Hi Folks,
I'm new to this forum, but not new to brewing. I've been brewing for 20 years, but I am new to electric brewing and to BIAB. Both of these seem to offer enticing benefits. I hope I can realize those benefits.
I typically brew 3.5 US gallons (~13L), but occasionally brew a 5-gallon (19L) batch. I'm thinking of going with an induction burner, hooked up to 240 volts, and I will be sure to purchase an induction-ready kettle. I have a few questions, though, as summarized below. Any assistance is appreciated.
1. The kettle I plan to use is approximately 14" (~36 cm) in diameter. Every induction unit I've come across is smaller than that, which will result in an overhang of 1 - 2 inches (3 - 5 cm). Is it a problem to have such an overhang? It seems that some people don't like to have an overhang, but I'm not sure why, as long as the unit can handle the weight, and perform the task at hand.
2. Is there an induction unit whose induction coil is more than 6” (15 cm) in diameter? It seems that the induction coils in many commercially available units are only about 6” (15 cm) in diameter, even though the rest of the unit overall is much larger. Ideally, I would find one with a coil that is about 10 – 12” (25 - 30 cm) in diameter, so that it’s nearly the size of my brew pot. I prefer this so that I can crank up the power to get to boil quickly, but still minimize scorching from too small a heating area. I read an article by a guy who used a 3000-watt induction burner, and he said that even though he used a tri-clad pot, he still got some scorching on the bottom of the kettle when he cranked it up. He could see the scorching marks right where the induction coil was sitting beneath the pot. I figure a larger coil area will spread out the wattage to avoid scorching.
3. Right now, I don't plan to use the induction unit to regulate mash temperatures, but in case I ever do, it would be good to have a unit with as many control steps (increments) as possible along the way. What unit would be suitable for this? I've read about some units with 100 steps, but still only 10 degree F (~6 deg C) increments. I would like one with closer increments than that, as that can make a BIG difference in the final product when it comes to brewing.
4. Many of these units have a "Power" setting and a "Temperature" setting (or some variant of name for each of these). Can someone explain to me how these settings differ from each other, how they interact, and how they can be tweaked in combination with each other to achieve accurate temperature control, if that’s even possible? Maybe such tweaking would be an answer to my temperature control question above (question #3)?
5. Has anyone figured out a way to control an induction burner using a PID or similar controller inserted into the wort, in order to allow temperature regulation of the wort (mostly a concern during mashing)? Everything I have read indicates that this is not feasible without hacking into the electronics of the induction unit, which is something I’m not going to do.
6. Finally, I figured I would ask if there is a non-induction hot plate burner available that would heat the amount of water needed for this batch size (might have to boil up to 10 US Gal - i.e., 38L for the larger batches I plan to do). If so, maybe these are cheaper than induction burners? Also, I think they could be adapted to PID control more easily than an induction burner. I looked around quite a bit online and couldn’t find any that were as reasonably priced as induction burners, but maybe you guys know of something?
Thanks again in advance,
Matt
Post #2 made 9 years ago
Matt, I am a E-BIAB brewer, and still use a Glowing Coil style hotplate at 1500 watts (Read Small Batches).
i can say 1500 watts need perfect atmospheric conditions to Boil 3 gallons.
To use a quotes from the 1980's "MORE POWER" is the best way to go....
Induction Cooking has a Minimum Pot Diameter, and Induction cooking Promises "No Scorching" by Design.
If I was Made out of Money, I would Go with a Max Burton 3000watt burner like this one...
http://www.toolup.com/max-burton_6530_p ... oktop.aspx
It should boil 23L/5gallon fine.
i can say 1500 watts need perfect atmospheric conditions to Boil 3 gallons.
To use a quotes from the 1980's "MORE POWER" is the best way to go....
Induction Cooking has a Minimum Pot Diameter, and Induction cooking Promises "No Scorching" by Design.
If I was Made out of Money, I would Go with a Max Burton 3000watt burner like this one...
http://www.toolup.com/max-burton_6530_p ... oktop.aspx
It should boil 23L/5gallon fine.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America
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Post #3 made 9 years ago
A lot of questions there Mattman.
