Can I Buy a Heatstick?
 

First post so go easy. I'm not the DIY kind of guy so I bought a 1000w 120v bucket heater (Marshalltown 742G Bucket Water Heater) but I'm not thrilled with it.

I'm doing ~4 gallon boils on my crappy gas stove top. It doesn't do a good job of keeping a roiling boil. The heating element seems to switch on and off because all of a sudden the wort will boil really good and hard and then die down, then boil really good, the die down etc. I have it plugged into a GFCI thing if that matters.

I would like to be able to do bigger boils on my stovetop so I thought a proper heatstick would be the way to go. Any suggestions?

does it have a thermostat or other control that is shutting it down near boiling temps?

Nope it just plugs in. Here's the link to it: Bucket Heater

Quote:

It's my guess it's sensing steam and shutting down.

That could be it, thanks Bobby M. Maybe I'll try to wrap the top in tin foil or something.

It also has a third prong (can't really see it in the photo) that goes down the heating element about half way and then just stops. It has a point on the end. I assumed this was the safety feature and if the water got below the level of the third prong it would shut off but I actually never tested it to see if that's what it actually does. I'll try that too. I looked but couldn't find any info about what the safety feature actually is.

Thanks for the ideas.

highly possible that the third prong is a lead for a thermostat

This item is not designed to boil water... I think your asking more of it than it will handle.

I know but I'm using it to supplement my gas burner and it works really well for a little while and then shuts off.

How would I go about disabling the thermostat? I obviously don't want to open it up and start messing around. I can only come up with one solution, cover it with tin foil which is obviously my answer to all problems...and duct tape.

Yes you can.
Google "Immersion heater" and surf around.
you can pay anywhere from $150 to $300 for an inexpensive one. Lots of places only make 'em to order.

Thanks. That's pricey. Maybe I'll try to make a proper one.