Electric vs propane

[6footbrewery]

I'd like to build a brew stand out of wood, seems the cheapest. I was thinking of adding electric portable burner to it. Would it heat the water fast enough? Would it be good? If I don't build a brew stand at least I'd get a burner. Might be better then propane.


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[rodwha]

I want an electric burner setup myself. There must be one that will do a large volume well and handle the weight for canning.

As it stands now I boil 4 gals in my 5 gal pot on the stovetop. You may need to upgrade the element to one with an additional coil to it. I think I ought to be able to get about 5 gals boiling, but I brew 6 gal batches, and want to cut back my top off as much as possible. I've been eyeing an 8 gal aluminum pot to replace my current pot.

 

[pablosbrewing]

I'd like to build a brew stand out of wood, seems the cheapest. I was thinking of adding electric portable burner to it. Would it heat the water fast enough? Would it be good? If I don't build a brew stand at least I'd get a burner. Might be better then propane.


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If you go electric, consider a tri clad bottomed pot or some other method to spread the heat. Electric elements will caramelize wort more compared to a gas flame.

 

[6footbrewery]

I want an electric burner setup myself. There must be one that will do a large volume well and handle the weight for canning.

As it stands now I boil 4 gals in my 5 gal pot on the stovetop. You may need to upgrade the element to one with an additional coil to it. I think I ought to be able to get about 5 gals boiling, but I brew 6 gal batches, and want to cut back my top off as much as possible. I've been eyeing an 8 gal aluminum pot to replace my current pot.

Yea I have a gas burner and it works really well but it shares tanks with my BBQ kind of a hassle. I have read a lot of pros and cons to both sides. I could list them but it would be a long post.
I'd have to get a better brew pot if I went electric.


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[Washroom_Attendant]

I brew in a 1/2 barrel (15.5 gal) with a 5500 watt element, its faster than gas, no scorching, a little harder to clean, and you have to get a good controller for it. I found one in kit form instead of the $500.00 one in online stores, $30.00 and an hour putting together.
Elements are $20.00, not too heart breaking to burn one out from forgetting to turn it off when draining...stuff happens.

 

[6footbrewery]

That's cool. I'd like to see that in action.


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[Conan]

Washroom,
It's really faster than gas? Nat. gas or propane? I'm not doubting, just contemplating a switch in the future. Is it running on 120 or 240v? Are you saying you have $50 total into the element and controller? That's cheaper than buying a KB14 and plumbing it in. Well, similar price. Do you have a build thread or any other info?

Sorry to hijack, but I have been under the impression that electric is a PITA compared to nat. gas. Kyle

 

[IslandLizard]

Washroom,
It's really faster than gas? Nat. gas or propane? I'm not doubting, just contemplating a switch in the future. Is it running on 120 or 240v? Are you saying you have $50 total into the element and controller? That's cheaper than buying a KB14 and plumbing it in. Well, similar price. Do you have a build thread or any other info?

Sorry to hijack, but I have been under the impression that electric is a PITA compared to nat. gas. Kyle

I think you lost a "0" in the price he mentioned. No, it's not cheaper than a KB14, think about it...

It's 240V of course, which means you need at least a 240V/30A hookup somewhere near your brewing area, and pulling that line plus a Spa Panel (GFCI!) will add to that cost. And there is quite a bit more to it than just an element, like drilling a hole in the kettle, potting the connection, etc; read up on the various threads out here.

Back to the OP.
Depending on your batch size, you could get a 3500W Induction Plate for under $200. It does require a 240V/20A hookup and a SS kettle that will work with induction. There are a few threads on those already. For 7-8 gallon full boils I simply love it. Probably not enough oomph to do 12-15 gallon boils.

 

[bobeer]

I would think heating with an electric probe would be faster than a gas burner because you're heating the liquid directly rather than heating a pot that in turns heats the liquid.

I'm thinking about saving up for a 1/2-1 bbl electric setup but I'd like to see the cleaning and maintenance that's involved in having one. It might be a toss up in time... you're either waiting to heat the wort with gas or you're spending time cleaning the electric setup. Not buying gas would be awesome though; once you paid off the 240v install/hook up by not having to buy gas that is.

