Induction Burner

[Loveall-Brew]

I am looking to start using an induction burner for the convenience of brewing in my basement, and I have a couple questions:

- What wattage would be sufficient for partial boils? I still plan to do full boils outdoors with my burner.

- Any suggesstions for a good one?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[bovine_OB]

1800w would probably do a partial boil for a 5 gal batch, insulating the kettle would help. I have a 3500w burner, which works well for 5 gal batches. I've boiled up to 9 gallons of wort with no issue. My kettle is insulated, however. The higher wattage models require 240v service, so keep that in mind. Avantco is the brand I have, which is what many guys on here reccomend. They are sold by Webstaurant Store online, the 3500w model ran me about $150-170 if I remember correctly. I'd recommend induction to anybody looking to get into electric brewing, but still leaves the door open to upgrading other components to electric in the future.

 

[Loveall-Brew]

Thanks for the info! I was looking at the Megawort electric kettle, but wonder if I am better off to just get an induction burner.

 

[wallyLOZ]

Induction burners have grabbed my attention too. The Jan-Feb '18 issue of Brew Your Own mag, has an article on induction burners. The author says he's witnessed up to 7.5 gallons brought to a boil given the right conditions (pot geometry and insulation) on an 1800w unit. At $122.69 on Avantco's website, may be worth a look.

 

[Loveall-Brew]

Thank you for the response. I am thinking about buying an 1800 watt unit. Cheers!

 

[wallyLOZ]

If you do, please post a review to this thread. Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Crashgram]

I've been using an induction hotplate for about a year now - started using it soon after I started brewing actually. It's a 1800w 'Winco' commercial induction cooker which I found on Craigslist for $100Cad. With reflectix I can get a boil for my 5 gal batches no problem. It's not a leaping boil but more of a light rolling boil but that hasn't detracted from my beer - a boil is a boil. The only downside I've found is it takes 45 to 60 min. to get from mash out to boil. I can set the heat to 300w and maintain my mash temps pretty well even in winter in my garage - mind you I live on the west coast of Canada and never had to brew in less than 45F weather. BUT, that all said I just installed a TC port for a 1650w element in my kettle and bought an Inkbird IPD-16 pid controller for it so I can set my kettle to turn on before I'm awake (with a timer) and maintain mash temps better. Now I can run the element and induction cooker on two different 15amp circuits so I can get to a boil now in 20 min. in winter so no need for 220 volts. Only done one batch so far this way but it's working like a charm. Hope that helps.

 

[wallyLOZ]

@Loveall-Brew Saw that the price dropped on Webstaurant Store's website (link below) for the Avantco IC1800, to $99.99. Went ahead and bought it. Tried it out today with a simple extract kit. Got 6 gallons of wort from 52F up to a steady boil in 1 hr 50 min. Also used two wraps of Reflectix. Kettle is a MegaPot 10 gallon. Thinking of adding a third wrap to see if times improve. Overall, happy with the purchase. Hope this helps.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/av...MI5PiFk--S2gIVSW7BCh1jMgWCEAEYASABEgJaq_D_BwE

 

[Loveall-Brew]

Thanks for the reply. I ended up buying an 1800 watt induction burner. I have made one batch so far. I am happy with it. Took as little longer to get to boil, but the ease of brewing indoors in my basement was awesome. Happy brewing. Cheers!

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Here's my setup. The bucket heater from Tractor Supply helps get to strike temps and boil muuuuch faster than even a 3500w induction cooktop alone. Just make sure there's enough liquid to fully cover the element!

 

[rnorman57]

I use an Avantco 3500 for strike water/boil kettle, and picked up this Duxtop 1800W unit for $49 for heating sparge water while mashing. No problem heating 3-5 gallons of sparge water to 170-180 during mash time.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045QEPYM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[enormous13]

Any updates/news about running these induction burners with a controller (PID/EZboil)?