Cost of a typical E-system

[milesvdustin]

I made a one pid panel with a timer and a switch that controls two elements. I have two ss chugger pumps and three keggles with electric in two of them. I still need a stand, and about 400 bucks in fittings and a few hundred more for hoses, labels, misc. parts. All told I will have close to 1700 in it, give or take a few hundred. The control panel, fully operational with a gfi cord like kal used cost me just shy of 600 bucks. I also used more expensive lighted switches as opposed to indicator lights. I'm in it for about 1200 now. And my idiot landlord is foreclosing on this house so now I have to move to an apartment and can't brew with my system yet. Jerk.

 

[WAORGANY]

Just completed my eHERMS last week tested it all again tonight and will do my first batch on her tomorrow...very, very scared to tally it all up...I am sure its way north of $1,500 probably above $2k...for my single tier three vessel system, but will be worth every penny! Will post my final costs when I add it all up.

 

[Shockerengr]

Assuming you already have your pots and 220V service you can build a minimalist system with:

Breaker box- 17.00
220 V breaker- 9.00
10 ga cable- 2.00/ft figure on 10 ft=20.00
Heating elements (2) - 16.00
PID-45.00
RTD- 8.00
SSR- 10.00
Heat sink- 5.00

That comes out to $130-ish plus shop supplies to convert an existing three vessel system to electric. That's without pumps for HERMS, minimal safety features and no pretty lights. It's basically what I brew on though I've added the pump and coil for HERMS.

at least add a gfci somewhere in that setup - i'd call that minimal for safety. you can get them inline to minimize setup/cost

 

[Ravenshead]

I probably should add a GFCI but I haven't yet. Given the way I potted my elements, it's almost a non-credible failure mode to get a hot to pot/liquid short so I'm not overly worried. Gross corrosion of the element is the only mode I can think of. It's pretty cheap insurance though, so I'll add one soon-ish.

 

[KramE]

Well, my cost was probably around $1500. I did a fairly minimal setup. 240v ebiab with spa panel, single element, pid, and ssr. What cost me the most were buying the tools. I literally owned one screwdriver. So, add in the cost of buying drills, saws, bits, it'll get ya.

I actually just broke down my brew system. I am moving away from a 62q 240v 5500w rig to a 42q 120v 2000w stove assist. It was too big and too hard to move around as I had to keep it all in a closet when not brewing. I just couldn't stand pulling the stove out anymore.

 

[RichBenn]

I probably got by VERY cheap compared to most for an equivalent design. Why? I already had the kettles. But the key thing is shopping around and design flexibility.
Vendors:
1. Ebay (mostly Chinese vendors), and
2. Amazon
3. local HW store
4. BrewHardware and/or BargainFittings type of place

You gotta be careful AND patient with #1. I bought two PID controllers with manual mode (a lot of research) and SSRs. They are not as user friendly as the Auberin ones, but they were alot cheaper and work just fine. The RTDs, most connectors, switches, and indicator lights are all shipped from China. Inexpensive, good quality, but took a month.

I kept an eye on Amazon (#2) prices for plugs and receptacles and some cable, and found better prices than ebay on these. I even made a few design decision changes based upon what I could get cheap.

#3 - What can you say? No matter what you do, you may find some things at your local Homedepot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, etc. that, because of shipping and/or convienience, are the ticket. Generally, though, they are limited in terms of what you need, unless it could be used in homebuilding. (120V receptacles, wire, etc.)

#4 - Stainless parts are not cheap, but at least these two vendors have what you need to convert your kettles/pots for electric brewing without welding (e.g. - weldless fittings, sight gauges, etc. in stainless). I kept thinking the Chinese ebay vendors or Amazon could be cheaper for these, but it wasn't so.

Don't neglect shipping costs. Most things you need cannot be bought locally, and there are many vendors you must buy from. It's sometimes better to pay a few bucks more from a vendor where you are already buying things to save on shipping costs. And vendors with free shipping are essentially discounting the part(s) significantly.

Going cheap is a matter of having the time and being OK with less than spectacular bling. You can follow some build like Kal has done and get an outstanding build with much less effort and research time, or you can play with the numbers and be patient and do a lot of research.

Finally, consider BIAB electric. A single vessel design can save you a bundle. One PID, one SSR, one kettle, one heating element.