Buffalo induction hob & Timer

[fuzzy]

Can anyone who uses a buffalo 3kw induction hob tell me if they have ever used these with a timer at all please? I did hear that some people may have damaged theirs by doing that but I wasn’t sure if that was just for the higher kw settings or not.

I wanted to get my strike water heating up automatically to save me some time while doing an evening brew so I would be looking to set this around 1kw to 1.5kw. Has anyone had any problems doing this on the Buffalo Induction hob?

Cheers

 

[stigman]

3kw is pushing 13amps depending on your voltage, so yes you would burn out a standard 13A timer, just turn it down and it will be fine.

 

[fuzzy]

3kw is pushing 13amps depending on your voltage, so yes you would burn out a standard 13A timer, just turn it down and it will be fine.

Thanks stigman, my time clock will be fine but it was damage to the Induction Hob itself I had heard could be an issue, sorry I should written that a bit clearer in my question.

The info I had was not backed up with any details so just wondered if any Buffalo Induction Hobs users have experienced any damaged to their hobs from turning it on via a time clock say at half load, I just wondered if that was OK for the hob's circuits or not as 40 quid for a new hob PCB board could be a sore experiment to try. :electric:

 

[stigman]

Ah i see, I can't see why there would be any problem, it's only like switching it on directly from the socket with the hob switched on already. Don't take my word as gospel though, read your instructions and see if it says anything about switching on the appliance after mains power.

 

[The Idiot]

I have the Buffalo 3kw induction hob. It's a great bit of kit but does need a 'soft' start. It needs to be powered up, then switched on. The soft start is triggered by the switch. If it's switched by mains on/off, as it will be with a timer, you might kill it!

I use an old element-based boiler as an HLT for preheating. I wouldn't automatically switch any induction hob.

 

[stigman]

Don't listen to me I'm obviously an *****, listen to the *****.

 

[Brew_DD2]

I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these hobs. Would a 33l stainless steel pot fit on the ring ok? How long would you say it takes to bring 25 litres of wort to a boil?

 

[BeerCat]

I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these hobs. Would a 33l stainless steel pot fit on the ring ok? How long would you say it takes to bring 25 litres of wort to a boil?

Yes it will i have a 32l. It takes about 45mins to an hour at the moment but i have a cheap pot i need to insulate. Its radiating a lot of heat.

 

[fuzzy]

Don't listen to me I'm obviously an *****, listen to the *****.

:lol: not at all, Thanks for your help.

Thanks The *****, thats helpful. I think your suggestion of a element boiler for a preheat is the way to go.

I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these hobs. Would a 33l stainless steel pot fit on the ring ok?

One of the reasons I went for the Buffalo was I understand that some induction hobs have a safety mechanism where by if a pot is too large it wont operate at all so 33l + should be OK.

The glass induction plate size is 28cm x 28cm so when pots over hang the edges it should help spread the weight of the pots over the glass and frames. I have seen photos of people successfully using then with 70l pots that have been almost full on a regular basis.

:

 

[Brew_DD2]

Brilliant. Thanks for the replies chaps. I'd been reading about how it is more efficient than gas hit wasn't sure how it would stack up to a couple of standard kettle elements?

 

[fuzzy]

My reasons for going down induction route was to get me more flexibility on a brew day. I currently has a 3 vessel set up and brew outside under cover on propane. With a brew day taking 8 hours from set up to clean-up I just can’t commit to as many brews as I would like to do. Also I always feel I need to do at least a 5 gallon batch to make it worth my while which is sometimes more than I would want to do, especially if I just want to try a recipe or a new yeast.

An induction hob should allow me to try BIAB to save time on setting up and cleaning up my kit. I am hoping using an induction hob will get me brewing more often and increasing the variety of styles I have ready to drink at any one time. It means I can mash in the kitchen and boil outside under cover which should save me having to move around cylinders of propane and burners. So I should be able to fit in a brew day after work in the evenings now.

Brilliant. Thanks for the replies chaps. I'd been reading about how it is more efficient than gas hit wasn't sure how it would stack up to a couple of standard kettle elements?

