Want to switch to electric...

[Rob2010SS]

A friend of mine is an electrician and while at our house yesterday, we got to talking about how hard it would be to put in a 240v outlet to go electric brewing. He said it would be about $50 worth of supplies and he'd do it at no charge, other than supplies of course.

So now I'm really wanting to convert to electric. I'm not buying new kettles or mash tuns or anything. I'm going to keep my system the same - 10 gal Edelmetal kettle, 10 gal cooler mash tun, and 7 gal cooler HLT.

I started looking at Brew Hardware for elements. I saw this and this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the first one doesn't come with the mounting supplies so I'm better of going with the second one...?

What else should I be taking into consideration to go electric?

 

[itsnotrequired]

correct, the first link is just an element. second link includes the bulkhead for a weldless tri-clamp connection. tri-clamp connection is very convenient for the boil kettle, allows for easy removal of the element for cleaning, especially for a ripple element. the element also includes plug connections so it is a simple matter of providing a cord with the appropriate female receptacle on the end for the connection. the element in the first link has screw terminals so in addition to the bulkhead, you would also need an 'enclosure' for making the connection, something like this.

 

[bleme]

I started looking at Brew Hardware for elements. I saw this and this.

I think it is funny that on the second one, Bobby lists the value of each component, totaling $108, then charges $109. He probably just failed to update the description when he had a price increase but still...

 

[phyllobeddo]

I was in the same kind of situation. One of my friends is an electrician and said he would help me install a 240v circuit in the basement for brewing. I bought all of the supplies, ran all of the wire, installed the conduit, and installed the outlet boxes. He came in after that and installed two breakers, a 110 and a 240v, and then wired in the outlets. I installed several 110v outlets as well as the 240v. I went with an Avancto induction burner instead of modifying my BK or buying another set up. Good luck!

 

[Rob2010SS]

I was in the same kind of situation. One of my friends is an electrician and said he would help me install a 240v circuit in the basement for brewing. I bought all of the supplies, ran all of the wire, installed the conduit, and installed the outlet boxes. He came in after that and installed two breakers, a 110 and a 240v, and then wired in the outlets. I installed several 110v outlets as well as the 240v. I went with an Avancto induction burner instead of modifying my BK or buying another set up. Good luck!

Interesting. I'll have to look this Avancto burner up and investigate.

Anyone notice a huge difference in their electric bill when they use these elements? I found a website that helps you calculate what it will do to your electric bill and if I did the math right, a 5500w heating element should only add a bit less than $2 per brew day.

 

[brewbama]

While it may increase the elec bill, it will reduce the propane bill by a much larger amount. Elec is cheap compared to propane.

 

[phyllobeddo]

Interesting. I'll have to look this Avancto burner up and investigate.

Anyone notice a huge difference in their electric bill when they use these elements? I found a website that helps you calculate what it will do to your electric bill and if I did the math right, a 5500w heating element should only add a bit less than $2 per brew day.

The Avancto IC 3500 is what I bought. Showing $173.99 today on Webrestaurant Store, the same place I got mine. I bought it for about $230.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/av...STjUKAcZoZdazjEeWgIkHBQL1EAoSYxRoCsroQAvD_BwE

I have brewed 58 batches on it so far. Works great for me. If it broke tomorrow, I'd order another one the same day.

 

[lschiavo]

Anyone not paying huge shipping from Webstaurant Store? Maybe just my location?

 

[augiedoggy]

A friend of mine is an electrician and while at our house yesterday, we got to talking about how hard it would be to put in a 240v outlet to go electric brewing. He said it would be about $50 worth of supplies and he'd do it at no charge, other than supplies of course.

So now I'm really wanting to convert to electric. I'm not buying new kettles or mash tuns or anything. I'm going to keep my system the same - 10 gal Edelmetal kettle, 10 gal cooler mash tun, and 7 gal cooler HLT.

I started looking at Brew Hardware for elements. I saw this and this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the first one doesn't come with the mounting supplies so I'm better of going with the second one...?

What else should I be taking into consideration to go electric?

Control panel?unless you go with a induction burned and stay manual control which is more like using propane or gas as far as function. also a venting system or the condensate stack to remove the steam. Electric is hands down better in my opinion.

 

[Rob2010SS]

So another question came to mind as I'm thinking about this.

When brewing with propane, I can adjust the needle valve on the burner to keep the flame to the minimum necessary to keep the boil rolling.

With an electric element, you don't have this ability do you? There's no way to control it without the control panel and all the fancy stuff, or is there?

 

[bleme]

When brewing with propane, I can adjust the needle valve on the burner to keep the flame to the minimum necessary to keep the boil rolling.

With an electric element, you don't have this ability do you? There's no way to control it without the control panel and all the fancy stuff, or is there?

