Going Electric. Any Advice?

[jonw]

I have a 50L keg for a kettle, and use an Italian burner with a medium pressure reg. I find that I get about 2 brews from one 8Kg gas bottle (plus it's usual bbq duties) which is rather expensive.

I'd like to install an electric element in the kettle, and just use the gas to bring it up to the boil quickly. Then switch the gas off and use the electric element to maintain the boil.

What sort of element should I use? It would need to be <10A, so I guess a 2000W element is the max. It sounds like the electrics required to provide variable output are complication and costly, so I'd ideally like to size the element to maintain a rolling boil at full power (with approx. 45L pre-boil, 38L post-boil.)

Would installation be fairly straight forward with readily available tools i.e. drill, file, etc.?

I'm keen to hear any other advice from brewers who have converted to electricity.

Cheers,

Jon

 

[beerbrewer76543]

Ive got one of THESE that will be heating the mash and sparge water with the help of a thermostat (which is easy to make)

I'm guessing you want to go electric to save on gas...???

Electric is good as you can control temps easily but if you're only trying to boil the fluid then gas is the way to go if you have a burner already saving on the 70 bucks one of these costs (with a lead)

 

[reg]

I have a 50L keg for a kettle, and use an Italian burner with a medium pressure reg. I find that I get about 2 brews from one 8Kg gas bottle (plus it's usual bbq duties) which is rather expensive.

I'd like to install an electric element in the kettle, and just use the gas to bring it up to the boil quickly. Then switch the gas off and use the electric element to maintain the boil.

What sort of element should I use? It would need to be <10A, so I guess a 2000W element is the max. It sounds like the electrics required to provide variable output are complication and costly, so I'd ideally like to size the element to maintain a rolling boil at full power (with approx. 45L pre-boil, 38L post-boil.)

Would installation be fairly straight forward with readily available tools i.e. drill, file, etc.?

I'm keen to hear any other advice from brewers who have converted to electricity.

Cheers,

Jon

An Over the side immersion element with a hook.
Cost roughly $100 but no installation required, and runs of a 10amp power outlet.

If you ever change your mind and go back to gas you can off sell it.
Do a search and there is plenty of info regarding these on here already.

Good Luck
Reg

 

[jonw]

Electric is good as you can control temps easily but if you're only trying to boil the fluid then gas is the way to go if you have a burner already saving on the 70 bucks one of these costs (with a lead)

It costs me about $14 in gas per brew. Electricity (2KW element, 90min boil = 3KWh) = ~72cents. On that basis, it's not going to take long to recoup the cost of the element.

That G&G unit looks the goods. Trouble is, how do I know it's powerful enough without being too powerful. Can heat output be varied easily?

Cheers,

Jon

 

[captaincleanoff]

I got an over the side job from Nesco electrical the other day. Works great. Used it in a crown urn, as the urn doesnt have quite enough grunt. It was really boiling hard with the urn off, and this element on. Am going to use it to maintain the boil when doing my 65l brews.. Havent tried it yet but I reckon it should do the job

$100 delivered, ordered Monday afternoon, was here on Tuesday.

 

[MVZOOM]

I use a 2400w Immersion for 50L boils... just takes a while. Need to pick up another one to make them faster. 30l boils - no problems.

Cheers - Mike

 

[beerbrewer76543]

Good point about the price of gas... I want one now!

I've bought from Thermal Products before and they were good. They have some screw in ones that would do the job if you cut a hole in the stockpot and secured it with a lock nut.
LINKY POOS

Alternatively there are similar items on ebay USA although the price would come down considerably with multiple items due to high postage cost:

edit: Ebay items are 120V... derr brain!

 

[Bribie G]

2400 should handle it fine on a 10A circuit, that's what is in the standard Birko 40L and sometimes it even gets away on me re strike temp or boiling when I get engrossed in something else then suddenly remember "SHYTE, the urn "

 

[Pollux]

I'm watching this thread closely.

I just had word from the parents (who I am going to go visit next month) that they found an old keg lying around in a pile of stuff they were shifting on the farm, according the to the old man it looks in perfect shape.

I figure once I start kegging a 50L keggle is perfect for a "double batch".

As I currently do BIAB and my bag is large enough it shouldn't be too much of an effort to upsize once I have converted the keg.


My question is this, my apartment has ONE power circuit which has a circuit breaker rated to 16A on it. Now the only time we have EVER managed to trip it was when we had two heaters, the dryer, the fridge all running and the wife turned on the jug to make a coffee.

Could I safely run two of the elements from G+G posted above off this one circuit? combined with insulation of the keggle I could see an easy rolling boil.

ideas?

 

[beerbrewer76543]

I'm watching this thread closely.

I just had word from the parents (who I am going to go visit next month) that they found an old keg lying around in a pile of stuff they were shifting on the farm, according the to the old man it looks in perfect shape.

I figure once I start kegging a 50L keggle is perfect for a "double batch".

As I currently do BIAB and my bag is large enough it shouldn't be too much of an effort to upsize once I have converted the keg.


My question is this, my apartment has ONE power circuit which has a circuit breaker rated to 16A on it. Now the only time we have EVER managed to trip it was when we had two heaters, the dryer, the fridge all running and the wife turned on the jug to make a coffee.

Could I safely run two of the elements from G+G posted above off this one circuit? combined with insulation of the keggle I could see an easy rolling boil.

ideas?

16A x 240V = 3.84kW max

thus probably best to go for 2 x 1.8kW units

 

[Gavo]

Pollux, to work out what you can load on the circuit just divide the watts by volts ie. 2400w/240v = 10A.

