Moving to Electric Stove :(

[prjectmayhem]

Help!!! I will soon be leaving my apartment which has gas burners on the stove and will be going to a new apartment that uses electric coils (gasp). I have been doing all the research I can but can not find a good answer on how to boil ~6 gallons of wort for an All-grain set and I don't want to go back to partial boil extract brewing.

My apartment won't let me install any 240V outlets, and obviously doing any kind of propane set up inside or on a porch is a terrible idea. So all I have access to is my new, crappy electric coil stove and 120V plugs in the kitchen. What can I do???

Thanks

 

[TBC]

What about a hot rod heat stick to help with the boil. I believe Brew hardware sells them.

 

[madscientist451]

-Brew 3-4 gallon batches
-Pull the stove out and see if its hard wired or there's a 220v outlet in the wall
-Is there a space for a washer/dryer? That's another 220v outlet.
-Like TBC said use a heat stik.
If there's a will, there's a way, you can brew there, you'll just have to figure it out.

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

Relax Mayhem, it's not like getting your fingernails yanked out , the Heat stick is a good idea, so is a portable induction cook top, you may even consider an e-kettle that runs on 120VAC. ...and worst case scenario you use the stove ....sometimes I brew 5 gallon batches on my stove , it's sorta fun in a old-school way. You'll get by until you get a new Apt.

 

[triethylborane]

But you probably have a 240v receptacle (either 4 conductor 14-50R or 3 conductor 10-50R) behind the range. It wouldn't be difficult to design and build a junction box and some extension cords as a solution for a 240v electric brewing set-up. Maybe not the most elegant or beautiful (Id mount the junction box above the range), and you can't use the range when brewing, but it would work.

 

[prjectmayhem]

What about a hot rod heat stick to help with the boil. I believe Brew hardware sells them.

I’m looking at this on their site but I don’t think I understand what it is they are selling here

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/hotrod.htm

 

[prjectmayhem]

Relax Mayhem, it's not like getting your fingernails yanked out , the Heat stick is a good idea, so is a portable induction cook top, you may even consider an e-kettle that runs on 120VAC. ...and worst case scenario you use the stove ....sometimes I brew 5 gallon batches on my stove , it's sorta fun in a old-school way. You'll get by until you get a new Apt.

Are you able to get a 6-7gallom batch boiling on your stove? I’ve heard it was impossible, or is it only painstakingly slow?

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

Are you able to get a 6-7gallom batch boiling on your stove? I’ve heard it was impossible, or is it only painstakingly slow?

5 gallon batches , it's slow to get it there, but it boils OK once it hits 212.

 

[TBC]

Here is a link for the hot rod.

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/hotrodrtu1500gfci.htm

Put your pot on high on your stove and then place the rod in your pot. It will hang on the side and plug it into a 110v outlet. It will definitely help to speed up heating your water to a boil and give you a nice rolling boil.

 

[applescrap]

Help!!! I will soon be leaving my apartment which has gas burners on the stove and will be going to a new apartment that uses electric coils (gasp). I have been doing all the research I can but can not find a good answer on how to boil ~6 gallons of wort for an All-grain set and I don't want to go back to partial boil extract brewing.

My apartment won't let me install any 240V outlets, and obviously doing any kind of propane set up inside or on a porch is a terrible idea. So all I have access to is my new, crappy electric coil stove and 120V plugs in the kitchen. What can I do???

Thanks

I think some of it depends on where you live. I loved my electric stove and I could Brew 5 gallons all day long. Loved it so much I thought about putting it in the garage and using it to brew there. It will probably need new coils. Also I've heard problems of melting Electronics down there. You need a flat bottom pot so connection is perfect. I was using a cheap $20 tamale pot from the store. It had a flat bottom and worked well. A simple hundred twenty volt heat stick of some kind coupled with the stove of new coils, etc will work. Between the two you'll have plenty of power. The thing I like about gas is you can put it over more burners easily. That's what my buddy does. But my old ceramic stove top was quicker much quicker. The secret lies in the flat bottom. Note living in Colorado boil temp is lower so I think that helped me. I'm not sure if 120 volt conduction plate will work too. You can buy hundred twenty volt plates online that people use. Best of luck man. Final thought at my lhbs they have a jet boil thing. It looks like a big gathering coffee pot. Something like that would work too! You need to do sparges to split the water up on stove. 2.5 g batches option too. I miss being in the kitchen sometimes.

 

[pdxal]

I do 4-5 gallon batches on an electric stove with no issues. Boil can be slow unless you make some allowances.
Some ideas:
-Buy a replacement burner with more coils, which will have a higher wattage and develop greater heat.
-Use the heat stick as mentioned previously.
-Make smaller batches, or boil more concentrated wort and dilute it like extract brewing.
-Split into 2 half batches and boil on 2 burners.
It can be done.

 

[magno]

When I was living in an apartment, and trying to brew all grain, I ended up using a propane setup out near the parking lot. It wound up working pretty well, as there was access to a hose, and the parking lot was actually elevated from the sidewalk/ landing area where I was set up, so there was a nice limestone ledge to put the mash tun, etc. on. It was a PITA to move all my equipment in and out on brew day, and I got some funny looks from neighbors, but all-in-all it worked out pretty well.

Perhaps there is some kind of similar area at your new place?

 

[jekeane]

You can kill those stove elements with weight and covering up the element hole so be careful. Would want to have to buy your landlord a new stove...

I would look into a Induction burner and / or one of the hot rods mentioned.

It is also an option just to go smaller, you may find you prefer 2.5 gallon batches.