A friend I brew with has a voltage regulator on his that he dials down to control the boil. He says that he couldn't find one in the States and had to buy his from China. I'm not sure why.

 

[brewbama]

I use an inkbird to control a 1650 ULWD element in a RIMS tube. I can control it within 1 degree. You can do the same with any element in a kettle. The inkbird is ~$100 https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tempcontrol_ipb16.htm

 

[jrgtr42]

Anyone not paying huge shipping from Webstaurant Store? Maybe just my location?

I just placed an order for the IC3500 there - on sale for $159, off the $175 usual; add $14 shipping, but it would add that anyway.
We had some electrical work done last year, and I had the guy add a 240-volt outlet in my brew area at that point, planning even then to get this. I'll probably also get an 1800 watt induction burner to use for heating strike water etc with; I have 110-volt outlets in the area also.

 

[Mybuddypete]

So another question came to mind as I'm thinking about this.

When brewing with propane, I can adjust the needle valve on the burner to keep the flame to the minimum necessary to keep the boil rolling.

With an electric element, you don't have this ability do you? There's no way to control it without the control panel and all the fancy stuff, or is there?

You can build a small box using this SSVR as a voltage controller, similar to your "needle valve on the burner".

https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=332

You just need to wire it into a small enclosure with a heat sink. It acts basically like the dial on an electric stove.

Here's a previous thread about this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/feedback-on-controller-wiring.522619/

 

[Rob2010SS]

You can build a small box using this SSVR as a voltage controller, similar to your "needle valve on the burner".

https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=332

You just need to wire it into a small enclosure with a heat sink. It acts basically like the dial on an electric stove.

Here's a previous thread about this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/feedback-on-controller-wiring.522619/

Thank you, this helps.

The other option I found was $450 so I don't think that's an option.

 

[Mybuddypete]

Thank you, this helps.

The other option I found was $450 so I don't think that's an option.

Here's one I built for a friend. This one is wired for 110v, but it is nearly the same for 220/240v

 

[tennesseean_87]

If you're going to go electric, you might as well get a PID for controlling the element. Half the fun is precise control of mash temps, making multi-step mashes a breeze. You obviously need a pump for this, but those are nice anyway. Go big or go home. Buy once; cry once.

 

[lump42]

I started looking at Brew Hardware for elements. I saw this and this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the first one doesn't come with the mounting supplies so I'm better of going with the second one...?

If you don't want to put a hole in the kettle, you could go with the HotRod and fit it with a 5500 ripple element (link)

A friend I brew with has a voltage regulator on his that he dials down to control the boil. He says that he couldn't find one in the States and had to buy his from China. I'm not sure why.

They are available in the US maybe not as cheap as from China. High Gravity sells one here. It has a on/off switch and a dial on the side. At $250, your half way to their EZ boil controller. I have heard good things about the EZ Boil over PID from podcasters and friends that have them.

 

[bleme]

If you're going to go electric, you might as well get a PID for controlling the element. Half the fun is precise control of mash temps, making multi-step mashes a breeze. You obviously need a pump for this, but those are nice anyway. Go big or go home. Buy once; cry once.

"Buy once; cry once" only works if you actually have that money. OP has already stated that isn't an option, but I get that some people will never understand the limits of a real budget.

 

[tennesseean_87]

"Buy once; cry once" only works if you actually have that money. OP has already stated that isn't an option, but I get that some people will never understand the limits of a real budget.

Believe me, I know all about budgets. I save my hobby money, I don't eat out, I certainly don't drink out, because I have things I want and stay within the budget for them. Maybe OP can go with the PID now and just use it for manual control. Then he can add pumps, etc. later as he has money.

"Buy once: cry once" actually saves you money in the long haul. I've wasted plenty of my precious budget trying out cheap versions of things only to upgrade them later. If I'd have just saved for a little bit longer, I could have gotten the expensive thing in the first place without wasting money on the cheap thing that didn't work.

 

[lump42]

Believe me, I know all about budgets. I save my hobby money, I don't eat out, I certainly don't drink out, because I have things I want and stay within the budget for them. Maybe OP can go with the PID now and just use it for manual control. Then he can add pumps, etc. later as he has money.

"Buy once: cry once" actually saves you money in the long haul. I've wasted plenty of my precious budget trying out cheap versions of things only to upgrade them later. If I'd have just saved for a little bit longer, I could have gotten the expensive thing in the first place without wasting money on the cheap thing that didn't work.

OP could split the difference and build a controller with a PID instead of voltage regulator. PID controllers are $30-45. If budget was still issue, get an enclosure box big enough for the controller and plan space in for a PID to be added in later. The only extra part after the upgrade should be the rheostat.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Believe me, I know all about budgets. I save my hobby money, I don't eat out, I certainly don't drink out, because I have things I want and stay within the budget for them. Maybe OP can go with the PID now and just use it for manual control. Then he can add pumps, etc. later as he has money.

