15 Amp For Braumeister

[Malted]

So why do you not want the 20L Braumeister. To be honest, I have a 15a 50L Braumeister and I would not discount the 10a 20L jobby. Why?
Well for a start the 10a is $1,000 cheaper but in my mind it is more than that.
The Braumeister has opened so many brewing doors for me, exciting doors of precise temperature control and the clearest wort you're ever likely to see. Simplicity of brewing and simplicity of cleaning. It really has got me excited about brewing again. They're so dammed great. You'll find that brewing is so much more fun that you want to brew more often because you have the time to do other things whilst it is mashing instead of having to babysit it. However with a 50L jobby you can easily brew more than you consume and it is easy to get ahead of yourself. You can still no chill and have fresh worts available to throw yeast into whenever you have 5 minutes after work. I am not brewing as much as I would like to with the 50L jobby.
The way I see it is that the 20L jobby will let you experiment more often. It is so easy to brew that I am sure you will be able to make more wort than you can ferment. The advantage is that you will be able to make many more different brews instead of having to make 50L in one hit, of a brew that maybe you might not like. 20L jobby gives you the power to play and you can plug it into any GPO wihtout needing a 15a supply. You can easily stick the 20L jobby in your car and brew at your mates place or anyone that is interested, 15a limits where you can brew. But like I said, it is not so much about the power, it is about the excitement and freedom - 20L might give you more. My 2C.

 

[hughman666]

Seriously, if you've got $3500 to blow on a Braumeister, budget in the $200 to get the 15a plug put in. Imagine someone gets killed due to docking around with playing with household wiring when they're not certified.

It's just stupid.

Get a sparky in to do it. Done.

 

[hotchilli]

All valid points, except for the fact the switch on a 10A outlet is rated at that.....it's the weakest in the chain so to speak. You can turn everything off in your house, you're still overloading that device.

Oh shit... That doesn't mean you can just bang a 15A gpo on in a standard pwr cct and it's legit.....

not saying it's legit - just saying its a calculated risk. Good point though on the 10A rated outlet though - the solution would be to replace the wall socket with a 15A rated socket which has the bonus that it will take the big earth pin - they also sell these at Bunnings for about $10 (and I'll bet the only difference between the 10A outlet and the 15A outlet is the size of the earth pin).

 

[hughman666]

Amen, this is why I'm now looking at the 20L. The reason I do 50L at this stage is that brewing, cleaning etc in a 3 vessel system is something I only want to do once a month.

Thinking about a Braumeister now, I'm looking at the 20L model because I like the idea of brewing every 2-3 weeks with this thing!

So why do you not want the 20L Braumeister. To be honest, I have a 15a 50L Braumeister and I would not discount the 10a 20L jobby. Why?
Well for a start the 10a is $1,000 cheaper but in my mind it is more than that.
The Braumeister has opened so many brewing doors for me, exciting doors of precise temperature control and the clearest wort you're ever likely to see. Simplicity of brewing and simplicity of cleaning. It really has got me excited about brewing again. They're so dammed great. You'll find that brewing is so much more fun that you want to brew more often because you have the time to do other things whilst it is mashing instead of having to babysit it. However with a 50L jobby you can easily brew more than you consume and it is easy to get ahead of yourself. You can still no chill and have fresh worts available to throw yeast into whenever you have 5 minutes after work. I am not brewing as much as I would like to with the 50L jobby.
The way I see it is that the 20L jobby will let you experiment more often. It is so easy to brew that I am sure you will be able to make more wort than you can ferment. The advantage is that you will be able to make many more different brews instead of having to make 50L in one hit, of a brew that maybe you might not like. 20L jobby gives you the power to play and you can plug it into any GPO wihtout needing a 15a supply. You can easily stick the 20L jobby in your car and brew at your mates place or anyone that is interested, 15a limits where you can brew. But like I said, it is not so much about the power, it is about the excitement and freedom - 20L might give you more. My 2C.

 

[mikk]

Depending of your switchboard type and location, you could get away with sticking a 15A gpo in it/next to it. If your not planning on moving any time soon that would be your cheapest (and safest) option. I've installed gpo's in properties I've been renting to make life easier (yes, licensed sparky so cost isn't a major factor) and not worried about going through the realestate or landlord. As long as it isn't in a stupid spot I doubt you'll have an issue.

And a quick word on the extension lead idea, the lead may be rated at 15a, but your gpo is only 10. With the above examples, brick saw ect., the load is generally only on for short periods of time (not that I'm saying that's ok), with your braumeister, I'll make the assumption that it will be roaring along at full load for a good 90min (boil) at least, and that after your mash schedule has already warmed things up, so you'll be overloading the contacts and switch on that gpo for an long, long period of time. Not a good idea.

+1 on this. Don't do a dodgy, it's not worth it. You can get a 15amp power outlet & 15amp circuit breaker that is specially designed to be mounted on your breaker/meter board. They clip in, & will take a sparky all of 15 minutes to fit & wire up, or 30 minutes if he's not particularly competent. Then just run a 15amp extension lead to your Braumeister. The landlord wouldn't even notice the change, & would no doubt be ok with such a minor change anyway.

