Can I mash on low wattage?

[AdamTheBoater]

Hi All,
I have made home brew in the cheapest way possible in the past with fluctuating results! I am now looking at getting set up with an 'all-in-one' system such as the Brewzilla 3.1.1. Or something similar if my research finds a better system within my budget.

My question is whether or not it is possible to brew successfully using such a system on a low wattage setting? The reason for this is that I live on a narrowboat and it's generally not a good idea to run any appliances that draw a large current. I have noted that many of the 'all-in-one' mash and boil pieces of kit either have two heating circuits, one at say 500W and he other maybe 1900W, or a variable heating circuit, for example, the Brew Monk that can be set at pretty much any wattage up to 2500W.

I understand that mashing isn't so much of a problem - I can just wait for the starting temperature to be reached no matter how long that may take. But once the mash is finished and we're onto the boil, how important is it to get the wort up to the boil quickly? Also, would I even be able to get it up to the boil only using a low wattage circuit, say at 500W?

Clearly, I don't want to lash out a few hundred quid on a brewing set up only to find that I can't operate the system using relatively low power. So, it would be really helpful if anyone could shed some light on my query.

Many thanks in advance
Adam

 

[foxbat]

I doubt you'll find a pot well insulated enough to bring a 23 litre batch to the boil on 500W. Have you considered doing small batches or is bottled gas allowed on your boat?

 

[chopps]

My generic Ace/Brewdevil/Mundschenk/Beertorrent etc 30L will mash at 500W no trouble. I get a decentish boil at 1800W but 2000W+ for a big rolling boil. I dont have it in a jacket but it’s semi indoors (shed)

 

[Horners]

I have a Klarstein which has either 1500W or 3000W that I now use for HLT but from memory even once it was at rolling boil via the higher setting it struggled with a rolling boil if I dropped it back down to 1500 in say ambient temps of 10C.

 

[jof]

I havn't seen a gas powered 'all in one' system,
But you can certainly get gas boilers with false bottoms if you are willing to compromise

My local shop has them, so they must be available elsewhere too
Page of all boilers - showing both gas and electric

 

[Henders]

I have a Klarstein which has either 1500W or 3000W that I now use for HLT but from memory even once it was at rolling boil via the higher setting it struggled with a rolling boil if I dropped it back down to 1500 in say ambient temps of 10C.

Yeah I'll second this, mostly. I have tended to bring it up to temp on 3kw - though as far as I'm concerned I could take all day to do this if needed, there's nothing happening so I only use 3kw because I can. I then leave it to boil on the 1.5kw because I don't like to see the silly smart meter looking so sad :P. Nothing's gone wrong so far, but obviously everyone's situation/altitude/water/cat's favourite food is different.

500W yeah, that's in the realm of having 6 metres of insulation and a sealed lid shirley. i.e. implausible. I think @jof has the best bet, i.e. gas. Unless you can fathom a way to collect/dispense higher currents for ~2-3 hours of 'brewing stuff time'.

 

[Joust]

Fire!

 

[kelper]

Also consider the amount of steam produced. You don't want to add all that humidity in a narrowboat. I think you would have to do the boil outside and with gas.

2kw for an hour is going to knacker your batteries. What is number and capacity of your batteries? How much is the output of your inverter. Or are you in a marina with hookup?

 

[terrym]

Mobile generator for power supply, suitably rated
Here's one.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Böhmer-AG-.../B079FY8H9X/ref=psdc_4370158031_t3_B00UX8VABC

 

[AdamTheBoater]

Many thanks for all your responses...

I'm based in a marina, so have 240v hookup in terms of power. However, the wiring on my boat is ancient and the cabling down one side has already given up. I used a 2KW kettle on this ring and my electrician reckoned it was that that caused the problem. So, naturally, I'm worried about operating anything with that kind of draw. I think I'd be okay running a brewer at, say, 1000W for as long as it takes but anything over that may cause problems.

I have a gas cooker, so could, in theory, use a 30L kettle to mash and boil as suggested above. But I can foresee that getting messy and I wouldn't be able to filter using a pump etc. I suppose I'd have to BIAB in this case.

It doesn't sound like I'd get a decent rolling boil at 1000W, even with the best insulation. I might cry!

The only option I can think of would be to run an extension lead directly from the electric post, but then I'd be without electricity within the rest of the boat whilst I was mashing and boiling...

 

[kelper]

@AdamTheBoater I think you should get the boat's wiring fixed before spending cash on brewing equipment

 

[cushyno]

You could consider no-boil. While it's definitely more grainy tasting, you only need to raise the temperature to 75degC for 10 minutes to pasteurise the wort after mashing. You'll save on electricity charges and avoid any big current demands.
You can boil hops in a hop tea to get bitterness.

 

[kelper]

You could run an extension to the hookup point and connect your boat at the same time with a splitter and just keep the boat consumption to a minimum while you boil.

 

[AdamTheBoater]

You could run an extension to the hookup point and connect your boat at the same time with a splitter and just keep the boat consumption to a minimum while you boil.

View attachment 31367

You could run an extension to the hookup point and connect your boat at the same time with a splitter and just keep the boat consumption to a minimum while you boil.

View attachment 31367

This is an awesome suggestion and may be the solution. I'll look into it. Many thanks!

 

[AdamTheBoater]

@AdamTheBoater I think you should get the boat's wiring fixed before spending cash on brewing equipment

Thanks again for everyone's comments. @kelper, you are right! I'm going to get my wiring fixed. Then I can brew with confidence!
Cheers!