Is 5500w too much for 3-5 gallons eBIAB?

[Nemanach]

I’m going to be switching over to electric eBIAB from my propane 3 vessel manual system to make my brew days shorter and easier with less equipment. I’m also going to go down to 3-5 gallon batches as I don’t drink beer at the rate that I used to.

My intent is to get a 62 qt Bayou Classic with basket and put a bag in the basket for my kettle. During the mash I will be recirculating with a Chugger pump. I was planning on putting a 5500 watt element in so I could quickly step mash and get to a boil faster. Are there any downsides to having an element that large in a 3 or 5 gallon batch? Can I turn the element down enough with an SSR or am I going to have cyclical rapid boiling as the element turns on and off?

The controller will be an Auber DSPR320 or a CraftBeerPi setup. I really like the automation and control from my computer from afar with the CraftBeerPi but I’ve been reading about some people having a hard time hitting stable temps so I’m leaning towards the DSPR320. I’m comfortable doing the wiring but I don’t want to spend a whole bunch of time working out bugs in the CraftBeerPi.

 

[passedpawn]

If you have a way to turn down the duty cycle of the power to the element, 5500W won't be a problem. That Auber PID is one of their PIDs with a dial for duty cycle control, that should work fine for you.

I don't BIAB, so it's possible I'm missing something here.

 

[BeardedBrews]

The element won't be a problem, but the 62q kettle won't work on 3 gallons biab using a basket and element. The bottom of the basket will hit around the 2 gallon mark which means you won't have enough grain under water for a typical batch.

4 is about the smallest I think I could do, 6 feels just fine, and you end up needing to add some 'sparge' water if you want to do a full double batch at 11-12 gallons.

 

[BeardedBrews]

If you're near Tacoma you can come brew a batch on my system and see how you feel about the size.

 

[Nemanach]

Unfortunately I'm in Minneapolis so I can't meet, I appreciate the offer though.

Do you have the same setup? How much boiloff per hour are you getting? I assumed the below which is why I thought a 3 gallon batch would work.

3 gallon final batch, 1.048 gravity w/ 1 oz hops
3.5 gallons in the fermenter to get 3 gallons finished
0.72 gallon loss from 6 lbs of grain
0.025 gallons from 1 oz of hops
1.1 gallon boiloff per hour
0.15 gallon deadspace in kettle
0.25 gallon loss from cooling and pump
Total volume is 5.75 gallons of water
From the Amazon listing the kettle is 15.6" diameter and the basket sits 3.25" off the bottom. The volume below the kettle is 2.7 gallons. This leaves 3.05 gallons above the bottom of the basket which makes the grain to water ratio 2 qts/lb on top.

 

[Nemanach]

Eh, maybe I should just get the 44 qt model. My only reason for the 62 quart was the option of doing 5 gallon high gravity batches such as a RIS or barleywine and to make boilovers less likely.

 

[processhead]

5500 watts is not too large provided your element controls are adequate. I think direct firing an element this large in a BIAB kettle the size you are describing would be a problem though.

Most PID controllers have a couple settings that limits the maximum output to a value less than 100%. Another common PID parameter is the on/off cycle time/duty cycle which can also be changed to limit the power applied to the element.

The good thing about all these parameters is if you decide to start brewing larger volume batches in the future, your hardware is already scalable to allow full utilization of your elements heat capacity. Keep that in mind when choosing your kettle size.

 

[golfindia]

Run it on 120 during the mash.

 

[processhead]

Run it on 120 during the mash.

This could be an option while mashing, but I suspect you would still need some additional flexibility controlling power while coming up to and maintaining a boil.

 

[doug293cz]

5500 watts is not too large provided your element controls are adequate. I think direct firing an element this large in a BIAB kettle the size you are describing would be a problem though.

Most PID controllers have a couple settings that limits the maximum output to a value less than 100%. Another common PID parameter is the on/off cycle time/duty cycle which can also be changed to limit the power applied to the element.
...

OP is using an EZBoil, which has shorter power pulses at low power settings, and shorter cycle times at mid power settings, than do typical PID's. Also has max power limits for when the controller calls for "full" power.

Brew on

 

[BeardedBrews]

Unfortunately I'm in Minneapolis so I can't meet, I appreciate the offer though.

Do you have the same setup? How much boiloff per hour are you getting? I assumed the below which is why I thought a 3 gallon batch would work.

3 gallon final batch, 1.048 gravity w/ 1 oz hops
3.5 gallons in the fermenter to get 3 gallons finished
0.72 gallon loss from 6 lbs of grain
0.025 gallons from 1 oz of hops
1.1 gallon boiloff per hour
0.15 gallon deadspace in kettle
0.25 gallon loss from cooling and pump
Total volume is 5.75 gallons of water
From the Amazon listing the kettle is 15.6" diameter and the basket sits 3.25" off the bottom. The volume below the kettle is 2.7 gallons. This leaves 3.05 gallons above the bottom of the basket which makes the grain to water ratio 2 qts/lb on top.

I've got the same setup, yup. I think there's a link to my build thread in my signature. I'd say your calculations look good.

I usually boil off a gallon an hour.

The other thing to note is that biab ends up with a bunch of trub. I often lose a gallon in a 5 gallon batch.

Enjoy the build, I'm sure you'll like it