I can't help with all of them, but if you had a unit that was lower powered, you could always use an STC1000 to control temp.
I have only used my STC1000 for lager fermentations, but from memory it is rated at 10 amps. So here in the UK I could "theoretically" run 2.4Kw through it.
Just a thought, and an inexpensive option too. The only problem I could see is how you get the unit to stay on/come on at full power when cycling.
Have you seen the thread here about induction burners?
I can't help with all of them, but if you had a unit that was lower powered, you could always use an STC1000 to control temp.
I have only used my STC1000 for lager fermentations, but from memory it is rated at 10 amps. So here in the UK I could "theoretically" run 2.4Kw through it.
Just a thought, and an inexpensive option too. The only problem I could see is how you get the unit to stay on/come on at full power when cycling.
Have you seen the thread here about induction burners?
Last edited by mally on 05 Jan 2015, 16:39, edited 1 time in total.
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
-
- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Great Britain
-
Post #4 made 9 years ago
Hi Joshua and Mally,
Thanks for the responses!
Joshua, the induction burner you linked is certainly a contender for me. As for not scorching by design, as I mentioned above, there was a guy who wrote an article about using a 3000-watt induction burner with a tri-clad pot, and he still got a little scorching when the power was turned up, and he attributed that to so much power running through a relatively small-diameter induction coil (about 6" dia). It'd be nice if that same power could be run through, say, a 10" or 12" coil. Would probably cut down potential for scorching to near zero.
Mally, sorry for so many questions. I didn't intend for there to be so many, but I got carried away. Yes, I've looked at the thread that you linked (and a whole bunch of others). So much good info out there. From what I've read, it seems like an unmodified induction burner probably won't work well with a separate controller to maintain temperatures. Separate controllers usually work by interrupting power to whatever they're connected to, and it seems that when these induction units are turned off and then on again, they reset themselves. I guess that's what you meant when you mentioned the problem of them not coming on at full power when turned on. I just though perhaps someone had figured out a way to overcome that without having to modify the circuitry of the unit, or I was hoping maybe someone had found a unit that doesn't reset itself like that.
Thanks for the responses!
Joshua, the induction burner you linked is certainly a contender for me. As for not scorching by design, as I mentioned above, there was a guy who wrote an article about using a 3000-watt induction burner with a tri-clad pot, and he still got a little scorching when the power was turned up, and he attributed that to so much power running through a relatively small-diameter induction coil (about 6" dia). It'd be nice if that same power could be run through, say, a 10" or 12" coil. Would probably cut down potential for scorching to near zero.
Mally, sorry for so many questions. I didn't intend for there to be so many, but I got carried away. Yes, I've looked at the thread that you linked (and a whole bunch of others). So much good info out there. From what I've read, it seems like an unmodified induction burner probably won't work well with a separate controller to maintain temperatures. Separate controllers usually work by interrupting power to whatever they're connected to, and it seems that when these induction units are turned off and then on again, they reset themselves. I guess that's what you meant when you mentioned the problem of them not coming on at full power when turned on. I just though perhaps someone had figured out a way to overcome that without having to modify the circuitry of the unit, or I was hoping maybe someone had found a unit that doesn't reset itself like that.
Post #5 made 9 years ago
$219 for the 3000 watt, but only $74.99 for the 1800 watt. Could you use 3 of the lower power instead?
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- SVA Brewer With Over 20 Brews From United States of America
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Post #6 made 9 years ago
Good Day,
There is a theory that at sea level, at 1000mB , the watts to boil 1 Gallon/4 liters will need 546 Watts
I use an 1500 watt plate, and can boil 2.5 gallons pretty well, with Insulation and a Boil Floating in the Kettle...
When I use a pizza Screen held up on 4x25mm Bolts the Bag is not on the Bottom of the Kettle, so there is No Scorching.
Stove Top Brewing can boil 5 gallons, on a good day, Dry, with lower Barometric pressure (less than 1010mb) with only 1800 watts. BTDT
JMHO YMMV.
There is a theory that at sea level, at 1000mB , the watts to boil 1 Gallon/4 liters will need 546 Watts
I use an 1500 watt plate, and can boil 2.5 gallons pretty well, with Insulation and a Boil Floating in the Kettle...
