All grain setup

[chrismccull]

You actually don't need an HLT, I have never used one. All I have is a 60 liter aluminum pot with drain and a burner.  Davidsons sells high quality pots.

[JohnQ]

You might want to look into going electric instead of propane. There's no fire involved, its cheeper to run, you can Brew indoors away from bugs, bird shit, leaves and shitty weather, you can brew any time any season as long as you have power. You can use either a hot water heater element inside a pot like I did or use an induction unit under the pot.
I know I'm a minority when it comes to electric brewing but it just makes more sense for me. 

+1

[DandyMason]

Speaking of which, @DandyMason how are you and your father making out with your induction cooktop? Happy? Powerful enough?

http://nbcba.org/forum/equipment/new-brew-set-up/msg31610/#msg31610

The induction brew day I would say went just okay. We were about an hour bringing 26-27 L to a boil. So first of all, next time we will be reducing that pre-boil volume, and will probably go ahead and insulate the kettle. My dad loved the convenience of brewing in the basement, and I know he will love the quality of his first all grain batch. Im thinking probably 75% of his batches will still be partials, in which case the induction set up in the basement will be perfect.

[Two Wheeler]

That's good to know Dan, that's a little slower than I would want. I wonder how much quicker the 3000w unit would be? I believe these run on 220.

http://www.amazon.ca/6530-ProChef-3000-Watt-Commercial-Induction/dp/B0037Z7HQ0

[DandyMason]

That's good to know Dan, that's a little slower than I would want. I wonder how much quicker the 3000w unit would be? I believe these run on 220.

http://www.amazon.ca/6530-ProChef-3000-Watt-Commercial-Induction/dp/B0037Z7HQ0

Yeah I would think the 3000W would be much better. You're right I think it is 220. Ill get back to everyone with our timing once we make a couple improvements.

[pliny]

Hey guys, I like the 3000W. Please note that it works well for a 5G system. Yes, definitely insulate your kettle.
Takes about 25 minutes from tap temperature to strike temp. So ~60F to ~170F (or 15C to 76C) for about 4gallons of water.
This usually allows time to setup a couple of things, (mill the grain, weigh the hops, etc.)

Then once the wort is in the kettle (post mash) it probably take another 25 minutes to get to boil. This gives me time to empty and rinse my mash tun and do a couple of other things to prep for when the first hop addition. There isn't alot of waiting around generally.

Did some reading into how the 3000W would perform on a 10G system. It would be a bit different and would test the boundaries of the 3000W.
Given the diameter of the cooking surface is not huge, a slim and tall kettle would work best. Something like this: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-equipment/brew-kettles/tall-boy-stainless-steel-brew-kettle.html

Or this kettle: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-equipment/brew-kettles/megapots/megapot-1-2-brew-kettle-with-ball-valve-brewing-thermometer.html
Webrestaurantstore.com has a 3500W model. It's probably only a matter of time before they have some induction burners that are even more powerful AND affordable.

With regards to going electric; it will definitely be more expensive upfront. For example you can pick up a propane burner for $50 vs these induction-ready is many times more expensive. But then you don't have to worry about refilling propane and other issues discussed above.
There are other ways you can go electric which are less expensive than induction. Water heater elements, etc. Just make sure you know what you're doing (GFCI protection) or better yet, find an electrician who likes beer and ask for advice.