NOVEMBER 2012 UPDATE: This control panel is available in pre-built or kit form through the control panel order page.
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These instructions show you how to adapt our standard setup in order to produce larger volumes of finished product. This mostly involves changes to our standard 30A control panel build instructions to build a higher power 50A control panel, capable of providing more power per kettle.
FAQ
When would I want a 50A control panel for 30+ gallons?
Our standard 30A control panel is adequate for brewers looking to produce up to around 20 gallons of finished product. A single 5500W element is used in both the boil kettle and hot liquor tank.
To produce 30 gallons or more, some brewers prefer to have more power for faster heating (ramp) times and to ensure a vigorous boil regardless of ambient temperature. With the 50A control panel for 30+ gallons the single 5500W elements are replaced with two 4500W elements for a total of 9000W per kettle. Consider this control panel for if you're interested in producing more than 20 gallons of finished product and wish to speed up your brew day. If you're consistently producing 30 gallons or more then we highly recommend this control panel be used.
Only brewing smaller (5-20 gallon) batches now but may want to go bigger in the future? Consider this 50A control panel for 30+ gallons. It will let you use one element per kettle now, and and add a second in the future for more power.
Are there any downsides to using this control panel?
Cost is the only downside. 50A components and wiring are more expensive than similar 30A rated items. Unless you want to consistently brew over 20 gallons at once or wish to upgrade in the future, we recommend sticking with the original 30 amp control panel design. Many brewers producing 20 gallons per batch are happily using 5500W per kettle with the standard 30A control panel. Some 1 bbl (31 gallon) brewers are also successfully using the standard 30A control panel. Others who only occasionaly want to brew larger batches will brew two separate batches and combine them.
Can I use this control panel to brew less than 20 gallons?
Yes. More power simply means faster heating. Some brewers will use a 50A control panel to be future proof. It gives them the capability to add more power with a larger future setup without having to replace or modify the control panel. If one of the heating elements will not be submersed when brewing smaller batches, that heating element should be unplugged from the control panel. The control panel will still operate normally.
Can I unplug one of the heating elements when making smaller batches?
Yes. See above.
How much faster does 9000W heat compared to 5500W?
A 5500W heating element such as the one we use with our standard 30A control panel will raise the temperature of 1 gallon of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit in approximately 1.6 seconds. 9000W reduces this time to 1.0 seconds.
Some real world examples:
- Heat 30 gallons of strike water from 70F to 155F: 68 minutes with 5500W, 42 minutes with 9000W
- Bring 24 gallons of wort from 150F to boil: 40 minutes with 5500W, 24 minutes with 9000W
What changes are needed to upgrade from 30A to 50A?
All of the 30A devices (and wiring) in the control panel are upgraded to 50A and we add one extra element to both the Boil Kettle and hot liquor tank. The 30A standard dryer outlet is replaced with a 50A stove outlet. See below for complete details on the changes required.
Are instructions available for countries that run at 220-240V?
No, not at this time. These instructions are for use in North America or other countries where the mains power is 120V. To adapt for 240V countries these instructions would have to be merged with our FAQ: Control Panel changes for 220-240V countries article. At this time that exercise is left up to the reader.
Can I use two 5500W elements (11000W total) instead of two 4500W elements (9000W total)?
Maybe. Before using dual 5500W elements, check with your local electrical authority or your electrician to confirm that the additional power draw is allowed on your 50 amp circuit. The electrical code varies from location to location.
Generally speaking, the electrical code in most locations requires that you do not use more than 80% of a circuit's capacity. On a 50A/240V circuit 11000W uses 92% (45.8A) while 9000W uses only 75% (37.5A).
This topic is a point of debate amongst electric brewers as it is somewhat open to individual interpretation of the electrical code (which varies by region). The electrical code in the US and many other places states "the wiring for a continuously loaded appliance without a motor needs to be rated at 125% of the marked rating of that appliance". In other words, do not use more than 80% capacity which with a 50A circuit would be 40A, or 9600W. The electrical code defines a continuous load as "A load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more" and goes further to state that "A fixed storage-type water heater that has a capacity of 120 gal or less shall be considered a continuous load". The arguments made for and against using 11000W on a 50A circuit typically revolve around whether someone thinks that the elements will be fired for more than 3 hours continuously and/or whether or not an electric brewing setup is classified as a "fixed storage-type water heater" (given that we use the electric heating elements found in hot water tanks and the functionality is somewhat similar).
For further information please contact your local electrical authority or speak to an electrician.
Could I not upgrade to 60A parts if I wanted to use 11000W and stay within the 80% rule?
Yes, but 60A parts are more expensive and harder to find as they are specialized (not standardized). For example, there is no NEMA standard for 60 amp plugs/receptacles. Devices above 50A typically need to be hard-wired which itself introduces complexities and other concerns.
