120 Volt 1600 Watt Induction Burner for Brewing

1600 watts is more than a little light on wattage, so there's no point in hoping that's not the case. 1600 watts is equivalent to about 5.5k BTUs. Most home brewers use gas burners that are anywhere from 10 to 50 times as beefy, though some get by with a bit less. Granted, this burner is much more efficient at transferring those watts to the wort, but I think it's safe to say that this will be somewhat less than satisfactory for brewing beer.

What sort of constraints are you under? Maybe we can suggest alternative solutions. You've certainly come to the right place for that.

 

well, don't plan on doing any 5 gallon brews.
if you have a nearby circuit that will drop 15 amps without tripping you can boost the boil capacity with an immersion heater.
Cheers.

 

My experience is exactly as suggested by mikehartigan. A normal electric stove top has a pair of small elements in the 1000 watt range and a pair of big 'uns somewhere between 2000 and 3000 watts. Your 1600 watt'er will fall way short of a conventional stove top element.

Worse, those units are rated at 13.3 amps, which means you can only use one per circuit (unless you have industrial grade wiring/outlets which is unlikely). Unless you have multiple circuits where you brew and they are physically close to each other, this can become a goat-rope pretty quickly. There is a reason our electric stoves are 240 volts and this is why.

I would explore methods of venting a burner . . . gas just seems the way to go.

 

That's crazy expensive and lacks the wattage/power you'll need to brew beer.

Try this:
http://morebeer.com/products/boilermaker-g2-electric-75-gal-120-brew-pot-blichmann-engineering.html

Only $100.00 more than that induction burner you linked to and you get the worlds best kettle with it. Can do 5 gallon batches and it is 120v.

Edited to add:

Didn't realize the heating element is sold separate.
http://morebeer.com/products/blichmann-boilcoil-75-gal-120.html

So add another $125.00...

 

At 2000 watts, that's still pretty anemic for the task at hand. It's surprising to see Blichmann marketing such a product. It'll probably get the job done, but you'd be pretty much limited to extracts and partial boils. Also, the way I read it, the coil is included. Nevertheless, $464 is a pretty hefty price (though it's a damn fine kettle!)

uiucphoenix, it looks like this may be one of the very few options available to you, given who wears the pants in your family!

 

Just to confirm what was already stated here, I tried boiling 5 gallons in a 7.5 gallon pot (induction compatible) and it just took forever to boil - roughly 4 hours and then without the lid it really wasn't even able to maintain a boil. I am not sure the wattage rating on that unit, but i think it was something just under 15 watts on a 120 line - so roughly the same power. I have since brewed on a 3000 or 3500 watt unit on a 240 line, that works just fine.

 

@uiucphoenix This one http://www.amazon.com/Avantco-IC3500-Countertop-Induction-Cooker/dp/B00514BTJ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1417570265&sr=1-1&keywords=3500 watt induction

 

You should also consider that boiling wort puts a lot of moisture into the air. Depending on airflow where you are thinking of brewing, you may end up with a huge moisture/mold issue.

 

as others have said, that size won't work so well for a 5-gallon batch. You may be able to get 2 - 3 gallons to a boil with it, though, and there are plusses to going for a smaller batch (minuses, too, of course)
I'm planning out my electric brewery, and I'll be going for the 3600 watt one like Redmaw has.
Another option would be to augment a smaller burner with a heat stick.

 

I'm guessing you have a ~2 gallon kettle in your home kitchen. Fill that with water and place it on one of the induction burners. Triple the time it takes to boil and that is conservatively what to expect.

The Blichmann Boiler still has to obey the laws of thermodynamics. You're looking at 2KW and that's only if you have a 20 amp circuit (your receptacle will have a sideways female plug). Otherwise you'll be pulling wire for a new circuit . . . may as well add a 240V circuit and be done.

I brew on a stove top gas burner in my kitchen, usually two going at once, sometimes three. It is hooded but I never turn on the fan as the air conditioning is running constantly. The only time I've ever felt faint was when I missed my OG. So I say let it rip with the gas but expect the Asphyxiation Police to frown on this.

 

This can be an issue when brewing indoors, whether it's stovetop brewing or otherwise, electric or gas. If you have an airflow issue, occasional homebrewing will contribute to the problem, but I don't think it would create a problem solely on it's own unless you brewed frequently. It's something I started to consider when I moved into a damp place.

 

Most kitchen outlets are wired for 20 amp service. It sounds like you've got vintage service (no 240V, for example), so who knows? If you've got 12 gauge wire and a 20 amp fuse on the outlet in question, you can use the Blichmann. Otherwise, the induction burner is your only choice on a 15 amp circuit. But neither one of those is conducive to brewing beer, IMO, unless you're willing to make small batches.

 

For the record I have never tried to boil 5+ gallons on an electric element. But lots of others have and post poor results (redmaw above). If you have access to the 1600 watt induction coil then try it out. You will probably be disappointed but it is an easy test to see what will happen.

A couple of ways to speed up the boil (which I do with gas): Draw your strike water from your hot water source, usually 120'ish. So you are raising it to ~160 or a 40 degreee rise. When lautering, the wort will be in the low 160s if you do a mash out, so you're looking at a 50 degree rise to boil. My instinct tells me your 1600 watt burners will still not get the job done, but it would be nice if you attempt and post the results.

The Blichmann coil calls for 20 amps which means 12 gauge wire. Look at your circuit breaker panel . . . it you have 20 amp breakers you can probably make this work. But a couple of problems even if it works: the 2000 watt capacity is only slightly better than what you have now. Yes it's 25% more so expect a 4 hour boil to now only take ~3 hours . . . pretty long brew day. The 7.5 gal capacity is marginal to unacceptable for 5 gallon batches so you're really talking the 10 gallon'er which is more $$$.

If you're determined to boil with electricity and be safe it's not terribly difficult to add a circuit. If this is an unimproved workspace you can even leave the conduit exposed which makes it easier. You'll need something like 6 gauge wire (four strands for 240V) which will give you 40 amp capacity. Expect to pay around $4/foot and a couple hours of electrician labor. This will allow 9000+ watts which will make the kettle sing in a reasonable time.

 

I have two 3KW stainless steel boilers and they each just manage to bring 6 UK gallons (just over 7 US gallons) to a rolling boil.It helps that the elements are actually immersed in the wort , this reduces losses.