When I use a pizza Screen held up on 4x25mm Bolts the Bag is not on the Bottom of the Kettle, so there is No Scorching.
Stove Top Brewing can boil 5 gallons, on a good day, Dry, with lower Barometric pressure (less than 1010mb) with only 1800 watts. BTDT
JMHO YMMV.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
-
- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America
-
Post #7 made 9 years ago
Hi Rick,Rick wrote:$219 for the 3000 watt, but only $74.99 for the 1800 watt. Could you use 3 of the lower power instead?
Are you talking about 3 immersion heater elements? I was planning to use one induction burner plate underneath the kettle. The 3 elements you mention would be about the same price, but would provide a lot more heating capacity and more flexibility in some ways, so it's something to think about. Honestly, with the amount of wort I would be boiling, two elements might be enough. Food for thought....
Based on this, it sounds like I should be good to go with 3000 watts to boil 8 gallons or so. I may even go for a 3600-watt unit(or two 1800-watt elements as mentioned above). The guy who noted the scorching with his induction setup was talking about scorched wort on the bottom of his tri-clad pot, exactly above the location of the induction coil in the plate, not scorching of the bag. It seems that the heat induced in the bottom of the pot got so intense that it burned some of the wort. I think it was just a small amount, so probably not a real big deal, but still something to be aware of.joshua wrote:Good Day,
There is a theory that at sea level, at 1000mB , the watts to boil 1 Gallon/4 liters will need 546 Watts
I use an 1500 watt plate, and can boil 2.5 gallons pretty well, with Insulation and a Boil Floating in the Kettle...
When I use a pizza Screen held up on 4x25mm Bolts the Bag is not on the Bottom of the Kettle, so there is No Scorching.
Stove Top Brewing can boil 5 gallons, on a good day, Dry, with lower Barometric pressure (less than 1010mb) with only 1800 watts. BTDT
JMHO YMMV.
Last edited by Mattman on 06 Jan 2015, 11:31, edited 1 time in total.
Post #8 made 9 years ago
Mattman - I think there is always a risk of scorching whatever method of "direct heating" of wort you use.
When you mention the larger surface area of the induction coil, it is true that spreading the heat over a larger area reduces this effect (whatever system is used). For electric systems it is known as watt density. the lower the watt density the better for reducing scorching. It is like imagining a lot of power (say 3Kw) going through the bottom of the kettle the size of a nail head (high watt density) compared to the whole base (low watt density).
For info, you can buy electric elements (that are also used in hot water systems) that are ultra low watt density (ULWD) like this one.
It is probably also worth mentioning that scorching can depend on the grist and what method you use.
Just last week I brewed 50L VIF in my new kettle for the first time (2 x 2.4Kw heater elements). I mainly used pilsner malt, but I also carried out a protein rest. I step mashed from 45C (protein) - 62c (beta) - 70c (alpha) - 78c (mashout). The wort is probably ruined as it smelled strongly of burning, and the elements had scorched & blackened "crud" on them (took me 2 days to clean them)!
The moral of the long winded story is that; I have read the most likely culprit was the protein rest. Next time I use my new equipment I will miss out the protein rest step and see if it does make a difference.
When you mention the larger surface area of the induction coil, it is true that spreading the heat over a larger area reduces this effect (whatever system is used). For electric systems it is known as watt density. the lower the watt density the better for reducing scorching. It is like imagining a lot of power (say 3Kw) going through the bottom of the kettle the size of a nail head (high watt density) compared to the whole base (low watt density).
For info, you can buy electric elements (that are also used in hot water systems) that are ultra low watt density (ULWD) like this one.
It is probably also worth mentioning that scorching can depend on the grist and what method you use.
Just last week I brewed 50L VIF in my new kettle for the first time (2 x 2.4Kw heater elements). I mainly used pilsner malt, but I also carried out a protein rest. I step mashed from 45C (protein) - 62c (beta) - 70c (alpha) - 78c (mashout). The wort is probably ruined as it smelled strongly of burning, and the elements had scorched & blackened "crud" on them (took me 2 days to clean them)!
