Recent content by processhead

IMO the RIMS tube does not care about operating voltage, but what does matter is the element wattage and watt/density. If you can find a 240 volt element with the appropriate watt rating and watt/density, then you should be good. The guys using 240 volt elements on 120 volts do this because...

Yes, this is what you are basically doing. You would just be using the two hots and the ground and leaving the neutral disconnected (capped).

Yes, you will measure 120 volts between either hot leg and ground, but it would be a code violation in this application. The ground can't be used as a current carrying conductor, except during a fault condition where either hot leg shorted to ground would then trip the breaker.

It sounds like the electrician may not have been aware you needed 120 volts in your brew panel. A competent electrician would have run the fourth conductor and the appropriate receptacle for a four prong plug. As IslandLizard said, you really need the GFCI protection for a brew panel.

With only 120 volts, you are somewhat limited on power potential for boiling, and that prevents you from fully utilizing the volume of a kettle based on a brewery keg. Ideally, you would want to verify that your 120 volt breaker is 20 amps and not 15 amps. All things considered, I am not sure I...

Certainly doable. Do you have access to tools, work area, and reasonably competent as a DIYer?

A 4500 watt 240 volt element operated on 120 volts will put out 1125 watts. The math for the calculating the output is to divide the rated wattage by 4 when powering a 240 volt element on 120 volts. This is the same setup I have used on my RIMS tube for the last 10 or so years. It works great...

I will admit, its possible. I was reviewing a couple of electrical forums that claimed that there are 240 volt-only GFCI breakers out there with a neutral pigtail but no load side connection. I can not verify that from personal experience. Glad Boomguy found the missing lug and solved the mystery.

Bobby's got it. If your breaker has no designated load-side neutral lug, as it appears from the photo, then your GFCI is designed for a straight 240 volt load w/o a neutral and is not what you want. A 2 pole GFCI intended for use with a load-side neutral will have another lug on the load side...

It sounds like the GFCI is tripping anytime current flows through any device in your panel. There may be a problem with the panel, but as a sanity check, I would want to rule out a problem with the GFCI. You could do this by unplugging your panel, and connecting a simple test load like a pair of...

Never let your spell checker do your composing for you. Isolating a fault like this requires a systematic approach. Disconnecting individual neutrals or hots from devices may allow you to drill down to the root cause (or causes).

It sounds like a wiring error to me, which could be almost anywhere. Review your work. You may have misidentified a terminal on one of the devices, which led to the wiring error. What is the "converter"? you removed the white neutral wire from?

It should be fine electrically. Just use the appropriate sized crimp connectors. Make sure the crimps are attached securely. Poor quality connectors and faulty installation are a major cause of over-heated wiring in heating appliance of all types. Finding the appropriate strain relief for the...

If you read the catalog page for that element, they warn against using with malt/grain products at full power in a mash tun. While they do not explicitly warn against using it in a boil kettle, understand that everything in the boil kettle application requires higher heat output from the...

Good looking system. My only concern is the heat tolerance of the material used for the J-box under the kettle. My first choice would be a metal J-box due to the heat in that area. Yes, in theory it should never exceed 212 degrees, but there could be localized heating that raises the temperature...