What is the cheapest method of heating?

[badducky]

Howdy,

I have been using a turkey fryer for a while now, and find propane a very effective heating mechanism, but I wonder if it is the cheapest method to use to heat the kettle.

I have looked at adding a firepit to my backyard, for wood-burning and grilling vegetables and general heating, and I have also considered moving back inside to the kitchen where there is air conditioning in our brutal, brutal summers.

What is the estimated cheapest method of heating the kettle? Is wood cheaper than propane? Is electricity generally cheaper? Does anyone make solar-powered heating mechanisms that stand alone?

I'm just interested, at the moment, and unprepared to buy anything. But, knowing what I'm saving for would be helpful to me.

Thanks,

Badducky

 

[kombat]

I believe electric is by far the cheapest method.

 

[helibrewer]

I agree with electric, it is also more efficient since all the generated heat goes into the liquid. That said, I have found that since I changed to Blichmann burners (Top Tier) my propane use has been reduced drastically, they are very efficient burners.

 

[badducky]

I would love to save up for some solar paneling and converters and go completely green with my brewing. It looks ridiculously expensive, though, and would require more technical skill than I currently have.

 

[Snicklefritz]

Electric. My control panel tracks electricity costs during my brew day. My last brew day cost me 13 cents worth of electricity. That would be a very small amount of propane.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

I use a 220,000 btu propane burner and thumb my nose at efficiency...

 

[rlmiller10]

It largely depends on your local electric and gas rates. If you have access to a natural gas line that can be the cheapest. But there is the upfront cost of having a quick disconnect installed and getting the natural gas burner set up.

Even if electric is the cheapest it might no be realistic as most electric kitchen stoves will take forever to boil 5 gallons of wort. This can partly be overcome by adding submersible electric elements to input additional BTU.

That all said, propane and an inefficient turkey fryer is probably the most expensive.

 

[Greenbasterd]

propane is expensive. it adds a few $ to my brew day. but i just can't wait 1.5hours for my stove to bring 6 gals of wort to a boil.

once i hit boil i turn my jet wayy down to the point its just boiling.

 

[LandoLincoln]

On average, electricity is cheapest by a significant margin. Build costs can be very pricey, so that offsets the cheapness of the energy usage.

 

[badducky]

Poking around, I'm curious to know if anyone has used a Rocket Stove? I've got a ton of combustibles in my yard. It looks drastically cheaper than solar, and more wallet-friendly than propane.

 

[MrNatural]

Poking around, I'm curious to know if anyone has used a Rocket Stove? I've got a ton of combustibles in my yard. It looks drastically cheaper than solar, and more wallet-friendly than propane.

Wondering the same thing for summer place. I have 1.5kw solar that should handle RIMS and solar water heater to preheat strike and a couple hundred tons of combustibles.
Thinking about constructing brick oven/smoker thingie anyway. Maybe could uncover the smokestack for the rocket stove and automate the damper for temp control?

 

[augiedoggy]

I believe electric is by far the cheapest method.

Ditto. $20 ulwd element mounted in a pot... $50 for the controller build and your all set..(if you have a 220v outlet) takes me 45-50 minutes to bring 15 gallons from 55 to boiling...(tried it for cleaning purposes.)

 

[lazarwolf]

I have to admit, I'm tempted by the rocket stove idea. Goodness knows they get hot enough.

 

[Bluemarshbrewery]

Electric is no doubt the cheapest but how long do you want to wait to boil the wort? It takes a kick ass electric element to match a propane burner in BTU output. That being said My wife would kill me if I brewed in the kitchen so I am in the garage where propane does the trick.

 

[mikescooling]

electric is fast and cheap for my 3 pot 25 gallon rig. It cost 2-3 bucks to make 20 gallons of beer.

 

[purplehaze]

While interesting, boil overs and scorching would be hard to evade with a rocket stove. Having a BK that can be raised away from the flame during the boil or installing a damper are the only options I can think of.

Try instead to maximize your efficiency with what you use now(propane). There are some threads about burner to BK height and pot skirts that can help in this area.

 

[lazarwolf]

you know... now that you mention it. At the lake, we have an old cooler, a turkey fryer, and a rocket stove... think you just inspired my next experiment.... now ill need a hoist to lift the pot away and control temperature.. maybe a pulley system ... just imagine "Rocket Red Raspberry Cream Ale" also known as lake swill.

 

[Bobby_M]

If electric heating cost me 4x the next cheaper method, I'd still brew electric. It just happens to be the cheapest and fastest method too.

 

[Zepth]

I've got an electric kettle and can hardly think that I used to do things stovetop. Stovetop brewing FTL. For the loss if you aren't familiar with it.

Not only did batch time decrease about an hour and a half, but that was while doubling output! Yes, 10-12 gallon batches take less time than a 5 used to. Couple that with the controller being able to heat to almost boiling without a sudden AOTHB (attack of the hot break) and life is great. Most of the time I get up to about 80C by the time my tun is emptied and sparged.

While I can't compare to heat up times compared to propane, I do agree with the sentiment that it can't get cheaper than electric. When nay-sayers point at the control panel and wiring being pricey it is only a half truth. Compare a PID, SSR, temp probe and element to the cost of Burner, deposit on propane tank, regulator. It's not too far off.

 

[N3Bruce]

Currently building an electric setup to upgrade my electric turkey fryer setup. I figure it costs me $2 or less for electricity to brew with the electric turkey fryer, but about $7 for a third of a tank of propane I typically use with my tiered propane setup. Figuring 15-20 brews a year, it adds up.

Still, a basic setup 220v kettle setup ain't cheap. I needed a 65 foot run of 10-3 Romex from the panel to the place I plan to brew (close to my existing basement sink), plus breakers, outlets, and so on ran me close to $200. A $25 used keg was cheap enough, but add to that a kettle valve ($20), Thermometer ($25), Controller ($50), the element itself ($25), plus a set of used Greenlee punches off Ebay to cut the holes ($50). Add in a few miscellaneous items, I will have about $400 invested just in the kettle and wiring.

Still, even with the cost of all this, not having to brew outside in the stifling summer heat and humidity of the Mid-Atlantic in the summer, or in the cold of winter has an attractiveness all its own.