers from a 1/2" thick walled silicone brewing hose, like 1/8" slices of hollow hot dog. That gives me ventilation around the bottom of the wok too. The temp sensor won't register though, so power settings only.
Good to hear you like your new induction purchase! That was a good price, I must say.
Don't overthink it, brew instead!
I think it gets plenty of ventilation the way it is, the feet on mine are at about 1/2" high. I regularly clean the vent ports (the entry underneath mostly) from grease/dust.
Frying/wokking creates vaporized oil, that sticks around the fan area, then dust sticks to that. When you only use it to boil water/wort, you'll miss out on the tacky grease part.
I have my cast iron wok resting on 6 silicone "washers" to prevent damaging the glass top. I cut the washers from a 1/2" thick walled silicone brewing hose, like 1/8" slices of hollow hot dog. That gives me ventilation around the bottom of the wok too. The temp sensor won't register though, so power settings only.
So I found this nice table to use an induction plate on. It's from Walmart listed as "Lifetime 4-Foot Fold-In-Half Cooking Table". One side is made for camping cook/grill tops and is made of a large grate, metal crossed bars. My unit seems to be keeping cool really easily on it and it works pretty perfect for my limited space. When not using it for that I store all of my brew equipment under and on top of it. So far I think it was a great purchase.
Well it looks like the used unit I got isn't any good. Even with the open grate underneath it kept overheating about 5 min into the boil with my 16 gallon Gas One kettle and I had to do a very slow boil on my stove which took forever to finish.. The end product seemed to come out well at least. I already initiated its return. Where did you get your Avantco IC3500 at? Webstaurant.com i's the cheapest I've found but it's about $200 after shipping. I keep reading reviews about how they quit working just after the 6 month warranty which makes me hesitant.. How long have you had yours going?
So sad to hear your unit is failing! It overheating sounds like a cooling issue. Fan perhaps?
I'm quite sure all those plates are similarly built. There's a large heat sink in it for the power regulators, cooled by a fan with a plastic duct to it.
On my Avantco, a few months to a year in, most likely after the warranty period had expired, the fan started surging, but the plate never overheated or shut off. Sounded very similar to some of my computer/GPU fans, they need a drop of oil from time to time. That fixed it.
6 month warranty is truly laughable, an insult, borderline criminal, given it's a "commercial duty" unit.
Yes, I got mine at Webstaurant.com, around 6 years ago probably. I think it was $180 plus $10 shipping, then.
Amazon has them too, around the same price or a little more last time I checked. Later I found there was a local kitchen supply company (in Baltimore city) selling and "servicing" them. I service my own.
Mine has quite a few hours on it, say 4 hours a week x 50 weeks x 5 years = 1000 hours at minimum. I re-oiled perhaps 5-6 times. And replaced the fuse last year, when it blew for no apparent reason. Believe me, I checked everything before plugging it back in. It had a 15A fast blow fuse, replaced with a 15A slow blow (Amazon, 5 pack).
Don't drop the unit, or tap/rap it on the counter when the fan starts surging annoyingly (I did). Now I know better not to. The inside has plastic mounts, I repaired one that had broken out using JB Weld.
I'm quite sure all those plates are similarly built. There's a large heat sink in it for the power regulators, cooled by a fan with a plastic duct to it.
On my Avantco, a few months to a year in, most likely after the warranty period had expired, the fan started surging, but the plate never overheated or shut off. Sounded very similar to some of my computer/GPU fans, they need a drop of oil from time to time. That fixed it.
6 month warranty is truly laughable, an insult, borderline criminal, given it's a "commercial duty" unit.
Yes, I got mine at Webstaurant.com, around 6 years ago probably. I think it was $180 plus $10 shipping, then.
Amazon has them too, around the same price or a little more last time I checked. Later I found there was a local kitchen supply company (in Baltimore city) selling and "servicing" them. I service my own.
Mine has quite a few hours on it, say 4 hours a week x 50 weeks x 5 years = 1000 hours at minimum. I re-oiled perhaps 5-6 times. And replaced the fuse last year, when it blew for no apparent reason. Believe me, I checked everything before plugging it back in. It had a 15A fast blow fuse, replaced with a 15A slow blow (Amazon, 5 pack).
Don't drop the unit, or tap/rap it on the counter when the fan starts surging annoyingly (I did). Now I know better not to. The inside has plastic mounts, I repaired one that had broken out using JB Weld.
Awesome, well I'll go ahead and order one from them too then. Sounds like a solid investment. I figure if the Cuisunyo brand that was "like new" already had issues like that then it's probably not worth fooling with further and either way if I monkey with it I'm sure I would have much more trouble getting my money back in the end, lol.
Though that was unfortunate that it didn't work out, I found a quite fortunate option for dealing with humidity control. It just so happens that in our condo our washer and dryer sit at the back of our kitchen which is also against the wall for our front door that's inside a screened in front porch. Though not the "most convenient" option, this does allow me to pass the 56" Avantco cord, along with the 6-20 adapter extension, through the vent hole of our dryer duct and still connect it to the dryer's outlet. Therefore, I can then brew on our screened in porch outside which will mean I really don't need to ventilate and I still get to bypass using gas all of the time. I know that defeats the purpose for a lot of people who want to brew indoors and go electric just for that reason but the benefits of using an induction plate like this are still very attractive to me.
I do wonder though what options there might be to rig up a venting hood of sorts that I can pull out just for brew days which uses a dryer duct and connects to the same vent hole thereby allowing me to still stay inside and keep the boil off in check. It may not be worth worrying about. I know I don't want to install a permanent duct though just due to our limited space, experience, motivation, etc. We are planning to only live here in this condo until we pay it off so I don't want to alter it too much.
A screened in porch can be just fine, depending where you live. It can be insulated, temporarily or semi-permanently if need be, to keep it cozy during hot or cold seasons.
A box fan can assist in blowing out the steam. I hang one in the (open) window above the kettle.
Try it, you can still move it elsewhere until you find your most comfortable spot.
Not sure why the Cuisunyo would fail, it had lots of good reviews. If the fan is indeed the culprit, as it becomes on the IC3500 sooner or later, It's can be an easy temporary fix. I have not found a compatible replacement fan yet, but am sure they are around somewhere in China.
If it's in the electronics, it may be hard to find out which part, unless you have a decent schematic too, and some basic knowledge of electronics.
For example, my computer's GPU fan blade had literally fallen apart over the years, glued back together several times. Then I saw new old stock (or reclaimed) ones on eBay. A fairly easy fix, saving a big bundle over a new GPU. Nothing wrong with the old one, except for the only moving part, the fan blades.
A box fan can assist in blowing out the steam. I hang one in the (open) window above the kettle.
Try it, you can still move it elsewhere until you find your most comfortable spot.
Not sure why the Cuisunyo would fail, it had lots of good reviews. If the fan is indeed the culprit, as it becomes on the IC3500 sooner or later, It's can be an easy temporary fix. I have not found a compatible replacement fan yet, but am sure they are around somewhere in China.
If it's in the electronics, it may be hard to find out which part, unless you have a decent schematic too, and some basic knowledge of electronics.
For example, my computer's GPU fan blade had literally fallen apart over the years, glued back together several times. Then I saw new old stock (or reclaimed) ones on eBay. A fairly easy fix, saving a big bundle over a new GPU. Nothing wrong with the old one, except for the only moving part, the fan blades.
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