Electrical question

[MrVix]

will two 1000 watt heating elements work the same as one 2000 watt element?

 

[wilserbrewer]

Yes, watts are watts regardless of the number of elements.

2000 is pretty low, but lots of Grainfather users seem happy with a bit less.

More info might help....what are you trying to do?

 

[MrVix]

I am building another brewery. This will be a 5 gallon single vessel system. I plan to use one 1000 watt element to control Mash temps and then use both 1000 watt elements to boil.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I am building another brewery. This will be a 5 gallon single vessel system. I plan to use one 1000 watt element to control Mash temps and then use both 1000 watt elements to boil.

2000w is a little light for a 5 gallon system. It may be slow to heat and produce a weak boil depending on ambient temps and kettle size / surface area. 2 elements at 1500w each, or better yet 2 @ 2000w each will work better IME.

 

[homemaltster]

What's your power source? If you're plugging into one 120V 20A circuit, you can't get more than 2400 watts. Remember, Watts = Volts * Amps. You'd be cutting it close with 2000 total watts - you're always supposed to design to about 80% of your total capacity.

 

[kal]

2000w is a little light for a 5 gallon system. It may be slow to heat and produce a weak boil depending on ambient temps and kettle size / surface area. 2 elements at 1500w each, or better yet 2 @ 2000w each will work better IME.

+1

I usually recommend 4500W for a system meant for making 5 gallons beer (you start with up to 2 gallons more than that at the start of the boil).

This means a 240V setup is usually required.

Good luck!

Kal

 

[homemaltster]

+1

I usually recommend 4500W for a system meant for making 5 gallons beer (you start with up to 2 gallons more than that at the start of the boil).

This means a 240V setup is usually required.

Good luck!

Kal

How long does it take to boil 7 gallons of wort with 4500W?

Did you install a special 240V outlet, or are you stealing the one from the stove or laundry? I feel like most people don't have access to an open 240V. Though perhaps most serious home brewers put one in.

 

[kal]

How long does it take to boil 7 gallons of wort with 4500W?

I'm assuming you mean to ask: How long does it take to heat 7 gallons to boiling with 4500W.

There are many online calculators available that can give you rise times for the amount of power you're using. Here are two examples:

http://www.brewheads.com/powerrequired.php
http://www.brewheads.com/rise.php

Did you install a special 240V outlet, or are you stealing the one from the stove or laundry? I feel like most people don't have access to an open 240V. Though perhaps most serious home brewers put one in.

Most people have access to 240V as most North American homes have 240V. All North American electric dryers and stoves are 240V. I use a dedicated 30A / 240V outlet for my brewery. You can see pictures of it here: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/gallery

Complete details on how I wired the 240V is here as part of my control panel wiring instructions: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/control-panel-part-2?page=3

Many will use existing dryer or stove outlets to brew as they already exist. I did while I brewed in the garage temporarily while my basement brewery was being finished. To the annoyance of my wife I would pull out the stove and use the plug for a few hours.

Good luck!

Kal

 

[MrVix]

This is my 9th 110V brewery build. All have been built to use standard 110V outlet. ALL boil 6 gallons just fine. The OP was a simple electrical question...Not a debate on the voltage or wattage.

 

[Bobby_M]

This is my 9th 110V brewery build. All have been built to use standard 110V outlet. ALL boil 6 gallons just fine. The OP was a simple electrical question...Not a debate on the voltage or wattage.

Ok, so you expect everyone to post answers to questions without any anticipation of actual knowledge you may also need? Try SIRI for that. We are not robots. This is a community of helpful people that go above and beyond simple answers. The fact that you don't appreciate that rubs me the wrong way.

 

[laredo7mm]

This is my 9th 110V brewery build. All have been built to use standard 110V outlet. ALL boil 6 gallons just fine. The OP was a simple electrical question...Not a debate on the voltage or wattage.

This made me laugh. You don't know that two 1000W elements are equivalent to one 2000W element, but yet you build electric breweries?

I am by no means an electrical guru, but I do know that 1000 + 1000 = 2000. I guess I would expect someone who builds, and presumably sells, electric brewing set ups to be a bit more knowledgeable.

My 2000W heat stick still needed help from the stove to get a nice boil on 7 gallons of wort. I even tested insulating the pot with two layers of reflectix (with an air gap between the pot and insulation) and after an hour of heating 7 gallons of water, it was at 190°F and climbing slowly.

I can run my 5500W heat stick at 60% and have a nice boil without stove assist. My initial test on 7 gallons of 67°F water in an un-insulated uncovered pot got me to a boil in 33 minutes (100% power). I would say that 3500 watts would be a bare minimum for 5 gallon batches and even that will take a while to get to boiling.

 

[CadiBrewer]

This is my 9th 110V brewery build. All have been built to use standard 110V outlet. ALL boil 6 gallons just fine. The OP was a simple electrical question...Not a debate on the voltage or wattage.

Perhaps you'll get it right on the 10th build.

 

[brewn4fun]

perhaps you'll get it right on the 10th build.

😂

 

[TheMerkle]

I love this thread