Cheap, reversible, unobtrusive, safe. What more could you want?!

 

[jlm]

not saying it's legit - just saying its a calculated risk. Good point though on the 10A rated outlet though - the solution would be to replace the wall socket with a 15A rated socket which has the bonus that it will take the big earth pin - they also sell these at Bunnings for about $10 (and I'll bet the only difference between the 10A outlet and the 15A outlet is the size of the earth pin).

No. There are a lot more things to consider (you've made no mention at all of rcd protection, and while we're at it there's a nice little thing called earth fault loop impedance which has to be considered for the rcd to operate effectively.....I wonder what that 15A element of yours is housed in?.....) than the size of an earth pin. Mikk has elaborated more on what I said earlier about switchboard type and location. Post a pic of your switchboard crusty and myself or someone else will let you know what's possible.

 

[Malted]

Amen, this is why I'm now looking at the 20L. The reason I do 50L at this stage is that brewing, cleaning etc in a 3 vessel system is something I only want to do once a month.

Thinking about a Braumeister now, I'm looking at the 20L model because I like the idea of brewing every 2-3 weeks with this thing!

Yep with my 3V system getting the grain out is a drag. Even several hours later the grain is still scortching hot and I have to scoop around the temp probe and the liqour return dish. Sugary sticky shit everywhere. BM, lift out with lifting bow, walk to bin, tip in, retrieve filter plates. Malt tube is cleaned up without sugary mess and without burnt hands way before the wort is even up to the boil. Super easy. During mashing: go and have a beer, cook a bbq lunch, go and do what ever the missus wants you to do, the BM will beep at you when it needs your attention.
I have pulled the pumps apart only to discover that they don't need to be pulled apart. When cleaning just shove the garden hose in the pump inlets and then change to the outlets holes, it seems to be all that is needed.
Cleaning a BM is so easy and quick. Brewing more often and being less of a drag than brewing once a month - priceless.

 

[hotchilli]

No. There are a lot more things to consider (you've made no mention at all of rcd protection, and while we're at it there's a nice little thing called earth fault loop impedance which has to be considered for the rcd to operate effectively.....I wonder what that 15A element of yours is housed in?.....) than the size of an earth pin. Mikk has elaborated more on what I said earlier about switchboard type and location. Post a pic of your switchboard crusty and myself or someone else will let you know what's possible.

Well yeah, I've got rcd protection on the switchboard and my element housing is correctly earthed, but that's got nothing to do with the original thread. Crusty just wants to push a domestic 10A circuit to 15A. mikk got it right when he said it will take 15min for a competent sparky to do the job right and I'm all for that.

 

[jlm]

Well yeah, I've got rcd protection on the switchboard and my element housing is correctly earthed, but that's got nothing to do with the original thread. Crusty just wants to push a domestic 10A circuit to 15A. mikk got it right when he said it will take 15min for a competent sparky to do the job right and I'm all for that.

He did also ask for the opinion of electricians........

 

[Crusty]

Think about the cost of sticking in a 15a plug and the benefits you will get from having the Braumeister.

I'm a landlord and personally if somebody wanted to alter the wiring of my place to indulge their hobby, I wouldn't expect to pay for it. I'd say "get it done by a certified sparky, pay the cost and no problems".

Much the same, if you want to get Foxtel installed, you don't expect your landlord to pay the install fee do you?

It's your hobby, it's your requirement. Just pay for it and get stuck into brewing beautiful beers with that awesome thing!
:icon_cheers:

Dude,
I don't expect the landlord to pay for it, that's not the issue. I will gladly pay for it, as you say, it's my hobby not theirs.
What I was trying to say is they probably don't like the idea of getting their house altered in any way, shape or form. They aren't too fussed getting anything done that breaks down, ie: oven. 4 weeks till we got a replacement element. I could of friggin drove to Grafton & had the damn thing fixed that afternoon but no they had to fark around & get 50 quotes before getting someone to fix it. Certainly not the best landlords I have dealt with that's for sure.

Malted,
I want the 50L solely for brewing for me & my brother in law. I can double batch 20 odd litres for him & 20 odd for me, all in one afternoon.
If I go the 50L, I will get the smaller malt pipe & there's more flexibility with the bigger unit.
You can sell me yours & you can get the smaller one.

 

[Malted]

Malted,
I want the 50L solely for brewing for me & my brother in law. I can double batch 20 odd litres for him & 20 odd for me, all in one afternoon.
If I go the 50L, I will get the smaller malt pipe & there's more flexibility with the bigger unit.
You can sell me yours & you can get the smaller one.

So why are you sucking up to the BIL, you've married his sister, you won! Tell him to feck off and make his own beer.
Seriously, there could be more flexibility with the 20L jobby, two different brews in one afternoon, easily. BIL can use it whenever he wants, make him go halves or thirds in buying it!

 

[Adam Howard]

I'm buying a 20L in the next month or two. Plan is down the track, if I want to make larger batches, I'd to do two mashing schedules through the BM and drain into a large kettle on a burner. That way you can get the fully programmable mash schedule and then boil a double batch down from 40+ litres to make higher gravity wort easier than pushing the 20L malt pipe and boiling to get very little final volume. Very excited.