The moral of the long winded story is that; I have read the most likely culprit was the protein rest. Next time I use my new equipment I will miss out the protein rest step and see if it does make a difference.
Last edited by mally on 06 Jan 2015, 16:22, edited 1 time in total.
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
-
- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Great Britain
-
Post #9 made 9 years ago
Guess I should have specified, I was looking in Joshua's link and found this one.Mattman wrote:Hi Rick,Rick wrote:$219 for the 3000 watt, but only $74.99 for the 1800 watt. Could you use 3 of the lower power instead?
Are you talking about 3 immersion heater elements? I was planning to use one induction burner plate underneath the kettle. The 3 elements you mention would be about the same price, but would provide a lot more heating capacity and more flexibility in some ways, so it's something to think about. Honestly, with the amount of wort I would be boiling, two elements might be enough. Food for thought....
If the high power is what causes the scorching, maybe a few lower powered coils would do the trick. It'll also help spread the load weight around as well.
Just spitballin' here, I can't say it would be scorch proof as I have no experience with induction burners.
Only reason I mention 3 burners, is three point contact is a very stable platform.
Last edited by Rick on 06 Jan 2015, 21:11, edited 1 time in total.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 20 Brews From United States of America
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Post #10 made 9 years ago
Mally, I suppose you're right in saying that there is always a risk of scorching in direct heating. The tri-clad kettles are supposed to spread out the heat, but if I end up having scorching problems, then I may try an induction disk (or make one myself from scrap steel), in hopes that it would further spread out the heat. I understand that such disks tend to reduce the effectivess of induction units, and they largely eliminate the safety benefits, but it might be worth a try if needed.mally wrote:Mattman - I think there is always a risk of scorching whatever method of "direct heating" of wort you use.
When you mention the larger surface area of the induction coil, it is true that spreading the heat over a larger area reduces this effect (whatever system is used). For electric systems it is known as watt density. the lower the watt density the better for reducing scorching. It is like imagining a lot of power (say 3Kw) going through the bottom of the kettle the size of a nail head (high watt density) compared to the whole base (low watt density).
For info, you can buy electric elements (that are also used in hot water systems) that are ultra low watt density (ULWD) like this one.
It is probably also worth mentioning that scorching can depend on the grist and what method you use.
Just last week I brewed 50L VIF in my new kettle for the first time (2 x 2.4Kw heater elements). I mainly used pilsner malt, but I also carried out a protein rest. I step mashed from 45C (protein) - 62c (beta) - 70c (alpha) - 78c (mashout). The wort is probably ruined as it smelled strongly of burning, and the elements had scorched & blackened "crud" on them (took me 2 days to clean them)!
The moral of the long winded story is that; I have read the most likely culprit was the protein rest. Next time I use my new equipment I will miss out the protein rest step and see if it does make a difference.
Also, it's interesting, what you said about your experience with your step mash. Brings a whole new dimension to the situation. I'm assuming you haven't had any issues with scorching when doing a single-temperature mash? I anticipate that I will very rarely conduct step mashes, so maybe I'll be mostly safe.
Last edited by Mattman on 07 Jan 2015, 01:21, edited 1 time in total.
Post #11 made 9 years ago
Ahh, that is interesting thought. Definitely worth consideration - more food for thought.Rick wrote:Guess I should have specified, I was looking in Joshua's link and found this one.Mattman wrote:Hi Rick,Rick wrote:$219 for the 3000 watt, but only $74.99 for the 1800 watt. Could you use 3 of the lower power instead?
Are you talking about 3 immersion heater elements? I was planning to use one induction burner plate underneath the kettle. The 3 elements you mention would be about the same price, but would provide a lot more heating capacity and more flexibility in some ways, so it's something to think about. Honestly, with the amount of wort I would be boiling, two elements might be enough. Food for thought....
If the high power is what causes the scorching, maybe a few lower powered coils would do the trick. It'll also help spread the load weight around as well.
Just spitballin' here, I can't say it would be scorch proof as I have no experience with induction burners.
Only reason I mention 3 burners, is three point contact is a very stable platform.
Thanks again for the input.
