That sounds $$$$$$$$$$$$$
I will not be doing anything more than 9kW per vessel, that’s for sure - I don’t have the storage space for the extra volume that more power would be able to generate. Still, it’s good to know a ballpark. If I can say 5k, it’s pricey, but at least I know it’s doable and not in crazyland.
You own a subway? Man I love those things. Wish there was one closer to my house.
I don’t own anything, I lease space owned by my company to a Subway as well as other retailers. Subways, by the way, seem like a license to print money.
FWIW, overhead electric service would be significantly cheaper if they do it there. The could bring a line from the transformer (assuming it has capacity and hopefully it’s close by) and set a meter at your brewery building.
Here, I believe the cost of bringing the overhead line to the meter is not something they can charge you for, as they are obligate to provide the service. If, however, they “need” to upgrade equipment to provide your service they can and do pass that on to you.
That’s a good point, Joe. In my area they allow you $1000 dollars worth of installation service. This can include transformers, wires, etc. You are responsible for the rest including the cost of the meter base.
Ah, overhead, hadn’t thought of that. Everything’s buried around here, so I doubt that would work, but it’s indeed possible that they’ll pay for running some of the line. Sounds like at this point I really can’t do anything until I hear from the electrician… I’ll be sure to report back with what I find out…
Good luck.
The only advice I can offer is don’t scrimp too much on parts. Running a little heavier wire or buying a larger panel may cost a little more now, but to completely replace them later will cost a whole lot more.
You can look into aluminum wire, rather than copper. You need to go with a thicker gauge, but it’s still typically cheaper.
I’m not sure if you can use aluminum for distribution, I know it’s used for main service lines.
Phil,
Thirsty_Monk has a home grown electric brewhouse. PM him and see how he controls his elements. I think he has 6 in his kettle.
I always thought the electric car plug in stations under the parking lot array were cool even if they remain largely unused.
Back again - So an electrician here says the 100 Amp box doesn’t sound right to him, that it’s because you guys are thinking in American voltage. Can someone check my math? The heat sticks are 4500 watt 230V, and my power supply is 230V, the calculation for amps required is w/v * 1.2, right? == 23 Amps with safety margin. He said he wasn’t sure because he said all houses here are on 60amp, even most big restaurants. 200 amp is almost never seen except for giant factories, and 100 amp is only really used for huge buildings. Does this sound right? I trust the guy, but I don’t understand the theory and would like to.
Yes, he’s right except that you are talking about 4 x 4500W elements, right? So at 230V that’s 92A with all of them running.
Does it matter that it’s tri-phase and not dual phase?
Yes, you divide by 1.73 (sqrt of 3), so 53A ish. So maybe a 60A circuit would be ok, if you didn’t plan to run much else on it. Btw, I could be completely wrong, I’d trust the electrician over me on this subject every day of the week. 
I agree with Tom. Trust the electrician. Have a second guy look at it if you think you need another opinion.
I’m neither an electrician nor an electrical engineer. I’m just going by the service size that’s been required by our tenants, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to what you need.
Just got off the phone with the “electrical consultant” (that sounds like a job, eh?) - he says if the house is already 3-phase, we can run a sub panel no problem, but if it’s monophase we’ll have to redo the run from the street. Thankfully it’s only about 3-5 meters total so that won’t be a headache if so. Now to price out 16mm cable run. Good thing is, quotes are coming in under 1500, which in real terms is less than 3k, still within budget.
Also for future readers, a GCFI is called a ‘differential’ in euro-speak. Learn something new every day! Disjoncteur — Wikipédia