Anything under about 3500W in a 5 gallon batch, will not boil.
I respectfully disagree Pol. The data you have collected is based on boiling in a keggle, which due the mass, and large surface area, is not as energy frugal as boiling in a 7 - 10 gallon pot. I feel one 2000w heatstick is right on the edge for five gallon batches. With an insulated pot, my 2000 watts will boil 6 gallons. It will take a while, and may need the cover on to reach a boil faster, but it will boil.
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Last edited by wilserbrewer; 10-24-2009 at 01:12 AM.
I said 20A CIRCUIT... as running a 2000W element WILL require it. As it will pull over 16A.
Not trying to pick a fight with you Pol, I have a Massive amount of respect for you (I was drooling while looking through your gallery) But if you have a load over 15 amps you have to use a 20 amp plug and receptacle. The regular house hold plug (NEMA 5-15) can only be used on a load of 15amp or less. Thats why I linked the NEMA 5-20 plug.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Pol
There are also numerous plugs and receptacles that one can use for 240VAC applications. They vary from three prong to four prong.
Every NEMA rating designates its configuration. So for a simple 240v 15amp single phase circuit, you use a NEMA 6-15.That way you can always plug in any 240v 15a load. Like in my garage, i have a table saw, air comp, and now my heat stick, all with NEMA 6-15 plug, so i can plug them into any NEMA6-15 receptacle and ill know i have the right Volt/Amp.
Um, I know what you were saying, I was just saying that I was talking about something totally different. I was talking about the circuit required to power it, not the plug and receptacle.
It was obviously a 2000W element, meaning it needed a 20A circuit to power it.
On my rig my 120VAC stuff is under 15A, my 240VAC approaches 25A, so I have standard receptacles for my 120VAC.
I know what you were saying, I was just pointing out that we were talking about totally different things.
While at the Home Despot i found a NSF (food Safe) 2part epoxy putty and also got a 1.5"to1.25" nut that holds the element perfectly. the linked images are HUGE, sorry.
The January/February 2008 edition of Zymurgy has an article on heatsticks in which the author uses Dap RTV silicone sealant to seal his. It is specified to be food grade, and rated for 400 degrees. At the local Menards I found White Lightning 100% silicone sealant with the same specifications. It says "when fully cured and washed, meets performance requirements of FDA Regulation No. 21 CFR 177.2600. This reg appears to me to specify that the stuff is safe for repeated use in contact with food (I am not a lawyer). If the parts are mechanically secured, then either of these look like a good choice for a sealant.
I used the White Lightning stuff to seal my MLT drain site. A caulk gun tube was less than $4.
I have no commercial ties to any of this stuff.
Last edited by ThreeDogsNE; 10-24-2009 at 05:40 AM.
Reason: Attempted link to Federal reg just linked to a search site
Watts = 1000 x (Gallons x Temp Rise F) / (372 x Heat-up Time hrs)
So, for 10 gallons going from 72 to 212 in 30 minutes you'd need:
1000 x (10 x 140) / (372 x .5) = 7500 watts
I'd throw in a 25% factor for losses due to evaporation and radiation. But I bet someone here who uses a heat stick could give a better "loss factor" than my guess.
In the example above you'd need 7500 x 1.25 = 9700, which is close enough to 10,000 to just use two 5000 watt sticks!
Yowza.
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But who goes from 72F to 212? Most ppl are going from 150-212F.
I can tell you now that I can reach a boil with my 5500W element in 10 gallons in 17 minutes (150F - 212F) (I set the PID at 180F during the sparge, so it takes me 6 minutes to reach a boil in 7 gallons)
5500W will take about 40 minutes to reach a boil from 70F to 212F in 10 gallons.
5500W will do almost anything a typical brewer wants to do, in short time. I mean if you set the PID at 180F during the sparge, you will reach a boil in 10 gallons in only 9 minutes.
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