Last edited by Mattman on 07 Jan 2015, 01:27, edited 1 time in total.
Post #12 made 9 years ago
Good day I do not want to promote a simple product......
This IDEA could be made at Home...
see
http://theinductionsite.com/induction-accessories.shtml
Have Fun.
This IDEA could be made at Home...
see
http://theinductionsite.com/induction-accessories.shtml
Have Fun.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America
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Post #13 made 9 years ago
I have thought about buying one of these, or making one myself. I just need to get a piece of iron plate and take my time in cutting it out into a shape that suit my needs.
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
Post #14 made 9 years ago
This was the first time using my kettle that has 2 x 2.4Kw elements directly in the wort.Mattman wrote:Also, it's interesting, what you said about your experience with your step mash. Brings a whole new dimension to the situation. I'm assuming you haven't had any issues with scorching when doing a single-temperature mash? I anticipate that I will very rarely conduct step mashes, so maybe I'll be mostly safe.
My previous system was a concealed element kettle, so it basically heated a larger surface area. I still got beer stone and minor scorching whatever method I mashed with, but never ruined a batch like my new one does.
I know this is off topic but the best info I found was from Bribie G (whom still visits here occasionally). This excerpt from aussiehomebrewer;
Right here's what happened.
Protein rest, ends up looking like cereal floating in milk. There has been no starch conversion yet as you are not into the sacch range. So you turn on the element to ramp up to sacch rest and all that cloudy starch burns onto the element and turns into char. You get to 63 if the element hasn't cut out by then (my Crown had shit itself around 60 degrees so I stirred everything up a bit harder and it came on again). Edit - of course I had no way of checking the state of the element apart from draining the whole mash. As if, hey.
You continue on but although the element is working, it's a blackened thing that is just pumping burnt flavours into the wort.
Now think of this, the multi step mash is a German invention and they always did it by decoction, removing a portion of the grain and boiling that then returning to the main mash to ramp up.
Since they are now mostly doing hochkurz type infusion mashes, they mimic this by adding boiling water between stages to ramp.
They do not ramp by applying direct heat via element to the mash itself.
The latter works great once you have reached sacch temp but if doing a protein rest I'd start with a thicker mash and then use boiling water to ramp to the 63 degrees, Deustch style.
I'm still cleaning char off my element <_< - and yes the wort got chucked.
Edit: I'd bet London to a Brick your problem was set in stone in the first ramp, nothing to do with a long boil - which I do regularly.
Last edited by mally on 07 Jan 2015, 15:54, edited 1 time in total.
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
-
- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Great Britain
-
Post #15 made 9 years ago
Thanks again, Mally. Good info. The good thing, I think, is that I won't be doing step mashes much if at all. Hopefully that'll work for me.
My system, as I currently envision it, is as follows: I would use the induction plate(s) to bring the hot liquor up to mash temps (or as close as it will come without overshooting). Then I'll add the grain, turn off the induction plate, put an ultra-low-density heating element into the mash to get those last few degrees to the target temp (if necessary), and the heating element will also maintain the mash temp throughout the duration. The whole time the element is in the mash, a motorized mash stirrer will be running in order to distribute the heat and to prevent scorching from any mash contacting the element for too long. I'm thinking I'll use the element to bring temps up to mash-out, then remove the element and use the induction plate(s) to bring the wort to boil and keep the boil for the duration.
I'm planning to incorpoate a PID or other suitable controller to operate the submerged heating element during the mash.
If you or anyone has any thoughts as to the feasibility of this, I'm open to input.
Thanks!
My system, as I currently envision it, is as follows: I would use the induction plate(s) to bring the hot liquor up to mash temps (or as close as it will come without overshooting). Then I'll add the grain, turn off the induction plate, put an ultra-low-density heating element into the mash to get those last few degrees to the target temp (if necessary), and the heating element will also maintain the mash temp throughout the duration. The whole time the element is in the mash, a motorized mash stirrer will be running in order to distribute the heat and to prevent scorching from any mash contacting the element for too long. I'm thinking I'll use the element to bring temps up to mash-out, then remove the element and use the induction plate(s) to bring the wort to boil and keep the boil for the duration.
