Thanks for the reply. Sorry the picture is pretty bad. It’s just supposed to show the reset switch and wiring near it that look fried.
The induction idea does look pretty good. I do have a 240v in my kitchen and a smaller 10g kettle but the outlet is a little hard to reach. But I could make it work. Would their be any reason 1-2 120v elements into a temp controller Plugged into two different outlets would work? Or would the induction burner be the cheapest and best option you think? I do have a spare temp controller at the moment too
If the wiring is fraying that may well become a hazard, so maybe it's time to fix it or push for a complete replacement from the manufacturer. Some items rolling off the assembly belt
are lemons.
Now 3 years is likely well outside a manufacturer's usually already pathetic warranty window, and chances are you have to pick up the cost of shipping it to them, and they may not even do a thing and ship it right back, even if it were just for kicks.
Not to say your Grainfather is toast and should be scrapped, but you may want to consider a backup of some sort to keep brewing while your Grainfather is off duty.
The IC3500 cost around $180 from Webstaurant.com. It had a 3-4' cord with a NEMA 6-20 plug. You can probably buy or make an extension/adapter cord to reach your 240V outlet. Do a search, there are quite a few threads already on this unit and brewing applications.
For induction, your (stainless) kettle needs to be "induction friendly." Sometimes there's a stamp or symbol on the bottom pointing to that.
If a magnet sticks to your kettle, it definitely is. If a magnet doesn't stick to your stainless kettle, it may still work fine on induction, but you need to test it on an an actual induction unit.
The best kettles for induction are the ones with a thick, tri-ply bottom, an aluminum disk sandwiched between the vessel's stainless inside bottom and the stainless outer bottom. They spread the heat better, lowering the risk of potential scorching. For reference, all the heat is generated in a small 5-6" diameter round area. I accidentally scorched some chicken carcass in my (cheap) single bottomed 8 gallon spare kettle, when making soup stock a few weeks ago. I found a 1.5" wide, 1/16" thick black carbonized patch on the bottom, that after scrubbing out (using BKF) had left a permanent blue heat mark in the metal underneath. The soup stock turned out fine, although I could detect an ever so slight smoky flavor...
Two 1500-2000W elements, one on an on/off switch the other on a controller, fed by separate circuits will surely work fine too. Try to get the lowest heat density elements, the long, folded over ones are better in that regard than the single loops. They make ULWD 240V long ripple elements for that purpose. You do need good GFCI protection on each circuit, and a well grounded kettle. You can even bridge both circuits to get 240V, 15-20 amp if they're on opposite phases. For using as such, buy a spa panel to get your proper GFCI protection for $75, and make it "portable."
Again, there are many threads here on electric brewing, plenty of information to inform yourself well.
Good luck!
And please keep us informed on progress with your Grainfather woes.