Heat Stick vs Burner

That sounds like the definition of a NO-GO.

Cat knocks over beer set-up, 7+ gallons of boiling wort drips down 3 stories of balcony, burner catches deck on fire just as doorbell rings (you know it's the landlord, of course), but you're delirious from a slight case of CO poisoning from not having quite enough ventilation...

 

Gas is out of the question, IMO.

If you know your way around electricity [insert major disclaimer here], you can get 240VAC by using two outlets, provided they're on opposite sides of the service panel. If you know what I'm talking about, then you can probably do it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then purge the entire first part of this post from your memory permanently (except the warning about gas). Actually, ignore the whole thing because I have nothing else to add.

 

Do you have a washer/dryer in the apartment?

 

punching a hole in your kettle and getting a heating element is actually kind of easy if you have at least some basic knowledge of working with electric. I used a 120V 15-1800W heat stick for a little while and found that it could bring 5 gal up to a boil at the same speed as my old bayou burner. So 120V element + stovetop and you should be golden. There are some people that say you shouldn't use 120V elements in brewing because of the density which will scorch your wort, but I have never had this problem with the heat stick or running my RIMS systems which I have a 120V 1500W high density element. It would require you to have some basic wiring to a control box which has a switch to turn the element on & off. GFCI protection would also be mandatory.

 

i use an allied bucket heater to supplement splitting a pot across two (gas) burners on my stove top. i have zero issues keeping 7 gallons of wort at a really strong boil, albeit it takes a bit to get there.

 

Because electric ones run off of 240 V... If one heat stick / element doesn't do it, consider 2. You just need to make sure that they run on different circuits otherwise you'll be visiting your panel!

Now does anyone know of a 240V splitter he could use on his range?

 

Heat sticks work pretty well and you'll find a lot of DIY onine. It's cheaper than this, but if you want a no fuss, no muss: http://www.amazon.com/MARSHALLTOWN-...374027355&sr=8-1&keywords=water+bucket+heater

No propane burner in the apartment. Seriously!
Maybe if you have a garage and a box fan.

 

here is a detailed, pimped out instructions to what i was thinking, only difference being that if I was you, I would just use a 120V, 1500W element and skip the 240V route if you're just doing 5 gal batches:
http://theelectricbrewery.com/node/9

You only want PID if you want to maintain a sub-boil temp, like a mash temp. For boiling, a simple on/off switch is all you need.

 

If I recall correctly, that 'nonsense' appeared in a BYO project article a few years ago. (if I recall incorrectly, then it appeared in a blog post or other such internet site). Frankly, it raised an eyebrow or two when I read it. Not because it's so, shall we say unconventional, but ...well, actually yes - because it's so unconventional. It's actually no more dangerous than building a more conventional 120VAC stick. The increased tripping risk notwithstanding.

 

I know the apartment is getting redone right now, but I'm not sure about the wiring/outlets. If necessary I'll certainly get a GFCI cord.[/quote]

You can get a GFI outlet and install it later if you need to. But I would get over to the apartment while its being redone. See if there is an electrician there working and ask him if he can run a 240v outlet for you. You might have to slip him $40 or $50 bucks, but it would be worth it IMO.

 

I didn't take it that way.

As I said, if you understand what I'm describing, it's easy. If you don't, then this is probably not a good first project for a self-taught course in Electricity.

 

I've seen bucket heaters, but not in the context of a boil kettle. Are they completely submersible? And what are they made of?

 

it's essentially this: http://www.alliedprecision.com/bucketheater.html

 

Thanks. The info at the link (and others I've found) is sparse though. Do you know if they are completely submersible (including the wiring end) and what the materials are?

 

i've never tried to submerse the entire thing. it's tall enough that the wiring end sticks out of my boil kettle. you might want to message them and ask.

 

I didn't think you'd want to dunk the (PVC?) Handle of a heat stick in your beer either. I assumed You'd tie a knot around your kettle handle with the cord to prevent any oh shits.