 

[srice]

Propane is the cheapest and easiest to get started with, but the most expensive to run.

NG and electric are both much cheaper to operate and less of a PITA since you don't have to worry about running out of fuel during the middle of a brew.

Electric is definitely the most expensive to get started with due to the cost of of controllers, safety (GFCI) and wire (I probably have $150 in high amperage SJ cable). Electric is technically more difficult to build as well.

My boil controller is very simple. I started with this:
http://www.stilldragon.com/diy-controller.html
I upsized the enclosure when I ordered so that I could add a 240VAC 2 pole switch to have a positive disconnect from the power source as well as a 240VAC dryer outlet. It is super easy to use. Flip the switch on, turn the knob to full blast until the boil starts and then turn the knob down until I get my desired level of boil. I have less than $100 in it. I could use a PID control box to do the same thing, but it really is overkill if you are just trying to boil. (I won't give up my PID controller for my RIMS though)

Cleaning of an electric system can be made relatively simple. Take a look at BrewHardware's triclover element mounting system - http://www.brewhardware.com/rimsherms-parts-93/176-elementparts
This allows me to undo one triclover connection and pull the element from the boil kettle. Elements are easy to clean if you can reach them and the 1-1/2" hole in the side of my kettle actually helps with my cleaning process.

If you can afford the extra $$ for the electric system and can handle the build, I definitely think it is the way to go.

 

[hio3791]

If you are looking to go electric to save on your brew stand, you are going to be spending way more on going electric. If, however, you are considering going electric to save on time, fuel, etc, then you are going to want to visit the electric forum on this site. Lots of good info.

If all you want is a simple electric controller that is just as easy to operate as the knob on your propane regulator, then like srice said above, look at the Still Dragon DIY kit.

I recently converted from propane to electric and I love it. I opted for a PID, which costs more but it gives me precise temperature control. I brew 11 gal batches, so I installed a 5500 watt element on my brew kettle. I can get to a boil way faster than my KAB4 ever could at full blast. Not worrying about running out of propane or CO poisoning or burning the house down are great arguments for going electric.

 

[BigFloyd]

Washroom,
It's really faster than gas? Nat. gas or propane? I'm not doubting, just contemplating a switch in the future. Is it running on 120 or 240v? Are you saying you have $50 total into the element and controller? That's cheaper than buying a KB14 and plumbing it in. Well, similar price. Do you have a build thread or any other info?

Sorry to hijack, but I have been under the impression that electric is a PITA compared to nat. gas. Kyle

Building an electrically-heated brew kettle (mine's a 15.5 gallon keggle) along with a PID-controller box and recirculation features was a fairly involved build, especially if you do much of it DIY like I did, but it's quite nice to brew with. I also save by not having to fill my propane tanks so often. The 5500W (240V needed for that) element heats faster than my 30K BTU propane burner did.

I do E-BIAB, so I start out bringing 9 gallons of filtered/treated tap water up to mash temp. The beauty of it is that I can just set it, walk away and the PID in automatic mode takes care of getting it to that temp. It maintains it too while mashing under low-flow recirculation. From mashout (170*F) to full boil is probably less than 7 minutes. Once it's boiling, only 60% power is then needed to keep a decent steady boil. The PID also monitors the wort temp as I'm recirculating while chilling.

Even though I already had the keggle, the cart everything sits on (from an old gas grill) and an extra plastic tool box I could use for the panel, the system was still about $600-650 to build. A pretty good chunk of that, however, was a Chugger pump, valves, camlocks and a 30-plate chiller.

 

[MollyHatchet]

I am starting to entertain this idea. In my brew area is a 240V line run, the previous owner was running a air compressor there. Nothing worse than running out of propane twice on the same batch that makes you give it serious thought.


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[Caboose]

I'm in a boat of having not built out a dedicated brew system, either gas or electric. I'm a huge nerd when it comes to automation, and I know you can do it with both styles, but something about the electric setup sounds like so much fun. I guess I should blame Kal for that one.