"Buy once: cry once" actually saves you money in the long haul. I've wasted plenty of my precious budget trying out cheap versions of things only to upgrade them later. If I'd have just saved for a little bit longer, I could have gotten the expensive thing in the first place without wasting money on the cheap thing that didn't work.

We save but there's so much other stuff we like to spend our money on, brewing gets a bit of a smaller budget.

OP could split the difference and build a controller with a PID instead of voltage regulator. PID controllers are $30-45. If budget was still issue, get an enclosure box big enough for the controller and plan space in for a PID to be added in later. The only extra part after the upgrade should be the rheostat.

Could you elaborate on this a bit? My electronic speak is almost non-existent...

 

[Arbe0]

I am getting these heating elements $40 from electric brewery and $27.34 from home depot. exactly the same element, different prices.

 

[Bobby_M]

I am getting these heating elements $40 from electric brewery and $27.34 from home depot. exactly the same element, different prices.

Exactly? Home depot does not sell elements with stainless steel bases last I checked.

 

[lump42]

Could you elaborate on this a bit? My electronic speak is almost non-existent...

I was just thinking you could find a layout and plans for a control box using a pid. Layout everything as well if you were going to use a pid, but then replace the pid with the rheostat(dial) like in other schematics. When/if you decide to upgrade to a pid controller unit, the enclosure and most of the components are there. You would just have to install the pid in the space originally allocated.

Save a few bucks on the front end by not buying pid, but design it so it can be upgraded without starting over with new components.

 

[augiedoggy]

They are available in the US maybe not as cheap as from China. High Gravity sells one here. It has a on/off switch and a dial on the side. At $250, your half way to their EZ boil controller. I have heard good things about the EZ Boil over PID from podcasters and friends that have them.

best place to get this is still dragon... high gravity was high when they priced that thing...

heres the kit for $37 minus the power cord...
http://stilldragon.com/index.php/diy-small-controller.html

 

[mongoose33]

I'm heading toward electric also; just had an electrician in to help me figure out how to get 240v power to my garage.

What I don't understand from the above is that most of the equipment seems to be based not on 240v but on 120v. Are those mostly for HERMS or RIMS applications? And thus most are using 120v heating elements in those instances?

I've thought about using an induction burner for the HERMS kettle; the one noted above is for kettles about 10" in diameter; any problem with using a kettle with larger diameters with one of those?

 

[augiedoggy]

Herms are mostly powered off HLT which are often 240v rims are often 120v but depending on element not always.. remember it takes twice as many amps to power a 120v rims than it does for a 240v element... my 240v 1800w rims draws less than 8 amps allowing me to easily heat sparge water with a 4500w element while running the rims on my 30a circuit.

 

[mongoose33]

Herms are mostly powered off HLT which are often 240v rims are often 120v but depending on element not always.. remember it takes twice as many amps to power a 120v rims than it does for a 240v element... my 240v 1800w rims draws less than 8 amps allowing me to easily heat sparge water with a 4500w element while running the rims on my 30a circuit.

Here's something I don't get about that--and it's important to bear in mind I'm doing LODO techniques so some of this is predetermined by that.

For LODO purposes, I'm pre-boiling the strike water to drive off O2. Boiling for 5 minutes does that. Then, I need to cool that strike water to strike temp. Then that water is transferred to the mash tun, underletting the grain.

I could, I suppose, do that in the HLT, but what I don't understand is that once I transfer that water to the mash tun, I have to refill that HLT and then start it heating again--meanwhile, my mash tun has no HERMS recirculation to control mash temp. How do people manage that? It seems impossible to use a HLT for both.

FWIW, I can heat the strike water in the BK. That's why I don't necessarily think I need a lot of power to keep the HERMS kettle hot. I actually have a kettle I can dedicate to that.

 

[tennesseean_87]

Here's something I don't get about that--and it's important to bear in mind I'm doing LODO techniques so some of this is predetermined by that.

For LODO purposes, I'm pre-boiling the strike water to drive off O2. Boiling for 5 minutes does that. Then, I need to cool that strike water to strike temp. Then that water is transferred to the mash tun, underletting the grain.

I could, I suppose, do that in the HLT, but what I don't understand is that once I transfer that water to the mash tun, I have to refill that HLT and then start it heating again--meanwhile, my mash tun has no HERMS recirculation to control mash temp. How do people manage that? It seems impossible to use a HLT for both.

FWIW, I can heat the strike water in the BK. That's why I don't necessarily think I need a lot of power to keep the HERMS kettle hot. I actually have a kettle I can dedicate to that.

Boil all your water, not just strike water? Then cool it all to mash temp, pump the strike volume to MT, leave the rest in the HLT, and you're ready to go. I don't mess with LoDO, but that's my best guess.