There’s One PROBLEM with my HOME BREWERY | Hops & Gnarly Home Brewery | Ft. NewAir Garage Heater G56

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I'm amazed your breaker hasn't tripped, I'd highly recommend a separate circuit if you're pulling that much load while brewing.

[@AlbeeSoaring]

Some small strategic holes in the paneling can allow you to use expandable foam.

[@AreYouFor86]

Totally understand. I brew in my uninsulated detached garage. Luckily it came with a chimney finding a cheap used wood burning stove and now I'm brewing all year round.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

That sounds even better!

[@skroz1]

Dan, I strongly encourage you to consult with an electrician ASAP. The heater is rated for 5600 watts, and depending on which brewery system you're using the heating elements could require anywhere from 3600 watts up to 5600. Your 30 A circuit can operate at 7200 watts for short periods without tripping, but the circuit is only meant to operate at 80% of max rating for a continuous load like a heater/heating element. 80% of a 30 A @ 240 V is 5600 watts... not coincidentally the maximum rating for your heater. Running the heater while ramping up to boil -- a prolonged period when the heating element is running -- could produce an extremely dangerous situation. No joke, man... consult an electrician. That splitter will get HOT at the start of your brew day when the garage and your water are cold and both appliances are running at the same time for a longer period of time.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Thank you! I’ll call him over! This is just a hunch but I wonder if the heater is just using up whatever power is left in the circuit and running well below that 5600 watts. We’ll see what the electrician says 🤘🏼

[@skroz1]

​@@HopsANDgnarly Unfortunately that is not how electricity works. The load _pulls_ current from the source... the source does not push current to the load. That's why we say things like "it's drawing 20 amps" if we're talking about current or "drawing 1500 watts." if we're talking about power. Your household service will keep on supplying current until a circuit breaker trips or something catches on fire (breaking the circuit.) If you're hearing your heater's fan slow down when the brew stand kicks on it's because of a voltage drop. But the exact same current is still being drawn when that happens, and your fire risk does not decrease. If anything that slowing fan is an indication that something is wrong. A circuit breaker's main purpose is to address faults, not necessarily protect against too much stuff being plugged in (though breakers will eventually do that, too.) They'll respond very quickly when a short circuit occurs because a short circuit draws hundreds of amps. A GFCI breaker (which you should also definitely have on your brewery circuit) will also respond in milliseconds if current is going somewhere it's not supposed to, and an AFCI breaker will trip if there's any arcing detected. But none of those breaker types will respond quickly if you meet the maximum current rating, and in fact can take quite some time to trip if you've only exceeded the rating by a small amount. The main source of concern when reaching the amperage rating of your wire (or breaker) is not the wire itself, but rather the junctions. Places where conductors meet have much higher resistance, and will therefore heat up under heavy load. For short periods of time this is fine because the heat is quickly dissipated into the copper wires, but the load is sustained these junctions will continue to heat and can eventually cause a fire. Heaters are notorious for this issue, and your brew stand is essentially just a giant heater.

[@Sjorsbikes]

Was hoping to see this comment - add a dedicated breaker for that heater

[@finspin4984]

Have you looked into spray in insulation?

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Haven’t had it quoted but that’s my long term goal. I think we’ll probably move to a new house before I take that step

[@PartyTimeBrewing]

Looks like a good piece of kit for the cold days. Another option would be just to spray foam over everything in your garage. Could give it that nice warm cave feel. Cheers!

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Honestly not a bad idea 🍻🍻

[@ParabolicDestination]

Heard of a diesel air heater? 120 to 12v step down adapter, plug into wall and put through wall exhaust fitting. All for around $200-$240. 1 gallon of diesel is enough to heat your garage by ~30+F for around 10 hours. Can also use for camping off of portable power and straight 12v. Just don’t forget the CO meter for safety!

[@HopsANDgnarly]

That’d be awesome to use it for camping and brewing! Good idea!

[@JamesChurchill3]

I would look at one of those diesel heaters, uses almost no fuel and needs just a small port drilling through the wall to exhaust externally.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

That’s a good idea! I’ve looked at those for our camping trailer

[@NykolaiMcherron]

Doesn't get that cold where I am. But when it is a windy/rainy day. I usually leave the garage door closed until I've finished the sparge and have started the boil :)

[@thehoppyhour6297]

killer vid braj!

[@eddy_with_a_y]

I'm picturing a nice, little, wood stove. Seems like something you could pull off, and seems very "on brand" if that makes any sense.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Dude that’s the dream! I think insurance companies can’t help but shit their pants when they see a wood stove but maybe there’s a way

[@cheyneharvey5566]

I'm going through a garage remodel myself right now! Nothing huge. I usually brew in my kitchen but moving everything into the garage, so I'm running 240V for my system and a mini split garage AC (w/ heat). New epoxy floors going in this weekend.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Sounds awesome! Mini split would be perfect

[@michaelbottero2771]

Dan you could line the walls with cool room panels it will go straight over the plywood

[@HopsANDgnarly]

That’s genius!

[@NWsmallbatchBrewing]

I have the same problem with getting a 240 upgrade for my clawhammer. My house has those 3 prong 240 outlets and the clawhammer has a 4 prong plug. Too bad they aren't all universal.

[@skroz1]

The Clawhammer controller has a four prong NEMA 14-30 plug (hot-hot-neutral-ground) because it is also running a pump, which operates at 120V. That extra prong/conductor is for the neutral (the three-prong L6-30 or non-locking 6-30 is hot-hot-ground), which is required to operate the pump. The internal electronics also operate at 120V, so you can't just YOLO it, put on a hot-hot-ground plug (like an L6-30), leave the neutral unconnected, and run the pump separately. Older homes might have 3-wire hot-hot-ground receptacle like a 6-30 for a dryer or range, but newer homes will have a four prong receptacle like a 14-30 or 14-50 for those appliances. If you're going to install a new circuit in your garage for a brewery, consider a NEMA 14-50 that you could re-use for an EV charger down the road. Even if you don't plan on buying an EV, it helps with the resale value!

[@NWsmallbatchBrewing]

@@skroz1 🤓 Smart thinking

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Scott coming in clutch!

[@davidfoxton7905]

Is that not just a waste of energy and GHG? As homebrewers we are already not very ghg efficient! Drill hole and spray some insulation in ❤

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Love that idea!

[@floridave]

That is why I brew in the basement. Way too cold to brew in the winter where it gets to -30c / -22f some days.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Sounds like the place to be right about now!

[@DFDSArt]

Electricty is still very cheap in the U.S., Right? We pay atm 0.40 euro Cents per KW /h🙈

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Yikes!

[@NathanKraemer]

Might be smart...

[@poisonpotato1]

Don't do this at home kids