Electric Setup - Help Appreciated

**tre9er** · 02-22-2012, 06:02 PM

So I've decided to get myself into the basement and out of the kitchen and/or cold outdoors. Electricity is much cheaper in my case and requires no additional ventilation.

Last night I verified that I have two outlets in the basement that are within 15' and each are on their own breaker in the box. One was for a water softener but the current unit doesn't use electricity. The other is dedicated for the washing machine, which I'll unplug during brew day.

My plan is to install a Camco foldback 1500w 120v element (inko lime premium dealio) into my 32qt. kettle and then use another of the same element as a heat-stick as needed...each element on it's own circuit and 20A GFCI outlets in place of the two existing ones.

My thought is that I can heat strike water (usually about 3g. for 5g. batches) in short time while I mill grain and pre-heat my mash tun. Then while I mash I can use my other 32qt. kettle (w/o element installed) and just use the heatstick to heat the sparge water over the course of the mash (since it will take nearly an hour to do so).

Then I can use the BK (the kettle with installed element) and the heatstick to quickly get my ~6g. to a boil.

So far my time calculations show this actually speeding up my brew day over stove top.

My questions concern PWM/PID. I know the very least about wiring...I know enough to have made sure I have GFCI outlets for each element and to use female plugs to supply power to the element so there are no hot spades. I'm leaning towards PID since I believe it's not much more complex than the PWM and provides for more control. So I just need the PID and SSR, plus a SPST switch (120v)?

Oh, since most will ask, I don't have 240v very handy, nor the money to wire one at the current price of copper. Nearest 240 is the dryer, all the way across the basement from where my work space is. I may use that outlet at some point when I get into 10g. batches. Right now I just want a place to brew 5g. batches inside and not in kitchen.

I ordered the two camco elements today.

**tre9er** · 02-22-2012, 08:23 PM

So if I get a PID (2352 auber best bet I'm reading) and a SSR w/heatsink, throw it all in a plastic toolbox...I'm theoretically good to go, right? Female plug for 120v input (to hook ext. cord from GFCI outlet), female plug for 120v output...done, right?

onthekeg · 02-22-2012, 08:31 PM

Throw a 15 dollar 30 amp breaker in the box, I assume your breaker box is in the basement, correct? Run some romex through the ceiling and drop down to a 50 amp Spa Panel. Now you have 240v right were you want to brew. This shouldn't be much over 100 dollars.
Profit.

**tre9er** · 02-22-2012, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onthekeg

Throw a 15 dollar 30 amp breaker in the box, I assume your breaker box is in the basement, correct? Run some romex through the ceiling and drop down to a 50 amp Spa Panel. Now you have 240v right were you want to brew. This shouldn't be much over 100 dollars.
Profit.

The price of the 8g. copper wire is over $100. It's probably going to take a 75' roll to wire it, though I do have the room in the box.

**tre9er** · 02-22-2012, 08:48 PM

Any reason this wouldn't work for PID?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Relay-Output-Dual-Digital-F-C-PID-Temperature-Controller-Control-0-400-/270913373248?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f13b2 0440

**mux** · 02-22-2012, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tre9er

Any reason this wouldn't work for PID?

http://r.ebay.com/8zkWS0

The output if for a really not SSR. If your using a really or contacter it would work. Im a firm believer in that you get what you pay for.

**bruin_ale** · 02-22-2012, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mux

The output if for a really not SSR. If your using a really or contacter it would work. Im a firm believer in that you get what you pay for.

From the spec sheet on the voltage output: (suitable for solid state relay SSR)
An SSR is a relay.
It's solid state rather than mechanical, so it's designed to withstand switching more quickly and more often. That PID looks like it would work, but I can't say for sure.

**tre9er** · 02-22-2012, 09:08 PM

I like the fuzzy logic of the SYL 2352 but This isn't to maintain mash temp or for a herms/rims system...just to get strike water heated and a boil going. Sure, I don't want to way overshoot my strike, but I'm not concerned with a few degrees...I can wait a minute before doughing-in.

I'm on a budget (read: SWMBO doesn't entirely know what I'm doing

) so if I just want to effectively turn the element off at a given temp, and back on when it drops below...what's my best bet? One of the cheaper PID's with SSR?

Also, some of these PID's have SSR outputs below 12V...does that mean they won't work?

**bruin_ale** · 02-22-2012, 09:41 PM

My SSRs switch at 5VDC..

**tre9er** · 02-22-2012, 09:49 PM

Yeah, forgive me...I thought the specific amount of voltage sent to the SSR's controlled the intensity of the element, and that you needed to go from 0-12V to get the full range. I'm learning a lot, but still not there yet!

I'm guessing the SSR is either "open or closed" and it's the length of pulse that controls the element's output?