Benefit of the 20L is you can get other people into homebrew by getting them to buy a Bunnings fermenter then take the 20L BM around and do a batch at their house with them.

 

[Crusty]

So why are you sucking up to the BIL, you've married his sister, you won! Tell him to feck off and make his own beer.
Seriously, there could be more flexibility with the 20L jobby, two different brews in one afternoon, easily. BIL can use it whenever he wants, make him go halves or thirds in buying it!

I'm sucking up the bill because it's mine. He married my sister.
I can see your point with the 20L & spoke to another forum member who has just sold his 50L BM & is ordering a 20L.
With 3 kids though, it's quite challenging doing a brew afternoon that takes 4hrs or so & if I suggested to SWMBO that I'm doing a double brew, I might as well make room in the dog kennel cause I won't be welcome in my own bed when I finally get there. Unfortunately she doesn't share my passion & she carries a pretty sharp pitchfork, she breaths fire too.
I haven't discounted the 20L, I may yet end up with that one.
At the recent QLD system wars, what BM was Dave using, was it the 20L?

 

[Malted]

I'm sucking up the bill because it's mine. He married my sister.
I can see your point with the 20L & spoke to another forum member who has just sold his 50L BM & is ordering a 20L.
With 3 kids though, it's quite challenging doing a brew afternoon that takes 4hrs or so & if I suggested to SWMBO that I'm doing a double brew, I might as well make room in the dog kennel cause I won't be welcome in my own bed when I finally get there. Unfortunately she doesn't share my passion & she carries a pretty sharp pitchfork, she breaths fire too.
I haven't discounted the 20L, I may yet end up with that one.
At the recent QLD system wars, what BM was Dave using, was it the 20L?

Oh I see.
He married your sister; he has to live with that decision. You had the pain of growing up with her, he has to carry the baton now! Tell him to feck off and make his own beer.

It's good you are talking and thinking before buying; it's a big investment. It was a lot for me to digest before I made the decision. Mark at Mark's Home Brew is good to telephone and have a yarn with about BM's. I'd imagine that the Grain and Grape guys would be equally worth a telephone call.

 

[Crusty]

Oh I see.
He married your sister; he has to live with that decision. You had the pain of growing up with her, he has to carry the baton now! Tell him to feck off and make his own beer.

It's good you are talking and thinking before buying; it's a big investment. It was a lot for me to digest before I made the decision. Mark at Mark's Home Brew is good to telephone and have a yarn with about BM's. I'd imagine that the Grain and Grape guys would be equally worth a telephone call.

I have spoken to Mark before about the BM & everyone I have spoken to that owns one loves them.
I won't be ordering till early next year so have some time to ponder over which way to go.

 

[wobbly]

I'm very impressed with my 20lt unit and as others have indicated you have as much or as little flexability as you want with this size unit.

I brew about every 7 to 10 days as that fits into my temperature controlled fermenting regime, 1 in primary stage fementing, 1 in secondary stage fermenting and 1 in second fridge cold conditioning and with each brew cycle each fermenter/brew moves to the next stage including :drinks:

If there is a down side to the 20lt unit is that it takes a bit of juggeling if you are into BIG (high OG) beers as the limit on the malt pipe is about 5.5kgs. If you want to do a big beer you either have to reduce the volume, and there is a down side limit on minimum vol to ensure you maintian adequate liquid level over heating element, or double mash but I don't make big beers so it isn't an issue for me.

As others have said being able to knock out/try a different recipe evry week or so is a significant plus over my previous brewing set up.

Cheers

Wobbly

 

[benno1973]

I don't own a BM, but seeing as the discussion has moved to batch sizes, I can certainly see the advantages of owning a 50L system. I run a 3V setup, and yes, the cleanup is the worst part of the day. But I don't think I brew double batches solely for that reason. There's a certain amount of overhead for any batch of beer, from grinding the grain, determining the recipe, through to hop additions and cooling. I brew on the weekend, so any time devoted to brewing (however hands on it may be) is time away from my family.

I have the process pretty much down pat, so most of the stages (aside from the boil) only require 5 minutes of my time. But the full 4 hour brew session requires me to be at home for most of the time (aside from the hour long mash) and this, in itself, is somewhat constrictive.

I brew double batches to allow me to brew less often. If I had more time, I would gladly brew more often and have a wider range of beers, but that's not what I can manage at the moment.

As I said, I don't own a BM, but if I did I'd be tempted to buy a 50L jobbie.

And I'd grind down the earth pin and plug it into the neighbours outside power socket. h34r:

 

[Brew Matt]

At the recent QLD system wars, what BM was Dave using, was it the 20L?

Dave was using the 20L.

 

[ploto]

Fwiw, have you checked to see if the oven (or the electric water heater if you have one) has a plug & socket? Old ones are often hard-wired but many newer ovens have plugs.

 

[Crusty]

Dave was using the 20L.

Cheers Matt.