I'm planning to incorpoate a PID or other suitable controller to operate the submerged heating element during the mash.
If you or anyone has any thoughts as to the feasibility of this, I'm open to input.
Thanks!
Post #16 made 9 years ago
Hi, this is my first post here. I know this is an older post, but I have some of the answers to the questions as I done extended research in this topic. And I also want to write in English a little more. I read in English a lot, but I have not much possibility to use it actively.
First of all, I used a 2000W induction plate in the last 2 years with a 19l kettle. I have induction stove also in the kitchen where the biggest element is 2700W power. I live in a flat so I don not have a backyard. I done the mashing inside the kitchen using the stove and after lifting the bag I brought the wort to boil also there. When I got stable boil I transferred the kettle to the smaller induction plate on the balcony. It all worked really well. The 2kw power is enough to maintain quite a good boil. In fact I had brew sessions when I used the smaller powered unit exclusively. It is a little slower but still feasible to brew with.
Then I used a bigger kettle with 28l wort in it and while there was boiling I would not call it rolling boil. I smelled DMS after 2 hour boil. So I have to continue the boil longer as I intended to use no chill. This was the time I decided to upgrade to something bigger and began my research.
So after this long introductory which can be also helpful to someone I try to answer some of the question.
- I do not experienced any scorching. There are some staining at the bottom of the kettle above the coil, but that can easily cleaned. I did not taste any burning in my beers. I also get quite good points on competitions with some of my beers.
- 2kW induction plate works well with a smaller kettle, say 19l. This weight is over their official weight specification, but there was no problem with it.
- For bigger kettle you have to ramp up the power. There are 3,5 kw units. They are quite expensive but they made for industrial applications. I finally bought such a unit secondhand. They are from a German company. You can buy them from ebay also with worldwide shipping. I have this type of unit. They are quite sturdy I stand on my unit without a single noise.
- There are units with analog controls which apparently can be used with pid controller. I read some German homebrewer forum with google translate. As I understand the analog controlled units starts on the last power setting when plugged in so they can used with an external controller. I also read that this power is enough up to kettle size of 70l with insulation. There are a lot of information about them in the aforementioned forum, this is a sample thread.
- I also think about the heating elements. I'm a little concerned about the safety. I have to hack the elements to the kettle. While I do a lot of DIY I would newer forgive myself if it cause an accident at home. I have quite little children. I also thought about heating sticks. I found some ready made immersion boiler units apparently with dry run protection but I finally opt on induction. I have not much space in my flat so I try to invest to equipments I can use for multiple purpose. Think about a big batch of marmalade.
That's all that come to my mind. Finally there is a picture from my current setup. the induction cooker and a 50l kettle. I done my first batch with them. I mashed in my smaller kettle as I don't have a larger BIAB bag yet. Feel free to ask questions if I missed something.
First of all, I used a 2000W induction plate in the last 2 years with a 19l kettle. I have induction stove also in the kitchen where the biggest element is 2700W power. I live in a flat so I don not have a backyard. I done the mashing inside the kitchen using the stove and after lifting the bag I brought the wort to boil also there. When I got stable boil I transferred the kettle to the smaller induction plate on the balcony. It all worked really well. The 2kw power is enough to maintain quite a good boil. In fact I had brew sessions when I used the smaller powered unit exclusively. It is a little slower but still feasible to brew with.
Then I used a bigger kettle with 28l wort in it and while there was boiling I would not call it rolling boil. I smelled DMS after 2 hour boil. So I have to continue the boil longer as I intended to use no chill. This was the time I decided to upgrade to something bigger and began my research.
So after this long introductory which can be also helpful to someone I try to answer some of the question.
- I do not experienced any scorching. There are some staining at the bottom of the kettle above the coil, but that can easily cleaned. I did not taste any burning in my beers. I also get quite good points on competitions with some of my beers.
- 2kW induction plate works well with a smaller kettle, say 19l. This weight is over their official weight specification, but there was no problem with it.
- For bigger kettle you have to ramp up the power. There are 3,5 kw units. They are quite expensive but they made for industrial applications. I finally bought such a unit secondhand. They are from a German company. You can buy them from ebay also with worldwide shipping. I have this type of unit. They are quite sturdy I stand on my unit without a single noise.
