Induction burner options

[ashman372]

Hello,

I have an issue as I want to upgrade to an induction burner as my current electric stove is older and takes a long time to reach strike and boil. I heated my sparge water on a second burner before I was ready for it, with a 75 minute step mash.

The issue is that I live in an older house with old 220v plugs, I have a 10-30r and a 10-50 outlet for my dryer and range, respectively. Neither one has the ground needed for a 6-20p plug.

Would it be worth it to go with a 1800w burner as it might still cut my time down, or should I go with a new outlet installation via electrician and a 3500w burner? I'm mainly looking for a cost to value ratio as I don't want to spend $700-$1000 or more on a new outlet installation for a dedicated 220v 20a from the breaker to approximately 20 ft to my kitchen and the price of a good induction burner.

I also have a 13.5" mash tun and brew kettle, so I'd need a larger burner as I mash with 16lbs of grain and 5 gallons of water so it would need to support close to 80lbs and be large enough to hold a 14" kettle.

Any recommendations for this conundrum?

Thanks in advance!

 

[IslandLizard]

Are you saying both your 10-30r and 10-50 outlet don't have a ground wire attached? On many older (existing) installations those don't use a dedicated neutral wire, they use the ground as neutral, which is fine. For new installations both a neutral AND ground must be installed, according to code. Now in most service panels the ground and neutral are bound together to the ground bus, so there is that.

You definitely want 3500W if you want to speed things up. I use an Avantco IC3500, and love it. They're under $200 shipped.
It's not hard to put a dedicated line in for that, but you do need to know how to do it. Electricians can be expensive, yup.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Are you saying both your 10-30r and 10-50 outlet don't have a ground wire attached? On many older (existing) installations those don't use a dedicated neutral wire, they use the ground as neutral, which is fine. For new installations both a neutral AND ground must be installed, according to code. Now in most service panels the ground and neutral are bound together to the ground bus, so there is that.

You definitely want 3500W if you want to speed things up. I use an Avantco IC3500, and love it. They're under $200 shipped.
It's not hard to put a dedicated line in for that, but you do need to know how to do it. Electricians can be expensive, yup.

I'm assuming you don't use that to manage mash temp?

 

[Exception13]

I use two Avantco IC 3500 induction plates and you are correct, it's damn near impossible to control mash temps with them. Once the power is switched off, the plate powers up at the lowest setting so trying to control with a PID doesn't work.

That said, I do like brewing with them. I still mash in a cooler but heating strike water is pretty quick and once out of the mash tun, I can get 7 gals to boil in a reasonable amount of time - say 20 minutes at most.

Hope that helps.

Chris

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm assuming you don't use that to manage mash temp?

Not on a regular basis.
I occasionally do step mashes and decoctions in the kettle placed on the IC3500, under lowish heat (1000-1800W) and constant stirring with a paddle, making sure to scrape the bottom and move the mash toward the top. After a mash out I then use the cooler for lautering and sparging.
This is very doable for 5-10 gallon batches.

 

[IslandLizard]

I use two Avantco IC 3500 induction plates and you are correct, it's damn near impossible to control mash temps with them. Once the power is switched off, the plate powers up at the lowest setting so trying to control with a PID doesn't work.

That said, I do like brewing with them. I still mash in a cooler but heating strike water is pretty quick and once out of the mash tun, I can get 7 gals to boil in a reasonable amount of time - say 20 minutes at most.

Hope that helps.

Chris

Mine powers up at 1200W, not the lowest setting (500W). But, yeah useless with a PID controller, as is.

 

[ashman372]

Even if my 10-30r or 10-50 outlets have a grounded neutral I still wouldn't connect a 20a appliance to a 30a or 40a breaker. It's prohibitive to pay for an electrician plus the cost of a 3500w induction setup, so mainly what I am asking is if there's a better solution than my current setup through a 1800w induction burner that could support 80lbs or if I should just take the plunge.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Mine powers up at 1200W, not the lowest setting (500W). But, yeah useless with a PID controller, as is.

I really wish somebody would come up with a purpose built induction brewing rig. For eBIAB type setups, it would be perfect because it eliminates that 2-3 gallon space below the basket for a heating element. That space causes so many problems with small batches and high gravity batches.

Honestly, I'm shocked nobody has done it. A recirculating eBIAB rig with a 240V induction burner that was designed to handle an external feedback (or would work with a PID) for temp control would be my ideal rig. Compact, versatile, easy to clean, and no CO concerns. Add a condenser system for handling steam and you could:

1. Control mash temp
2. Step mash
3. Brew small batches
4. Brew really high gravity batches
5. Rapidly reach strike temps or boil
6. Have clear wort into the boil (I know they say it doesn't matter...I want it)
7. Easy clean up (I kettle, 1 basket, no in-wort heating element)
8. Kettle sour
9. Have better fit for immersion chiller
10. Brew indoors with no CO or steam concerns

Probably other things I'm missing. I really can't see a down side to a rig like this. If I was the enterprising type, I'd develop one.

 

[golfindia]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/meet-thing-1-a-5kw-induction-all-in-one.661665/

 

[Carolina_Matt]

Instead of induction, have you considered using a heat stick in addition to your stovetop? You can get a Hot Rod that doesn't require you to drill your kettle. That, along with your stovetop, should be faster than an 1800W induction.

 

[IslandLizard]

Even if my 10-30r or 10-50 outlets have a grounded neutral I still wouldn't connect a 20a appliance to a 30a or 40a breaker. It's prohibitive to pay for an electrician plus the cost of a 3500w induction setup, so mainly what I am asking is if there's a better solution than my current setup through a 1800w induction burner that could support 80lbs or if I should just take the plunge.

A 20A appliance is fine on a 30-50A circuit/breaker. Just change the plug to fit the socket or make an adapter.
An IC3500 actually pulls around 15A at full power.

Instead of induction, have you considered using a heat stick in addition to your stovetop? You can get a Hot Rod that doesn't require you to drill your kettle. That, along with your stovetop, should be faster than an 1800W induction.

There's your answer. ^