Uncommon heating elements...

PaWa · 02-06-2012, 06:04 AM

Hi!

hey a guy here in Quebec sell on ebay those elements:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Heating-Element-tankless-water-heater-/260949880549?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc1d3 2ee5

he say he have 1000s of them...

they look pretty hardcore, its like 4 element together...
i already asked him more details about them but i was wondering,

Anybody here have ever used or see anybody use something like this in their setup?

and/or

Is their any known way to attach a non-screwing plate held element to a brewing set up ? made of a round tank...

i search the forum for heating element topics buts seem their is 1000s of them...

ill continue my search but if anybody have a good idea, i would gladly use it!

Ok, thanks!
And keep on brewing

jpalarchio · 02-06-2012, 03:34 PM

Hard to tell but it looks like 4 HWD elements combined on a flange. My concern would be you'd never be able to find a replacement in a year should you toast it. I guess you could always buy spares but I would probably stick with something I could replace more easily.

**kal** · 02-06-2012, 08:13 PM

They do look high density. That means if you fire one up by mistake without water around it you'll fry it. A 4500W or 5500W ULWD element like most people around here use (myself included) doesn't have this problem and are commonly available in case you do happen to break it some other way.

It does seem like 4 separate elements given the 8 bolt contacts on the connection side.

Wattage is unknown but there's mention of 40 amps, and sinec there's 4 of them I'd guess that they're 2400W each (10 amps x 240 volts = 2400 watts each). So probably around 9600W total with all 4 connected. So about the same as using two 4500W ULWD elements or a combo of one 4500W plus one 5500W.

Would be interesting if you were tight on space and didn't have room for two "regular" RIPP elements,but anyone who needs that much power usually needs it because they're boiling a lot of beer so the kettle's pretty big which means there's room for 2+ RIPP elements.

Cleaning it looks like it would harder too (hard to get in the inside between all 4 elements). I use a small soft sponge to clean my single 5500W ULWD element now and it's simple since it's only one element turned back on itself.

EDIT: The other benefit I can see is price. You can get for the 'buy it now' price of 35$. That's about $5-9 cheaper than two 4500W to 5500W elements which sell for about $20-22/each. Not a huge savings but it could be a lot more savings if you save on the mounting method (one mount instead of 2).

Kal

PaWa · 02-07-2012, 06:02 AM

Hey thanks for your time answering!

my main concern was to know if their is good an easy way to fix that kind of element on a tank...
i was thinking about my home setup but im also hesitating between a full made brew house or a DIY system for a 5-7 bbl brewery i will need in the near future...

I was considering using a coupple of those since i can have them really cheap... not on ebay but direct from the guy...
I guess ill check how regular element are fixed to water heaters...

Or... maybe i would consider a hole in a 3" tri-clamp cap, 4 SS screws welded at the right place and a square gasket... fixed to a 3" ferrule welded on my tank...

Anyway, ill check this out!
Thanks both for your help!

**kal** · 02-07-2012, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaWa

I was considering using a coupple of those since i can have them really cheap... not on ebay but direct from the guy...

Realize that a few of these heaters is only one minor item in what is a larger system, considerably larger if you're doing a 5-7 bbl setup as mentioned. The cost savings for getting these items for next to nothing (or even free) is pretty inconsequential compared to the total cost of the system you're going to build. That would be like going out car shopping but only looking at cars with a certain size windsheild wipers because you already have a couple of free ones.

Then there's the issue of how to attach them. You need to figure that out since brewers tend to have more experience with regular RIPP elements.

And what if one of them breaks down the road? I wouldn't feel safe basing a whole system around these unless I bought a bunch of extras. Since they're a bundle of 4 elements I imagine the whole in the side of the kettle will have to be larger. You couldn't easily replace it later with regular elements if needed as the hole would be too big.

Kal

Joust · 02-07-2012, 12:41 PM

They would be good for use with 120V.
It'd be a low density 2400W element in that case.
You could put switches to turn off individual element segments to cut the power to control your boil.