Info Links:
- Electric Brewing Systems (Wort Hog Turnkey Systems)
- Wort Hog Turnkey Systems
- Electric brew kettle conversion (video)
- Installing a water tank heating element in brew pot
- Heating Element Adapter, 1.5″ tri-clamp rim heating element adapter
- 240V Brew Controller (video)
- Electric Brew in a Bag (eBIAB) Build
- Heating Elements: STEP 6: Electrical connections
- Heating Element Kits
- Mini-BIAB Electric Turkey Fryer Mod–Part 2
- Brewing beer with Linux, Python, and Raspberry Pi
- Boil Control
- How to install an ULWD heating element so it is leak free
- How to build a 5 gal, 110v eBIAB kettle
- Assembling & wiring an Electric Brewing system
- How viable is Electric Brewing? Conversion, BIAB (Brew In A Bag), HERMS (Heat Exchange Recirculating Mash System), RIMS (Recirculating Infusion Mash System), Results
- HERMS vs RIMS
- Recirculating Mash Heater Circuit Diagram
- 1/16 DIN PID Temperature Controller (For SSR)
- Brew-Boss Controllers (DIY)
- Electric Brewery Control Panel on the Cheap
- Blichmann BoilCoil (spec list)
- Weldless Heater Element Enclosure for Electric Breweries
- Heating Element with integrated L6-30P Plug
The formula to determine wattage is as follows:
Gallons * Temp Rise (F)
———————————— * 1000 = Watts Required
372 * heat up time (hours)
So, for a homebrew example of 7 gallons of wort at the beginning of your boil, and desiring to reach boil in 15 minutes, and assuming your wort temperature before boil is 150 degrees F after sparge runnoff:
7 * (212 – 150)
———————- * 1000 = X Watts
372 * .25 hours
Or 4666 watts…. or a 4500W element.
You’ll have to tweak the formula to account for your starting boil size, typical sparge runnoff temp, and desired time to boil. Another limiting factor is going to be your available amperage to hook up the element. Since watts = amps * voltage, a typical 15 amp household breaker running at 110V will at most power a 1650W element.
The other main concern you’ll want to watch out for is watt density of the immersion element. This is the measure of watts per square inch. Sugary water like wort tends to not conduct heat very well, so you want a low watt density to prevent the sugars from scorching. What qualifies as a ‘low enough’ watt density is something I’ve yet to figure out, but I suspect you’ll be fine with anything at 40 or less watts/sq in. Keeping the wort moving (by stirring) will also mitigate this potential problem.