Cheers
Gavo.

 

[mckenry]

I have a 50L keg for a kettle, and use an Italian burner with a medium pressure reg. I find that I get about 2 brews from one 8Kg gas bottle (plus it's usual bbq duties) which is rather expensive.

I'd like to install an electric element in the kettle, and just use the gas to bring it up to the boil quickly. Then switch the gas off and use the electric element to maintain the boil.

What sort of element should I use? It would need to be <10A, so I guess a 2000W element is the max. It sounds like the electrics required to provide variable output are complication and costly, so I'd ideally like to size the element to maintain a rolling boil at full power (with approx. 45L pre-boil, 38L post-boil.)

Would installation be fairly straight forward with readily available tools i.e. drill, file, etc.?

I'm keen to hear any other advice from brewers who have converted to electricity.

Cheers,

Jon

All good advice, but I really think your original system should be performing better. I have an 80L pot and boil 55L at a time. I have done 5 brews (some 90 min boils) since the bottle was filled and the bottle is still heavy. At least half full, probably 66%. Maybe instead of spending $ on going electric, a different reg?

 

[asis]

All good advice, but I really think your original system should be performing better. I have an 80L pot and boil 55L at a time. I have done 5 brews (some 90 min boils) since the bottle was filled and the bottle is still heavy. At least half full, probably 66%. Maybe instead of spending $ on going electric, a different reg?

I also use a spiral burner and adjustable high pressure reg. I don't keep any real record of gas usage but its somewhere around 8+ brews at a minimum, I generally do back to back brews and I reckon the current bottle has been going for 5 brew days.

Do you use any kind of heat shield around your burner? I brew in the shed with a 5m roller door open so can be fairly effected by wind. After 1 brew i made an aluminium shield and boil time dropped considerably, so did the pressure required to maintain the boil. My boiler sits on the concrete so the shield saves the feet too.

 

[mckenry]

I also use a spiral burner and adjustable high pressure reg. I don't keep any real record of gas usage but its somewhere around 8+ brews at a minimum, I generally do back to back brews and I reckon the current bottle has been going for 5 brew days.

Do you use any kind of heat shield around your burner? I brew in the shed with a 5m roller door open so can be fairly effected by wind. After 1 brew i made an aluminium shield and boil time dropped considerably, so did the pressure required to maintain the boil. My boiler sits on the concrete so the shield saves the feet too.

Pretty much same setup.
I have an italian with adjustable reg. I brew in my garage, with door open. It def helps, as I found brewing outside took more time to come to boil and less pressure needed to keep rolling boil. No shields anywhere, except some tiles under the burner.

 

[raven19]

I use 2 x 2400W elements in my 100L kettle, and get 80L of wort up to a boil no worries.

Immersion elements are handy for wort boiling too.

 

[Mitternacht Brauer]

I just weighed my 9kg bottle and I have only used about 2.2kg for a brew that I boiled really hard . In the garage with a Italian spiral and Med pressure reg and the door open . You should be getting at least double what you are.

Buster

 

[jonw]

All good advice, but I really think your original system should be performing better. I have an 80L pot and boil 55L at a time. I have done 5 brews (some 90 min boils) since the bottle was filled and the bottle is still heavy. At least half full, probably 66%. Maybe instead of spending $ on going electric, a different reg?

I haven't been using an effective wind shield (other than a few bits of wood and a plant port or two) so maybe I should look at that in the first instance. Any hints where I might find some flexible metal? My reg is a medium pressure unit from beerbelly. I leave the gas bottle and reg opened right up, and control the flame at the burner. It doesn't like a low flame very much (lots of yellow and not much blue.)

On the other hand, I've been looking at some of these immersion heaters - look like they're good for HLT as well as kettle usage. Early morning starts would become a whole lot easier with one of those, heating the strike water in the tun, and a thermometer with a remote alarm - anyone got one of those!?

Cheers,


Jon

 

[Polar Beer]

Going Electric?
Stay clear of Folk Festivals

 

[justsomeguy]

I went electric around 2 years ago.

Costs me under $1 per batch based upon an 1800 AND a 2400 watt element running for 5 hours.
Given I'm not running both elements continuously for 5 hours, its works out at well under $1 per batch. Gas was costing me around $5 per batch. And I've done 40+ litre batches.

Works on my system. Obviously your will be different

garyd

 

[crundle]

I'm watching this thread closely.

I just had word from the parents (who I am going to go visit next month) that they found an old keg lying around in a pile of stuff they were shifting on the farm, according the to the old man it looks in perfect shape.

I figure once I start kegging a 50L keggle is perfect for a "double batch".

As I currently do BIAB and my bag is large enough it shouldn't be too much of an effort to upsize once I have converted the keg.


My question is this, my apartment has ONE power circuit which has a circuit breaker rated to 16A on it. Now the only time we have EVER managed to trip it was when we had two heaters, the dryer, the fridge all running and the wife turned on the jug to make a coffee.

Could I safely run two of the elements from G+G posted above off this one circuit? combined with insulation of the keggle I could see an easy rolling boil.

ideas?

I get a great boil going using a single 2400W over the side immersion element in a 40 litre urn with 35 litres of wort in it, using a $10 camping mat from Kmart wrapped around it to insulate. I would think that it would not be much more work to get a 50 litre keggle boiling if it was insulated likewise.

2 x 2400W units might be a bit much for your circuits, but I don't think you will really need it to be honest. But from what you said about the heaters and kettle going, you might just be able to run both of them, but it would be touch and go.

Crundle