Do I still need to use a ground fault interrupter (GFI)?
Yes. A GFI is required for safety reasons. In most cases this will be done with a 50A/240V 2-pole GFI breaker in the electrical breaker panel. For more information on GFIs see STEP 1: Supply power of our Control Panel build instructions.
Do I need a larger enclosure?
Two extra element receptacles are required on the bottom of the enclosure. There is room on the standard 16x16x8" enclosure we use if you're careful about placement (see below for pictures). Consider using a larger 20x20x8" enclosure for more room to work in. Keep in mind that the control layout may have the be re-thought if a larger enclosure is used and the handles may not be long enough. Our pre-built control panels and kits all use the same 16x16x8" enclosure.
Can a buy a control panel kit that includes all the parts I need already included?
Yes. We can supply control panel kits for any country that runs at 110-120V power. See our control panel order page.
Can I buy this control panel completely assembled and tested?
Yes. See our control panel order page. Like our standard 30A panel the enclosure is professional cut and painted to our specifications and then wired, tested, and calibrated. Pictures are available below.
PICTURES
Below are some pictures of our pre-built 50A control panel for 30+ gallons. From the front it appears just like the standard 30A panel:
Below are two extra heating element receptacles and a beefier 50A power input receptacle:
On the inside most of the 30A wiring and components have been upgraded to 50A and extra fuses are added to protect the 30A heating element wiring:
WIRING/PART CHANGES
The wiring dagrams below replace the standard 30A control panel wiring diagrams, where changes are required. It is important that you still read the text and instructions for our standard 30A control panel build to make sure nothing important is missed. Often hints, tips or caveats are given. Do not build only using the diagrams below. You will most likely miss things.
The stove cord has 4 conductors (2 HOTS, 1 NEUTRAL, and GROUND) and a NEMA 14-50R plug on the end. You will need to install a 240V/50A circuit in the house terminated with a NEMA 14-50R receptacle on the wall to power the control panel. The power cord plugs into this receptacle which looks like this:
This circuit should be wired to a 50 amp 2-pole GFI breaker in the electrical breaker panel using the correct size wire between the two (6 ga wire by most electrical codes). The breaker must be 50 amps and not larger in order to protect the 6 ga wiring in the control panel.
Note that stoves typically come in 40 and 50 amp varieties with 40 amp being the more common of the two. In most houses stove circuits will only be 40 amps (typically a 40 amp breaker in the panel and 8 ga wire) since home builders do whatever is cheapest. 40A is not enough. The circuit must be able to deliver 50 amps for this 50 amp control panel. If you're wiring up a new stove outlet make sure to tell your electrician that you require a 50 amp circuit, not 40 amp. The actual receptacle you plug the stove into is usually rated 50 amps even for 40 amp circuits (since the plug is the same) but the wiring in the wall and the breaker in the panel itself will only be rated to 40 amps.
POWER INPUT
The power in receptacle and relay are changed to handle the larger 50A load. 50A relays are difficult to find so a contactor is used instead. A relay and contactor (the terms are often used interchangeably) work the same way but contactors are generally rated for higher power. Some of the 10 gauge wire is replaced with 6 gauge to handle the 50A load. Any ring terminals or connectors (if used) for connecting the 6 ga wire must also be rated for at least 50 amps.
Part changes:
(Qty: 1) 2 pole 50A/240VAC contactor with 120V coil (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
(Qty: 1) 50 Amp 125/250 Volt AC Locking Grounded California-Style receptacle (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
(> 1 foot) Black 6 gauge type T90/THWN/THHN wire (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
Wiring diagram (changes are shown in yellow):
GROUND
Two extra ground wires are required for the two new element receptacles. The ground wire from the power input receptacle is increased from 10 to 6 gauge. There is likely not enough room on the enclosure ground post for all these ground wires so we recommend using a 10 terminal ground bar on the back plate. Make sure to connect the door and enclosure ground posts to the ground bar as well. Any ring terminals or connectors (if used) for connecting the 6 ga wire must also be rated for at least 50 amps.
Part changes:
(Qty: 1) 10 terminal ground bar (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
(4 feet) Green 10 gauge type T90/THWN/THHN wire (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
(2 feet) Green 6 gauge type T90/THWN/THHN wire (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
Wiring diagram (changes are shown in yellow):
VOLT AND AMP METERS
The boil relay is changed to a contactor to handle the larger 50A load. 50A relays are difficult to find so a contactor is used instead.
Part changes:
(Qty: 1) 2 pole 50A/240VAC contactor with 120V coil (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
Wiring diagram (changes are shown in yellow):
PUMPS
There are no changes to the pump wiring.
