Electric boil kettle control

[jtmwhyte]

I have about 22 of them. PM me your mailing address and I send you 2

[Maritimer]

Getting close with my boil kettle controller. SleepyJamie was over to help on Saturday, and I did some more work on it yesterday. Essentially ready for testing tonight once I fix up the ground on my dryer plug receptacle.





The other circuit board in the box is my variable 12V controller for the exhaust duct fan (an automotive rad cooling fan), which is fed by an 8 amp 12V power supply I got off ebay for $20.

The meter is my cheapo volt/amp meter off ebay which I think will be sorta slick to dial in the ideal 'slightly rolling boil' settings for various batch sizes (and doubles as an indicator for whether the element is on or not).

Boil kettle essentially looks like everybody else's. Will snap some pictures of my temp exhaust duct (test setup using cardboard, will make a corrugated plastic version if it works).

Getting there!

Tim

What is that round connector and where do you get it? I'm looking at options for a receptacle on my kettle. That looks a little more splash proof than a twist lock.

[mckay75]

In case you never figured it out, the original link was to StillDragon.com.AU (aka Australia)...

http://www.stilldragon.com/diy-controller.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As lsydd mentioned, you can contact the NA guy here: smaug@stilldragon.com

After reading through this thread (awesome info!)...i'm thinking I'm going to order this up. Anyone else out there in Brewnoser land considering making the switch to electric and want to combine orders? This shit weather is making brewing indoors more appealing by the minute!

[GAM]

Yep. I'm in. Do you want to start a Group Buy?

Sandy

[mckay75]

sure! Let's do it!

[jtmwhyte]

I already brew all electric but I ordered one of these.
http://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/hotrod.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm hoping to be able to heat mash water in the cooler for larger brews and maybe one day go to 15-20 gallon batches using a large kettle and a 6000w element bolted into this thing. I also want to be able to remove the element to potentially ferment in the kettle.

[Halifax_Jeff]

After reading this thread I think I could figure out how to gear up an electric brew kettle with some help, but... My question is this: I have a keg that I'm going to convert into a brew kettle but I want to know if anyone would recommend going electric or using a propane burner as a new all-grain brewer. I'm still piecing everything together and how I plan to heat my kettle is the last major decision I need to make.

My main concern is not being able to properly exhaust the steam/smell if I was brewing electric indoors and the possible issue of it not being that mobile with my brews (my understanding is that when you set up with an electric kettle you need to use a specific outlet) I would like the possibility of brewing indoor/outdoor depending on the weather. Is anyone brewing with an electric brew kettle in their garage? I would love to do that but I'm not sure how easy that would be to manage.

[LeafMan66_67]

Ventilation is a key component. Indoor electric has its advantages (don't have to worry about weather) but you will need some type of plan for venting steam. Outdoor propane can be challenging in the winter (-14C when I brewed on Monday morning) but it's almost a "man vs Nature" type of deal. I use propane. If I had the space in the house, I would switch to a dedicated electric setup for myself.

[GAM]

My plan is to have both available.

Sandy

[Jimmy]

I love brewing electric..there's nothing to worry about (well, unless your power goes out). It can be difficult to hammer out a brew day sometimes when you're reliant on weather and brewing with propane. Generally you've got a dedicated brew spot when you're brewing electric, so your setup/clean up time is reduced.

[jtmwhyte]

After reading this thread I think I could figure out how to gear up an electric brew kettle with some help, but... My question is this: I have a keg that I'm going to convert into a brew kettle but I want to know if anyone would recommend going electric or using a propane burner as a new all-grain brewer. I'm still piecing everything together and how I plan to heat my kettle is the last major decision I need to make.

My main concern is not being able to properly exhaust the steam/smell if I was brewing electric indoors and the possible issue of it not being that mobile with my brews (my understanding is that when you set up with an electric kettle you need to use a specific outlet) I would like the possibility of brewing indoor/outdoor depending on the weather. Is anyone brewing with an electric brew kettle in their garage? I would love to do that but I'm not sure how easy that would be to manage.

I have an eKeggle setup.


Going electric is the best brewing decision I've ever made. I do BIAB in the keggle for 5 gallon and cooler BIAB for 10 gallons. I can routinely get a brew done in just over 3 hours (with maybe 15 minutes of cleanup the next day (I oxyclean soak the keggle, pump, hoses overnight). As for ventilation, I brew on the main floor in the utility room with an open door or window and a fan and get very little condensation in the house depending on the day. I am looking to build a range hood, but I'm in no hurry. Heating to temps is lightning fast compared to all but the most excessive propane burners.

[Halifax_Jeff]

Do you have a single element in the keggle? I'm still pricing out what will work best for me in terms of space and convenience.

Do you have a ball park figure out what it cost you install the element?

[Maritimer]

I have a single 5500W element, cold to mash is 30mins, Mass to boil is 15mins (5 gal)

[Halifax_Jeff]

Damn that's fast... I know what I want to do, but I'm hoping my new space will easily accommodate electric.

[Maritimer]

Steam has become my issue, I had a bathroom exhaust fan and a window fan running but the ceiling was still dripping. I built a hood out of dow foam that I'm going to try this weekend.

[LiverDance]

If anyone is handy and in a DYI mood, i have a used ss bbq hood and used 450 cfm centrifugal fan you could take off my hands for some beer.

[bluenose]

I have an eKeggle setup.

What do you have going on inside the re-circulation port?

[jtmwhyte]

I have a 1/2" stainless elbow, house barb and a piece of silicone tubing.

[bluenose]

so it comes in and then straight down? I forget how it looks on the inside

[jtmwhyte]

Goes left

[Halifax_Jeff]

In case you never figured it out, the original link was to StillDragon.com.AU (aka Australia)...

http://www.stilldragon.com/diy-controller.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As lsydd mentioned, you can contact the NA guy here: smaug@stilldragon.com

After reading through this thread (awesome info!)...i'm thinking I'm going to order this up. Anyone else out there in Brewnoser land considering making the switch to electric and want to combine orders? This shit weather is making brewing indoors more appealing by the minute!

I'm interested.

[jtmwhyte]

If anyone is handy and in a DYI mood, i have a used ss bbq hood and used 450 cfm centrifugal fan you could take off my hands for some beer.

I completely forgot that you had this before. If you still have it I'll definitely take it off your hands. Maybe at the grain pickup?

[LiverDance]

If anyone is handy and in a DYI mood, i have a used ss bbq hood and used 450 cfm centrifugal fan you could take off my hands for some beer.

I completely forgot that you had this before. If you still have it I'll definitely take it off your hands. Maybe at the grain pickup?

Sounds good.

[LiverDance]

If anyone is handy and in a DYI mood, i have a used ss bbq hood and used 450 cfm centrifugal fan you could take off my hands for some beer.

I completely forgot that you had this before. If you still have it I'll definitely take it off your hands. Maybe at the grain pickup?

Trevor, I sent the fan down with the guys picking up your group buy stuff. I couldn't get in my shed to get the cover due to snow. We can square up on that later.

[jtmwhyte]

If anyone is handy and in a DYI mood, i have a used ss bbq hood and used 450 cfm centrifugal fan you could take off my hands for some beer.

I completely forgot that you had this before. If you still have it I'll definitely take it off your hands. Maybe at the grain pickup?

Trevor, I sent the fan down with the guys picking up your group buy stuff. I couldn't get in my shed to get the cover due to snow. We can square up on that later.

Awesome, thanks. I'm gonna try it with a giant stainless steel bowl that I have at home in the meantime.