Way too early All in One unit researching

[rtstrider]

Hey all! It'll probably be another year or so before I bite the bullet and go for an all in one unit. I've done some reading and really feel a 220 volt unit would better suit the brewery. Now I have a gas dryer with a 220 volt 30 amp plug already wired in (this uses a 110 volt outlet since it's gas). I'm fairly proficient with electrical stuff. I'm not a wizard or anything like that but am comfortable enough to do some things (like rewiring outlets, changing breakers, etc). So here's what I'm looking at

Change out the 30 amp dryer breaker with a GFCI breaker
Possibly rewire the 3 prong receptacle if needed to one that works with an RV extension cord (50 feet should be enough to run outside through an open window)

Use the following guide to make sure the extension cord wire gauge is more than enough for what is needed

https://www.protoolreviews.com/extension-cord-size-chart-wire-gauge-amps/
Looking at using something like this so the foundry cord would not have to be cut

https://www.hobbyhomebrew.com/produ...ge-converter-cable-for-220v-digiboil-tig-mig/
When the unit is not in use the 220 volt breaker would be turned off and the wire would be coiled up neatly on top of, or next to, the dryer. This is only so the dryer does not have to be moved every brew day to plug in the cord

The end goal would be to hire an electrician to properly wire up a 220 volt receptacle outside and ditch the extension cord. That would mean a few more years of waiting which is not something I want to do at the moment. This would definitely be in the works no matter what, but, I don't want it getting in the way of brewing sooner if possible

That's the plan anyways. On my current stove top setup I get around 1.5 gallon boil off rate I'm assuming that would be the same with a 220 volt Foundry? This would be much closer to 2 tier plus two boil pot setup I use now (3.5 gallons per pot so the end product is around 5-5.5 gallons wort).

I'm not at all opposed to using the system in 110 volt mode either if that would be better until I can get a 220 volt gfci outlet run outside. If this is done that leads me to ask if there is a sink hookup kit (maybe this Faucet Adapter Kit,Faucet Extender Aerator,Swivel Aerator Adapter to Connect Garden Hose,Brass 3/4-Inch Garden Hose Adapter with Aerator,for Kitchen/Bathroom Sink Faucet,Chrome - - Amazon.com ), instead of and exterior garden hose, for the wort chiller? Only asking in case of rainy days/indoor brewing.

 

[kevin58]

Having an electrician do the work probably won't be as costly as you imagine depending on how long the run needs to be made from the box.
I use my Anvil 1.5 on 110 at the moment and the boil off rate is about .5 gallon/hr. The documentation says that using 220 you can expect 1 gallon/hr boil off. I have not hear of anyone on the Foundry Facebook group report any different.

The IC that you can order with the Foundry is already designed with a kitchen sink hookup. If you still need it check with your homebrew store. I tried to find one at the local hardware once and the guy didn't know what I was talking about. Then I went down the street to my LHBS and he says 'oh yeah, right over here...'.

 

[rtstrider]

Having an electrician do the work probably won't be as costly as you imagine depending on how long the run needs to be made from the box.
I use my Anvil 1.5 on 110 at the moment and the boil off rate is about .5 gallon/hr. The documentation says that using 220 you can expect 1 gallon/hr boil off. I have not hear of anyone on the Foundry Facebook group report any different.

The IC that you can order with the Foundry is already designed with a kitchen sink hookup. If you still need it check with your homebrew store. I tried to find one at the local hardware once and the guy didn't know what I was talking about. Then I went down the street to my LHBS and he says 'oh yeah, right over here...'.

What I'll probably do is start off with the foundry at 110 volts instead of trying to reinvent the wheel lol Sitting here thinking logically...I could pay for the cords, breaker, etc or just save that moolah and invest in eventually having an electrician run this correctly. Now with that said I'm pretty much set on the foundry due to the ability to eventually step up to 220 volts without having to invest in a whole new unit. I've seen a few recommendations here and there on how to increase efficiency too. Such as using a brew bag and go with a BIAB fine crush on the grains (double crush even), use the small batch adapter at the bottom to help the wort flow out of the grains more evenly, recirculate the pump after the first 10 minutes of mashing or so, stir the grain every 15 minutes, etc...At the end of the day it's one of those deals where I'll just need to find out what works best for my brew days and develop some new habits

Now I say this but I'm really waiting to see how the Robobrew 4th gen performs. That has a ton of nifty features. That's the other reason I'm holding out.

Also what's the consensus on the stock wort chiller vs the jaded or cuss wort chiller?

 

[Martys1]

I have anAF 6.5 and I’ve brewed 30 gallons with it. I have no problem using it at 110 v.my brew day is around 4 hours,The beer intro comes out at 6+abc and tasty.I also have a 40 gal water heater so I start with 135 deg water, gets to mash temp in 15 min,also has a nice boil

 

[bwible]

Ditto. I have an Anvil Foundry 6.5 that I use for 3 gallon batches and it runs fine on 110v. If you get one of the bigger models you probably do want 220v.

 

[rtstrider]

Ditto. I have an Anvil Foundry 6.5 that I use for 3 gallon batches and it runs fine on 110v. If you get one of the bigger models you probably do want 220v.

I’d be getting the 10.5 Gallon model. I do 5 gallon batches

 

[Knightshade]

I have a 10.5 that I run at 220 and while I’ve never run it at 110, I can imagine I’d get impatient if I reverted back. Was using a hot plate at 110 to heat up 2.5G of water in a 7.5G Anvil kettle the other day to make hop water and I finally got fed up and just put the damn thing on the propane stove.

Brewzilla v4 just came out in Australia, so figure it will be mature by the time it is released in the states. Replacing my Foundry for another similar unit seems extremely counterintuitive, but it definitely has my curiosity antennae raised. Might be worth looking at for you.

 

[rtstrider]

I have a 10.5 that I run at 220 and while I’ve never run it at 110, I can imagine I’d get impatient if I reverted back. Was using a hot plate at 110 to heat up 2.5G of water in a 7.5G Anvil kettle the other day to make hop water and I finally got fed up and just put the damn thing on the propane stove.

Brewzilla v4 just came out in Australia, so figure it will be mature by the time it is released in the states. Replacing my Foundry for another similar unit seems extremely counterintuitive, but it definitely has my curiosity antennae raised. Might be worth looking at for you.

Absolutely! I'm definitely eyeballing that unit. It has a ton of potential for sure! Want to give it some time for the kinks to get worked out and possibly third party app development. If I go that route it'd be with a 110 unit. The allure of the Foundry is that it would allow upgrading to 220 later down the road.

 

[Martys1]

Well a 10.5 kit with extras came up for sale on Craigslist the week after I purchased the 6.5 with extras I purchased. Because of circumstances 2.5,3,5.50 are I can physically handle now.I really love the AF6.5, , I’m brewing some DLiciuos beers, not competion winners, but brewing and enjoying really good beer.

 

[rtstrider]

Well a 10.5 kit with extras came up for sale on Craigslist the week after I purchased the 6.5 with extras I purchased. Because of circumstances 2.5,3,5.50 are I can physically handle now.I really love the AF6.5, , I’m brewing some DLiciuos beers, not competion winners, but brewing and enjoying really good beer.

I’ve been told by quite a few that judging is so subjective. Just because a beer wins a competition doesn’t mean it’s the best. Just because a beer doesn’t win a competition it’s not the worst. Brew what you enjoy!