PID CONTROLLERS
The SSRs are upgrade from 40A to 80A to handle the increased load. 9000W at 240V pulls 37.5 amps so technically the 40A SSR used in our standard 30A control panel may be used. It makes sense however to move up to the next step (80A) as the cost difference is minimal and provides some headroom. The custom heatsink we designed is more than large enough.
There are no changes to the timer and alarm wiring.
HEATING ELEMENTS
The last 30A relay is changed to a 50A contactor. Two extra element receptacles are added and wired in parallel (not series) to the existing elements. Some of the 10 gauge wire is replaced with 6 gauge to handle the 50A load. 30A fuses are added to protect the 30A element receptacles and wiring. Why? On the standard 30A control panel the 30A circuit breaker in the electrical panel wall protects the 10 ga wiring so additional fuses are not required. With this 50A panel the 50A circuit breaker in the electrical panel protects the 6ga wiring but we now need to add protection for the smaller 10ga wiring between the contactors and the kettles (both inside the panel and out). Any ring terminals or connectors (if used) for connecting the 6 ga wire must also be rated for at least 50 amps.
Part changes:
(Qty: 1) 2 pole 50A/240VAC contactor with 120V coil (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
(Qty: 2) NEMA L6-30 (250VAC/30A) twist lock electrical female receptacle (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
(7 feet) Black 6 gauge type T90/THWN/THHN wire (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
(4 feet) Red 6 gauge type T90/THWN/THHN wire (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
(Qty: 8) 30A 250V fast blow glass fuse (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
(Qty: 8) 30A 250V glass fuse holder (Buy at: Amazon.com, eBay.com)
Wiring diagram (changes are shown in yellow):
SAFE START INTERLOCK
The power in receptacle and relay were changed to handle the larger 50A load as described previously. No further changes are required.
Nothing else in the control panel changes since the rest is all low current 120V. All the switches and how the panel operates remains identical. You just now have twice as much power in each kettle.
They’re likely a better match for a setup that uses twice the power. The inlet is a full 1” which like the pumps I use (3/4” inlet) helps reduce cavitation/priming problems. This larger inlet is important. You’ll get about twice the flow rate (17 gpm max) as compared to the pumps I use (7 gpm max) which should help with ramp times too when doing step mashes.
Anyone looking at a serious 1 bbl setup needs to stay away from the polysulfone (plastic) heads. They're brittle. That much is sure.
Note that both pumps are notoriously out of stock constantly so if you see them available jump on them. I had to wait 3-4 months for mine after placing my order!
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 2792 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Torpedo Extra IPA, Fullers ESB, English Pub Ale, Janet's Brown Ale, Czech Pils, Hopslam, Ruthless Rye IPA
Working on: Electric Hop Stand APA, Belgian Wit
Link Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:45 pm Post subject:
While it may be obvious to most, to brew a full barrel (31 gallons) you are going to need three Blichmann 55 gallon kettles instead of the 20 gallon ones shown in my pictures.
To remain 100% flexible, you typically want the kettles to be twice the size of the finished beer you want to produce. Some may find this overkill, for example, the MLT could be smaller if you only ever brew average gravity beers. But one day you may decide that 12% barley wines are all you want to drink.
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 2792 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Torpedo Extra IPA, Fullers ESB, English Pub Ale, Janet's Brown Ale, Czech Pils, Hopslam, Ruthless Rye IPA
Working on: Electric Hop Stand APA, Belgian Wit
Link Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 2:42 pm Post subject:
Two 4500W elements (9000W) total is 18.75 amps per element or 37.5 amps total. 80% of the 50 amp limit would be 40 amps which leaves enough room for a couple of pumps and still be within the 80% limit. The lights/pids/timer take negligible power.
There seem to be two different popular 4500W elements available:
This way the panel is designed around 50A components and 4500W elements should be used, but someone could always use one 4500 and one 5500 if they wanted, or two 5500 (I can't stop them). They just need to understand that using more than 9000W would likely break US NEC code in some spots.
Link Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 1:41 pm Post subject: Kai - will you sell the modified panels?
Kai - would you sell the modified panels? Someone may have asked you this, too, but is there any reason that your controls will not work with the HERMS/RIMS version of the Stout Tanks and Kettles HLT, MT, and Boil vessels? Thanks, Harold
Joined: 10 May 2011 Posts: 9 Location: Philadelphia
Link Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 1:26 pm Post subject:
Hi Kal. Thanks for the great website. It can get overwhelming sifting through all the information out there about homebrewing but you've done a great job putting everything into a clear and focused set of plans. So my question is would someone be able to use a 60 amp receptacle, connector and cord instead of the 50 amp you have spec'd? Wouldn't that give you enough power to run 2 5500 watt heaters? Theres probably an obvious answer but I know very little about electricity.
