Gas Or Elect. Boiler

[Gout]

I have a electiric boilder at the moment and have planned to move over to a gas heated "keg"

On a brew tour yesterday i found out that this pub used electric (maybe is was on gas bottles not sure hence elect. is cheaper for them)

this was a 1200 brew through put so maybe 1500Lt to boil.

Whats cheaper / easyer

With the elect. you pull a large current, but with 2 elements i found it heated easy, even with one is was good for the home brewer (2.4Kw each i think)

But you get a build up of crap on the ellement so thats a pain.

With gas you can run out half way through the filling of the gas bottle is not "cheap" and i wonder whats more expencive to run??

I want to move over to the bigger boiler in the new year (tomorrow ahhhhh, well in a month or so then) and not sure on the best method.

I use electric in my bucket mash tun to mash out, and step the temps up etc. And Electric in my bucket for sparge water/ strike water etc

Any Idea's????

 

[Jovial_Monk]

If you want to boil wort & hops the elements need to be shielded so bits of hop don't get trapped between the elements and scorch

Yup, everytime I drive around looking for a servo that fills gas bottles I think about electrical heating

Jovial Monk

 

[Gout]

My current boiler has a "ring" so there not tightly wound and it works well, would like a tad more power to heat it up to boiling quicker, but after seeing a gas setup i think mine is ok.

How long (boiling 30Lt worts eg, last? 10 brew's? last time i filled my bottle it was $27 and thats only a 4Kg)

Installing the elements into the 50Lt SS Keg will be a tad of a pain. Maybe it will have to be gas for the boiler and electric for the rest...

 

[wedge]

i'm setting up mine, i have a 2000watt infusion element with a thermostat for my hlt (ie. keeps it at 75oC) and a four ring gas burner.

I had to get the biggest one (ofcourse) it chews throught 2kg and hour of gas! :huh:
it costs about $25 to fill a 9kg bottle so thats about $5.50 an hour.

But it boils my mash./wort in no time, cutting down on your brew day.

 

[Doc]

I use a three ring gas burner and a 9kg gas bottle.
I get about 6 brews per gas bottle (9kg) boiling 33 litres.
There is usually a bbq or two thrown in as well.
Refils are about $25 using the swap-and-go gas bottles.
I also have a gas fuse to let me know when it is getting low.

Beers,
Doc

 

[big d]

guys for what its worth im starting off my ag venture with electric heating.i live in the northern half of oz where the majority of gas is produced and its a bloody crime for what they charge up here for gas.
the market is overseas as far as they/producers are concerned they will sell all of OUR resources to the asian market.they are even pushing the usa market.
heaven help us when we run out of our countries gas resources and have to pay overseas market prices.
my bitch at the moment.

cheers
big d

 

[Jovial_Monk]

Ummm

I get 4 brews per 9K bottle refill

Boil rainwater for a few mins (never know how long the **** boils, you expect me to spend evenings in the shed with a stopwatch???

Reheat mash liquor next morning

Heat spargewater

Boil two beers out of one mash (partigyle, a real neat gimmick)

Bloody good, really


JM

 

[Trev]

[gloat]We have natual gas on at home [/gloat], so I have just a couple of small mods on my BBQ so I can sit the 33L boiler across two of the burners. I first replaced one of them with a circular burner but couldn't get enough heat into the boiler for a very active boil. It probably chews up a bit of gas but heck - it ain't going to run out

Trev

 

[big d]

to jm and all you other adelaide gas using brewers.
hope youve got plenty of gas on hand as after todays news about the moomba?fire your supplys may run out very very quickly. :angry:

 

[wedge]

they can take my freedom....

.... but they wont take my homebrew



(corny, i know)