A Single 5500 watt element large enough for 24.5 - 25 gallon boil ?

[brew_ny]

I would like to start doing 24.5 -25 gallon boils to split into two fermenters

would a single 5500 watt element be able to do a boil of that size? or do I need

to plan for two?

thanks

S_M

 

[aangel]

http://www.phpdoc.info/brew/boilcalc.html

Has you needing about 32 minutes to boil from your mash temperature, give or take. Seems reasonable, especially if you insulate your boil kettle.

 

[PantsOffBrewing]

One will boil it, just take longer.

I was considering doing the same (decided to hold off on larger batches) and when i looked into the feasibility Kal and others told me that it works.

 

[rvklein]

You'll definitely need to insulate your kettle to get a strong rolling boil and should leave the lid on until you get up to temp.

 

[brew_ny]

http://www.phpdoc.info/brew/boilcalc.html

Has you needing about 32 minutes to boil from your mash temperature, give or take. Seems reasonable, especially if you insulate your boil kettle.

thanks for the link that helps

You'll definitely need to insulate your kettle to get a strong rolling boil and should leave the lid on until you get up to temp.

do you really think I would need to insulate my pot to get it to boil? or just to speed it up to a boil?

I was going to use one 5500 watt ULWD element in a 40 gallon pot for my strike water

I have my pot on a timer so it start heating water on its own so it is ready when I want to start to brew

I will probably install a single element in a 30 gallon pot and do some boil tests if I need a second element then I will put it in

I really do not care to insulate my pot, I have enough power to run two elements

but would need to change my controller to run two elements

thanks for the replies

all the best

S_M

 

[rvklein]

To get a hard rolling boil yes. Was just over a friend's house going a 20 gallon batch and it was difficult to get a really strong boil with the pot uninstalled and on a metal stand (which acted like a big heat sink).

 

[mikescooling]

I have and use 25 gal pots, so I boil 20 gallons and it's NP

 

[brew_ny]

I have and use 25 gal pots, so I boil 20 gallons and it's NP

Thanks for the reply, I am going with a single 5500 watt element for now

my controller is setup to run a single one, but if I need to change it I can

all the best

S_M

 

[wilserbrewer]

S_M,

How large are your kettles? While 20 gallons may boil in a 25 gallon pot, the same may not be true with a larger pot. Larger and wider pots take more energy to boil than smaller pots with the same amount of liquid.

 

[passedpawn]

S_M,

How large are your kettles? While 20 gallons may boil in a 25 gallon pot, the same may not be true with a larger pot. Larger and wider pots take more energy to boil than smaller pots with the same amount of liquid.

Because of heat loss out the sides/top?

 

[brew_ny]

S_M,

How large are your kettles? While 20 gallons may boil in a 25 gallon pot, the same may not be true with a larger pot. Larger and wider pots take more energy to boil than smaller pots with the same amount of liquid.

haven't bought them yet I have been looking at a 40 gallon Aluminum pot for strike water

I will be mashing in a cooler I have a 74 quart and a 140 quart, I line the 74 with a window sheer

I was getting ready to email you about making a couple liners for them

for the strike water I use a 220 timer that I set so when I walk out to brew my strike water is about ready

I use an SSVR and a rheostat to control my element

for the boil kettle I may go stainless steel I may not, but whatever I get I will get a tall one

I have taller pots now and like the boil off rate

all the best

S_M

 

[brew_ny]

Because of heat loss out the sides/top?

maybe surface area?

 

[Brumateur]

Surface are definitely affect visual boiling intensity. But do not mix up boiling intensity and boiling off rate. If we are talking about the same heating power a bigger surface may have less visual boiling intensity but evaporation speed could be even bigger than in a narrow wessel.

 

[brew_ny]

Surface are definitely affect visual boiling intensity. But do not mix up boiling intensity and boiling off rate. If we are talking about the same heating power a bigger surface may have less visual boiling intensity but evaporation speed could be even bigger than in a narrow wessel.

that is what I like about the taller pot appears to be less

S_M

 

[JKoravos]

It's enough to boil 24.5G, but not 25G.

 

[doug293cz]

Surface are definitely affect visual boiling intensity. But do not mix up boiling intensity and boiling off rate. If we are talking about the same heating power a bigger surface may have less visual boiling intensity but evaporation speed could be even bigger than in a narrow wessel.

No, the pot geometry can affect boil off rate for variables other than the wort surface area. The heating power available for boiling evaporation is equal to the total input heat minus all heat losses for things other than evaporation. You lose heat out the sides and bottom of the kettle due to conduction, convection, and radiation. You can also lose heat off the surface due to radiation cooling, unless you are creating a lot of steam which will cut down on radiation. In some cases the heat loss to parasitic effects can be larger than the heat that actually goes towards boiling.

Brew on