Thanks again
Kenny
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 2792 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Torpedo Extra IPA, Fullers ESB, English Pub Ale, Janet's Brown Ale, Czech Pils, Hopslam, Ruthless Rye IPA
Working on: Electric Hop Stand APA, Belgian Wit
Link Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 2:06 pm Post subject:
Kenny wrote:
Hi Kal. Thanks for the great website. It can get overwhelming sifting through all the information out there about homebrewing but you've done a great job putting everything into a clear and focused set of plans. So my question is would someone be able to use a 60 amp receptacle, connector and cord instead of the 50 amp you have spec'd? Wouldn't that give you enough power to run 2 5500 watt heaters? Theres probably an obvious answer but I know very little about electricity.
Thanks again
Kenny
Hi Kenny,
Yes you can use a 60A plug and receptacle for the power input on the control panel. The problem is that there's no standard 60A plug/receptacle that exists really - they're very hard to find and non-standard. The other issue is that assming you do make up a power cord for it, where do you plug it in for power? There's no standard outlet you can use like the dryer outlet in our 30A setup or stove outlet in our 50A setup. You need hardwire it into your house's electrical panel most likely. So yes, it can be done but we can't really show someone how to do this.
Joined: 10 May 2011 Posts: 9 Location: Philadelphia
Link Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 5:45 pm Post subject:
Thanks for the quick response. I guess that explains why I was having such a hard time finding 60 amp parts. They don't really exist. On a side note, I just got my control panel enclosure today and it is massive. I wanted to make sure I'd have enough room so the one i got is 20x20x8". Maybe if I'm lucky I'll have enough space left over to add a small TV. What would be better than watching baseball and making beer? Maybe watching baseball and drinking beer. But what would be better than drinking beer while making beer and watching baseball?
Joined: 10 May 2011 Posts: 9 Location: Philadelphia
Link Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 1:05 pm Post subject:
I've got nothing against hockey I'm just still trying to forget about the Flyers postseason this year. So I have another basic question about wiring the control panel. Do I need to find special buses for the increased load or will the ones that are linked to in the original parts list still work? I think it says they're rated for 20 amps. I'm starting to wish I would've just ordered one of the parts kits but I already had many of the components ordered
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 2792 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Torpedo Extra IPA, Fullers ESB, English Pub Ale, Janet's Brown Ale, Czech Pils, Hopslam, Ruthless Rye IPA
Working on: Electric Hop Stand APA, Belgian Wit
Link Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 11:31 pm Post subject:
Kenny wrote:
I've got nothing against hockey I'm just still trying to forget about the Flyers postseason this year. So I have another basic question about wiring the control panel. Do I need to find special buses for the increased load or will the ones that are linked to in the original parts list still work? I think it says they're rated for 20 amps. I'm starting to wish I would've just ordered one of the parts kits but I already had many of the components ordered
Only the low powered items use the buses so they're fine. The high powered elements use direct wiring. This is why the buses weren't listed on items that need to be upgraded.
Joined: 10 May 2011 Posts: 9 Location: Philadelphia
Link Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 4:12 pm Post subject: 1 barrel brew day
Here's some pictures of my kinda finished one barrel system. Before anyone comments- I know the garage is a mess, yes the barrels are food grade, no the temp probes were not working (I had the white wires connected to the wrong terminals), and neither was the the timer or volt meter (fixed the timer thanks to Jay in Jersey's post on Homebrewtalk) (still need to troubleshoot the voltmeter) But other than that everything went well. Oh and I ended up boiling in the HLT because the elements in the boil kettle were tripping the GFCI. But other than that everything went well. My belgian dubbel is fermenting right now and should be ready to bottle soon. If anyone else is trying to build a one barrel system and has any questions I might not be the best person to ask but I'll defitinely do my best to help
Link Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 7:40 pm Post subject:
Would you happen to have any additional pics or dimensions on your stand? I'm looking at doing a similar set-up with barrels, so any advice you have would be helpful.
Joined: 10 May 2011 Posts: 9 Location: Philadelphia
Link Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 1:23 am Post subject:
Yeah I have a cad drawing of it at work. Ill post it on Monday. The actual stand is a little different than the drawing because I had a friend weld it and he decided to follow a drunken napkin sketch instead of the pdf. Oh well. It works so as long as the welds dont break I cant be too mad. Itll cost you about twice as much to do stainless but I think its definitely worth it. I kinda slide the barrels off the stand to clean them because theyre heavy. I think they'd scratch off any paint pretty quickly. Theres a guy on homebrewtalk.com that makes custom stands for one barrel systems too. I cant say anything about them from personal experience but they looked decent and the price seemed good too.
It looks like only one picture uploaded. Ill see if I can post some more of them later too.
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Joined: 10 May 2011
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