[soymateofeo]

I may be asking older brewers on this one.  I have a 3 vessel system made of  a keggle HLT, a Cooler Mash Tun, and a Keggle Boil Kettle.  I use these with propane and make 5 gallon batches.

My buddy just gave me 3 bayou classic 10 gallon pots with ball valves that are in great condition.  In my mind, I am thinking of getting rid of my keggles and putting a 1650 watt triclamp element in one of the pots as a boil kettle and running it with my inkbird ipb-16s PID. I have a 1650 watt heat stick that I am going to use to help boil. When I started brewing 20+ years ago, there weren't any bayou classic brew kettles.  Has anybody made a switch from keggles to 10 gallon brew kettles?  Again, in my mind it seems like a good move for my shoulders and my brewing plans.  I don't brew over 5 gallon batches and I usually use my mash and boil. But on that day when I want a 3 vessel or 2 vessel system, I want it to be easy on my shoulders and ... you know where I am going.  Any insights from any of you who have made the switch?  Thanks!

[Kevin]

I switched from 3 keggles to 3 stainless kettles... one being a Bayou Classic and two Blichmann G2 kettles. The biggest difference is weight. The SS kettles are much easier to handle. 15 gallon kettles imo are a better size than 10 however. I like to make big barley wines and imperial stouts with huge grain bills. They fit great in a 15 gallon mash kettle but I'm skeptical how well a 10 gal would work. My boil volumes are often somewhere between 8 and 9 gallons as well and I wouldn't be comfortable with just 1 gallon of headspace on a boil.

[waltsmalt]

My first system was a 3 vessel system with keggles (HLT, Mash, and BK).  All propaned fired.  Then I switched from that to a 3 vessel system with 20 gallon Mega Pots (from Northern Brewer) for all three vessels.  Electric elements in the HLT and BK, with the HLT containing a HERMS coil.  It's all based on The Electric Brewery.  I also moved to a dedicated room in the basement with ventilation for the steam.

I've never regretted once making the change to electric.  The pots, while still a bit heavy, are lighter than keggles.  Keggles are extremely inefficient and take forever to heat.  I miss being outside on a nice fall day in MN, but the rest of the year I'm thankful to be inside.   

Happy to answer any other questions.  I would recommend looking at www.theelectricbrewery.com if you are considering making the change to electric.