Induction Plate not Boiling quite right

[cupido76]

That's what I did. Wired up a 3 wire cable to a 4 prong cord and just left the neutral unconnected

Great... Thanks!

 

[FisherBrewer]

I wired it Hot-Hot-Ground. My receptacle is wired into a sub-panel I put in myself, so I could get the right configuration to the receptacle.

 

[FisherBrewer]

nealperkins -

I got a ss 22 qt from walmart thats magnetic.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-Style-22-Quart-Covered-Stockpot/19581118

Would be good for extract / partial grain or small batches.

 

[nealperkins]

Thanks for that. My trusty magnet and I are off to Walmart & Big Lots.

 

[cupido76]

Is anyone who is using induction plates controlling them with a PID?

My gut suggests to me that this shouldn't work since I don't know how the induction plate is going to respond to the pulsed input power of the PID.

 

[FisherBrewer]

My induction burner (Avantco IC3500) would not work with an external controller without modification. The unit needs to be powered up (i.e., you have to push the on/off button) if the power is disconnect from the unit. But an external controller wouldn't be necessary anyway as the unit has the ability to control temperature or power level itself. The temperature settings are course, however, but I find it adequate for mashing with an uninsulated kettle.

 

[ercousin]

Planning to buy the Avantco IC3500. How did you guys adapt your dryer outlet to the 6-20P plug on the device? My dryer outlet is 14-30 (4 prong). I need both hot prongs to get 240V right? If I did hot-neutral-ground I would get 120V, if I did hot-hot-ground I will get 240V.

Is that right?

 

[DustBow]

I bought some 3 wire SJOW cable at Home Depot and then connected the 3 wires to the hot-hot-ground blades of a 4 prong dryer plug. Left the neutral blade in the plug unconnected (with the plug I have you could even remove that blade). Then used the standard 240v/20 amp outlet on the other end.

 

[BoABrewer]

Hey everyone, just wanted to add something I just did...

So I am one of "those guys" who is looking at posts trying to figure out what works for home brewing and what doesn't based on others' feedback. So, I finally wanted to contribute... And in case you were wondering, I wanted to step up (and am in the process of stepping up) my batches from 10 gallon to 20 - 1BBL.

And more than that, if you're like me, I wanted an alternative to propane and induction seemed like the way to go...here's my experiment...

I finally went for it and bought a couple 25 gallon Northern Brewer kettles and a 15 gallon one, too (that one is mainly for a rigged HERMS system I am going to set up).

Also, I bought two Duxtop 1800 watt induction cookers (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045QEPYM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) from amazon.

I wanted to put it to the test so here is what I had:

*For this TEST, my 25 gallon kettle is on a rigged rail system (if I can upload a photo I will, otherwise I'll attach a link) whereby I put the edges of the kettle on two 2x4's and used cardboard as wedges to fit everything to height and induction plates right underneath the kettle...here's what I got:

**My actual system will not be using 2x4's!!! I only did this as a test to see how fast and and what temperatures I can get my 25 gallon kettle of WATER to certain temperatures**

ADDITIONAL INFO: Water was about 65 degrees fahrenheit , outside temperature roughly 70 degrees fahrenheit, in an open garage, little wind. During the course of the experiment, outside temp decreased to 67. Also, the induction plate on the backside of the garage didn't have the best fan/air circulation so I kept it at a heating # of 8/10 (the max) while the other was at 9/10 (max). I did end up increasing the back induction plate to 9/10 roughly halfway through.

65 degrees: 3:55 PM
78 degrees: 4:05
88 degrees: 4:15
95 degrees: 4:25
104 degrees: 4:35
114 degrees: 4:45
paused and checked 20 minutes later
135 degrees: 5:05
145 degrees: 5:15

and so on...

Essentially, I was getting about 1-1.2 degrees a minute increase with my setup.

But there was a few things to keep in mind. I have the sides of my kettle wrapped in Reflectix (double) but the top was only covered by kettle top not reflectix, which to me meant some heat loss as opposed to being covered by insulation (since we know heat rises). Additionally, and possibly more important, I don't have my kettles drilled for ball valve drains, glass sights, or temp probes, so I had to manually open the top (heat loss) and measure for 45+ seconds the temperature. Last, with ideal conditions, the induction plates would be at 10/10 the entire time.

Keeping that in mind, like I wrote, I was getting about 1-1.2 degree increase per minute. When I get probes inserted/cover the top in insulation/etc. I hope to have a steady/increase that rate (although increasing won't be dramatic/too much).

So that's it. Just my own home experiment.

If anyone wants to know, I am planning on upgrading to 3500 W induction plates in the next 8-10 months. I just don't have the ability to run $$$ 220V extension cords to my appliance outlet. Later I will, but not now. Also, I will be using my 15 gallon kettle (on induction plates) with an added copper coil to act as a HERMS system to recirculate wort to my mash. After I sparge, I plan on using induction to heat to boil.

That's my experiment.