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[Gytaryst]

I know (almost) nothing about electricity - it scares me to death. I'm the guy who shuts the main breaker to the house off to change a light bulb, (no sense taking crazy unnecessary risks). For that reason I was never even mildly interested in considering electric brewing... until now. The benefits are too enticing to ignore.

Just wondering if it's something that someone (like me) who knows nothing about electricity should even be considering. Can someone point me to some straight forward easy to understand resources I could use to make a more informed decision?

 

[SEndorf]

You don't need to be an electrician to enjoy electric brewing. I'm an example.
If you're somewhat handy, you can build your system. Another option is to purchase a pre-made panel.
I hired an electrician to run my 50 amp outlet. The rest is pretty straightforward. There is a lot of help out there.

 

[Schreiner]

-watching these videos:

http://www.shortcircuitedbrewers.com

-getting help from people like:
doug293cz, who has some great diagrams on this forum,

Inspired me to take the leap and build my own system!

 

[ancientmariner52]

First things first. Go to your local big box diy store and buy a book on basic house wiring. It won't tell you a thing about electric brewing, but you will learn basics such as safety, tools, and simple calculations. Then what you read here will make a lot more sense. Good luck!

 

[Schreiner]

 

[dnye]

Also can consider getting an induction burner. Lots of the benefits of going full electric system without having to build/buy the panel.

 

[TheHopfather]

There are also lots of pre-built options to choose from that don't involve anything more than plugging them into an outlet. Unibrau, Grainfather, Brewboss all come to mind and there are others I'm just not thinking of right away. I believe you can get all 3 of those systems (not 100% sure about the Brewboss) in 120V, so you just plug them into any old outlet and away you go. You can always supplement a 120V system with a Hotrod Heat Stick if a 120V system is too slow for your liking.

 

[SEndorf]

This is what I did. I highly recommend them.
http://www.theelectricbrewery.com
You can either construct the panel, or purchase it pre-made.
Very organized. Tells you everything you need to purchase. Step by step instructions.
All components high quality. No foreign made crap.

 

[MaxStout]

If you have a fear of electrical work, it's still something you will need to address if you want to do this. Baby steps, before you delve into something complicated. As was mentioned above, a good book on basic wiring techniques will do a lot to help you gain confidence. It will also show safe and code-compliant methods. There are also plenty of YouTube videos that will help you get acquainted. Learn the basics first. If you are diligent and are willing to pay attention to details, there is no reason you cannot do some electrical work for your brew operations.

Once you are confident with basic wiring, you will be ready to start setting up a system. Lots of people on this forum will be happy to help. Ask lots of questions.

OTOH, if you don't feel up to the task of wiring, or it's just not within your comfort zone, that's OK. Don't do it. The induction burner idea would be a great plug-and-play setup. Get a kettle that is induction-ready and you're set.

 

[swimIan]

View attachment 556056

Do you do full volume, batch sparge or fly sparge?

 

[Schreiner]

Do you do full volume, batch sparge or fly sparge?

For 5 gallon, I like doing full volume mashes. For 10 gallon I'll use my fermenter as a HLT and fly sparge.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Don't force yourself into ulcers alone. It's not rocket science but its best to have a little knowledge of basic electricity and wiring. Grab a friend that is less queezy about electrical stuff to work on it with you. Don't be in a hurry and take things step by step. Then reap the rewards.

After its built and tested, there should be nothing to be worried about. A brew rig is an electric tool just like a stove or refrigerator. Don't open the control panel and stick your fingers in it when its plugged in. You'll be fine.

 

[Gytaryst]

Thanks everyone.
I have a 3 keggle system I'm using now with propane. If I go electric it would be a conversion of that equipment. I've gone thru a few different brew pots and several converted ice chests and water cooler mash tuns over the years. Now I'm committed to building what I have rather than constantly swapping stuff out.

My immediate goal is to add an electric heating element and HERMS coil to the HLT and get a pump. I can still use the propane for the boil kettle for now. My electrical panel is on the outside of my garage and I store all my brew equipment directly behind it on that inside wall.

Adding a 220 outlet would be nothing, I'd just have to have an electrician do the actual connection into the panel.

I'm in the process of filling in the pool so those two bottom breakers for pool light and pool pump aren't used anymore.

Seems like it's doable and now that I've been researching it I'm actually looking forward to it. I just don't want to electrocute myself on a hobby. That would take the fun right out of it for me.

 

[SEndorf]

Nothin to it.....

 

[TexasWine]

My immediate goal is to add an electric heating element and HERMS coil to the HLT and get a pump.

I'll suggest another option to the HERMs. Use an external counterflow heat exchanger, either a plate, pipe-in-pipe (traditionally called counterflow), or even a shell and tube. This has a few benefits.

One, you only need enough water in the HLT to cover the heating element(s) and not an entire coil. That low volume, combined with the relatively high efficiency of the external heat exchanger, means your ramp speeds between rest temps can be very fast. Think of the performance difference between an immersion chiller and a plate heat exchanger. You might even find that a single 120v element is sufficient, depending on your batch size. A 120v element would definitely be large enough if you're simply doing a single rest temp.

Another benefit, the exchanger can pull double duty as your wort chiller after the boil.

But, I can see going with the traditional coil if you plan to have a large sparge volume. You gotta heat that water any way.

Oh, and you're going to want two pumps either way you go. One will be dedicated to mixing up the HLT. I guess you could also use a motorized mixer paddle, but that would be kind of a pain.