Has anyone ever tried something like that for a brew pot?
Just saw it and just thinking for now.
If I go all grain my 4gal pot is not large enough. Not sure the electric stove would handle a 7gal pot, seems a bit rough at times in cold weather for it to do the 4gal. I have it set up outside.
Only thing I can use for gas here is those 20lb propane tanks which are getting costly. I think last time I had one filed it was about $18 or more.
About how many brews is a tank good for if using a gas turkey fryer?
I used to get around 5 or so 5 gallon batches from a 15lb tank, so that’s about what Brewbeer22 is saying also.
You could do brew in a bag with this pot it looks like. But you shouldn’t buy from Walmart if you can help it!
Heating all my water with the fryer I get 3-4 brews.
Heat your mash water on the stove and save the propane for the boil.
Are you getting the tanks filled or exchanging them? Usually the exchanges are not filled completely full. Look for a Co-op gas station or ACE Hardware for the better prices on propane.
I get mine refilled. Around here there is no natural gas so everyone uses Propane or has all electric houses. I shop around for best price between the local suppliers.
I have an electric stove setup for brewing and use the oven for other hobby stuff.
Not sure it will boil 5gal very well if I had a pot big enough
There are a lot of threads here and on other forums about electric brewing if you want to read about the pros and cons. I recently finished converting both of my 30 qt kettles to electric and I am extremely glad I did. I was sick of the hassle and cost of propane, plus I am now inside the house (brewing outside in a blizzard is not a lot of fun).
As for the kettle you referenced, I found two reviews on Amazon from homebrewers. They both said it worked well for brewing but they were not happy with the controller display.
I have not seen one of these Cajun electric kettles so my only comment is that since it is 110v (I couldn’t find the wattage rating) it is a bit underpowered. That only means that it takes quite a while to heat up that much liquid. However, if you don’t mind a little longer brew day you should be happy.
Uncle
Wobbles, try this link. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/
It is a long discussion but you should be able to find anything you need about electric brewing - from the simple to the complex. Personally, I took the simple route by adding 4500w elements to my kettles and controlling them with a DIY controller (PWM circuit which controls a SSR). It ends up with an adjustment knob that increases/decreases the amount of energy to the burner, just like using an electric stove but with enough power. The cost is reasonable but you need some electronics experience to build your own.
BTW, if I were to do it over again, I would use a cooler for the HLT; I found that drilling holes in kettles is not fun. I would still use a SS kettle for the boiler though.
Happy reading,
Uncle
I started with a 1500W 120V element in an old turkey fryer pot for HLT. Took about 45 minutes to bring water up to mashing temps. Now I’m using a 4500W 220V element the same way, just heats it in about 15 minutes. You can get lots more batches out of your propane tank by heating your HLT water electrically.
I use one on a timer to set my strike water and then move it to the HLT with another one during the mash and my sparge water is ready at the end of the mash. I usually have to unplug them if my mash is over an hour. This way my propane is just used for boiling. Energy and time saving.