- There are units with analog controls which apparently can be used with pid controller. I read some German homebrewer forum with google translate. As I understand the analog controlled units starts on the last power setting when plugged in so they can used with an external controller. I also read that this power is enough up to kettle size of 70l with insulation. There are a lot of information about them in the aforementioned forum, this is a sample thread.
- I also think about the heating elements. I'm a little concerned about the safety. I have to hack the elements to the kettle. While I do a lot of DIY I would newer forgive myself if it cause an accident at home. I have quite little children. I also thought about heating sticks. I found some ready made immersion boiler units apparently with dry run protection but I finally opt on induction. I have not much space in my flat so I try to invest to equipments I can use for multiple purpose. Think about a big batch of marmalade.
That's all that come to my mind. Finally there is a picture from my current setup. the induction cooker and a 50l kettle. I done my first batch with them. I mashed in my smaller kettle as I don't have a larger BIAB bag yet. Feel free to ask questions if I missed something.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by acerola on 15 May 2015, 16:42, edited 1 time in total.
Post #17 made 9 years ago
Hi Acerola, that's good information you posted. And your English is very good - much better than my abilities in any non-English language.
I'm glad you have not experienced any scorching issues. I think other posts I've read have said the same thing, so that is encouraging for me. I purchased an Avantco 3500 watt induction cooker, and I'm slowly gathering the rest of the equipment for my brewing setup. My plan is to use an ice cream maker to stir the mash in order to distribute the heat evenly. Since my induction cooker cannot be used with an external temperature controller, I plan to use a heat stick to maintain mash temperature. Then when the mash and mash-out are finished, I will remove the bag, the heat stick, and the ice cream maker and I will boil the wort using just the induction cooker.
I'm glad you have not experienced any scorching issues. I think other posts I've read have said the same thing, so that is encouraging for me. I purchased an Avantco 3500 watt induction cooker, and I'm slowly gathering the rest of the equipment for my brewing setup. My plan is to use an ice cream maker to stir the mash in order to distribute the heat evenly. Since my induction cooker cannot be used with an external temperature controller, I plan to use a heat stick to maintain mash temperature. Then when the mash and mash-out are finished, I will remove the bag, the heat stick, and the ice cream maker and I will boil the wort using just the induction cooker.
Post #18 made 9 years ago
I'm glad you stick with induction. This is my favourite heat source. It is very convenient. It is quicker than anything else (I mean in a kitchen) and as responsive as gas. I try to persuade anyone who happen to change cooker in his/her home.
Your Avantco cooker is exactly the same as my Bartscher one. I think they are manufactured in the same place just branded differently. Automation is not my goal yet. But I read somewhere on the German forum that somebody tried to control this type of cooker also. The buttons on the back of the control panel can be accessed inside. And it has low voltage control so one can simulate the button press with for example relays and an Arduino. All my concern is that I not understand how the induction coils work. Is they radiate only one direction? How the electronic parts work in the same housing as the coil?
Do you use your cooker without the automation? Keep posting if you have any progress.
Edit: At second glance my cooker seems higher than yours, but the layout of the control panel is the same.
Your Avantco cooker is exactly the same as my Bartscher one. I think they are manufactured in the same place just branded differently. Automation is not my goal yet. But I read somewhere on the German forum that somebody tried to control this type of cooker also. The buttons on the back of the control panel can be accessed inside. And it has low voltage control so one can simulate the button press with for example relays and an Arduino. All my concern is that I not understand how the induction coils work. Is they radiate only one direction? How the electronic parts work in the same housing as the coil?
Do you use your cooker without the automation? Keep posting if you have any progress.
Edit: At second glance my cooker seems higher than yours, but the layout of the control panel is the same.
Post #19 made 9 years ago
Yes, I noticed that your cooker looks very similar to mine. I haven't used mine to brew yet. I'm jumping into the whole thing head-first, including trying to get the heat stick and automated temperature control and mash stirrer to work before I brew any new batches. It'll be several more weeks or maybe even a couple of months before I get all of that going, but I'll keep everyone posted.