I understand that an induction hobs is more energy efficient over gas as less heat is lost to the atmosphere. I have seen quoted that gas is 40% efficient and induction hobs are around 80%. I like to get a good strong boil going in the kettle, possibly more than is really needed, so I will probably stick with gas for larger batches but I will try the induction on a 5 gallon batch to see how it does. I am hoping using an induction hob will get me brewing more often and increasing the variety of styles I have ready to drink at any one time. :thumb:

 

[The Idiot]

I use mine with a 57 litre (15 gallon) SS Brewtech pot and nit works just fine. When it's cold in the brewery I have a single piece of that foil stuff you put behind radiators which I velcro around it, but typically it'll bring it to a boil in around 45 minutes.

EDIT: Just noticed that Nisbets have reduced them from 159.99 to 99.99 (plus VAT). I got mine for them for £74.99 but I've never seen them at that price since.

 

[fuzzy]

45 minutes is not to bad for 15 gallons boil. I'll see how I get on.

Thanks for the advice, I just got mine delivered from Nisbets yesterday at 99.99 plus VAT. So it's good to know it wasn't too bad a price just now but 74.99 plus VAT would have been even nicer.

Hoping to get a brew on in the next week so I'll find out how it goes. I'll get some foil bubble wrap on stand as the temperature is on the slide I think.


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[Chippy_Tea]

This video is brilliant -


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3AI1eQ50iE[/ame]

 

[BeerCat]

This video is brilliant -


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3AI1eQ50iE

Superb in the kitchen if you have kids as well.

 

[fuzzy]

Thanks Chippy_Tea although when my wife was concern for the bar of chocolates safety when she seen that !!

Just to let you know how I got on. I used the hob at the weekend for a brew and 25 litres of 20c water took 30 mins to heat to 70c.

I boiled outside where the temperature was around 15c, I was busy and forgot to measure the exact time it took to boil, but from mashout temperature of 75c to boiling of just over 20 liters it must have taken about 20-30 mins. I never used any insulation on the pot so I was quite impressed.

Comparing the boil to one using gas it was a steady boil, quite similar to using gas but as my gas burner can produce a few more KW's than the hob I did notice a difference. Its personnel preference I suppose on how strong a boil you want but the hob maintained a good boil throughout, I was not disappointed really.

The reason I wanted to use the hob was to try and reduce the time it takes to do a brew so I could fit a brew in the evening after work, so from a time saving point of view the 30 mins to strike temperature and 30 mins to boil does add to the length of the brew day a little more than I was hoping for. On the plus side it should help shorten the set up and clean up time (as I am using the hob just for BIAB) but to really benefit I will need to get an electric urn / boiler to help automate getting the strike water ready to start mashing when I get home from work.

Also on a side note, although a magnet will not stick to my Bergland stock pot, the induction hob worked just fine with it. I have read a few posts advising people to beware but it’s just to highlight that it does depend on how a pot has been manufactured. Just wanted to mention that in case the magnet test has put anyone off using an induction hob it’s not a full proof test.

PS thanks to all the other post recommending the Buffalo Hob, admittedly I’ve only used it for one brew but I am not disappointed.

Cheers

 

[joshhales]

I'm thinking on getting an induction hob as well but I do 10L batches at the moment to save space.

I'm thinking this...

http://www.catering-appliance.com/caterlite-cm352-induction-hob-2000w

...as it's less powerful and of course cheaper.

Do you think this is ok to boil 10-15L? Would I be able to go cheaper still (cheapskate).

 

[BeerCat]

I'm thinking on getting an induction hob as well but I do 10L batches at the moment to save space.

I'm thinking this...

http://www.catering-appliance.com/caterlite-cm352-induction-hob-2000w

...as it's less powerful and of course cheaper.

Do you think this is ok to boil 10-15L? Would I be able to go cheaper still (cheapskate).

Yes that would be fine for 15l. I bought a sh bufallo 3kw induction for £70 of ebay. Love it.

 

[joshhales]

Yes that would be fine for 15l. I bought a sh bufallo 3kw induction for �£70 of ebay. Love it.

Amazing, thanks BeerCat!

 

[fuzzy]

I understand that something to watch out for is that some hobs have a feature that if a pot overhangs / is outside the size limits they don't heat. Not sure how common that is but worth investigating. That's why I went with buffalo. It well tested by brewers and we'll built.


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