stirrer fro electric HLT

I have a 10 gallon round cooler and ordered a ranco controller and a 2000w 120vac element.

I know I need some way to stir the water. I like Pols stirrer but it will cost almost $100.00.

I'm thinking of trying a simple aquarium pump and stone.
1. Do you think it will move the water enough?
2. Is there a problem with the HLT having aerated water?

Aquarium pump sounds good but I would forget the stone. I think it would move enough water. I don't think you have to worry about aerating the water. You might be able to hook it to your ball valve output also to make it look cleaner.

You do have one problem though. A 2000 watt element requires 16.7 amps and the ranco is only rated to 15 amps. The best you can really do with the ranco is the 1650 watt elements that some places have... unless I'm mistaken which I hope I am because I'm planning on doing the same thing.

I'm planning on doing something similar so I will be watching this thread for sure. Electric HLT with sight glass is number one on my list of wants/needs... oh, and a barley crusher.

Yeah, the Ranco or JC wont do you any good on a 2000W element. You will need a PID and SSR

No need for a stone in the HLT... aeration of that water is not an issue.

Crap... didn't realize about the amps on the 2000W heating element.. Oh well, Guess I'll order a 1500W element...

I use a simple submersible pond pump...it moves enough water to keep an even temp distribution....

I used to just put my arm in there and mix it....

Do you really get a lot of temp stratification? I was doing a few tests with my 5500W element in the HLT and I could see the bubbles rise off the element and up to the top, then move out to the side, looking like it circulates due to the temp differences. Could this be because I can pump much more heat in with the bigger element?

I will take a thermometer to it tonight to see if I have temp gradients.

I can attest to thier being A LOT of temp stratification with a 5500W element in a kettle... I have measured mine, there is A LOT when you are not boiling.

You will need a way to mix the water, especially if you end up with e HERMS coil in there sucknig heat out.

I plan on a herms down the road a bit... One step at a time.

I don't know about a submersible pump and being food grade.. 180 degree water and all that. I figured an aquarium air pump and some silicone tubing is safe.

I just ordered a 1650W element. They are only $5.00, it is the $8.00 shipping that kills my soul.

Just out of curiosity, what would have happened with the 2000W and the Ranco? Would it fry the Ranco, trip a circuit breaker or what? I assume the Johnson A419 is also 15amps. I'm not ready to tackle a PID, SSR and all that stuff yet.

And for my math lesson, 120V x 15amps = 1800 Watts? so 1650 is good........

a submersible pond pump inside your HLT?

I use one of my two march pumps and take hlt water out the spigot and return in through the lid to a T that splits the flow and has angled elbows on the end that make a slow rotation, so I get bottom-to-top changeover and the rotation. It might be cheaper to run a stir setup, maybe eventually I'll add one if I get electrified and I can put in some power outlets controlled by switches in a control panel. That would be kinda cool!

nathan said:

a submersible pond pump inside your HLT?

Click to expand...

not me.

I'm planning on trying an aquarium air pump and see if it moves the water. I will probably have to get the stirrer down the road. I'm not prepared to get 2 march pumps, one just for stirring the HLT.

1650W will be good... nice choice.

I didn't understand the grounding response for the heating element. Where should I connect the ground wire? to the side of the element?

Id say no, because the element isnt grounded. Id ground the element to the rig itself.

ahh, I think I get it. You mean the stand..

I've been using my HLT on a workbench, gravity down to a chair with the MLT and then gravity again down to the BK.

Nothing there to ground too..

Ohhhhhhhhhhh

I was more or less trying to politely point out that a submersible pond pump in a hot vessel sounds like a bad idea. If it's high temp rated, you keep it off the bottom (hot flame just below) and you don't let that water come in contact with your wort/beer/grain, it might be okay, otherwise it sounds like disaster.

I have two pumps because I am single-tier. I pump mash fluid from under the false bottom of the mlt to the boil kettle while simultaneously pumping sparge water from hlt into sparge manifold above grain in MLT. so when I'm just recirculating through HERMS for temp control of mash, I have a spare pump, which meant for my setup it made sense to use it to move the hlt water around to even out the temps. If you are gravity fed, an aquarium pump is the cheapest alternative if it works, so I'd like to hear it.

I am considering mimicing the Pol's stir motor setup, though, so I can take some of the duty load off the one pump (it being cheaper to set up a stir motor than replace a worn out march pump in the future).

I'd like to get the stir motor in the future and the HERMS too.

Right now I just want to heat my strike and sparge water in the cooler. For that purpose, I might not even need to worry about a stirrer, and just use my paddle every so often.

I will let you know how the aquarium air pump works though.

Here are a few pics of my HLT lid and MT lid. I opted for the stainless prop to stir and will never be honest to my non-homebrewing friends as to how much I suckered myself into paying for this. Haha! I just have to get the couplers welded in and I can hook up the coil. I have someone who will do this for free but is currently out of Argon. I might just pay someone else to get it done soon.





Here is the MT lid. I initially bought the stainless sparge arm and then worried about clogging while recirculation so I made a copper ring with larger holes. I have a machined mount for the stainless arm that will bolt onto the lid. This mount was machined out of bar stock on a lathe and there is a threaded hole on the side of it with a bolt so I can adjust the height. The copper ring is currently non-adjustable but I might have a mount machined for this one also so I can lower it.



I had to drill and mount the arms off center due to the lid handle but I off set the copper arm to try to have it's ring centered as a whole and got pretty lucky. (It's really hard to tell that the arms go through the lid off-centered but they are about 1/2 to 3/4".)



I have been pi$$ing around with this whole project for a few months now. It has snowballed from a homemade frame, 3 kettles, a pump, and a CFC to crap like this. I made a batch a couple months ago with the frame and kettles but it was 5 gal PM. I am waiting for completion until I brew again. A tax return is on it's way and I already have this year's vacation paid for so it's all beer (machine) money!

Very Nice. I like the SS propeller..

Is that the same motor as the Pol uses?

The motor I use is 100RPM and spins my impeller JUST fast enough... dont go too small on the impellers with that slow of a motor.

Yes, same motor Planenut.

I am curious on the mixing power of the prop/100rpm combo also Pol. Once I get it complete I will test it out to see how much circulation I get. Honestly I am wondering if 125 or 150rpm would be better. I figure that there is no use worrying about it now while I still have so much more to accomplish before I am complete with the build.

If it runs too slow, just get a larger impeller... that will make up for lack of RPM

It's cheaper to get another motor. (Seriously!) Lol...

Well, depending on the impeller

Yeah but this stainless one caught my eye so if I would go bigger I would stick with the same type. I do think that the larger ones have a larger mounting hole though.

I just exchanged my 100rpm for a 150rpm.

McMaster Carr delivers to me same day!!! Talk about convienent.