Show us your element housings/pots. How did you do it?

Live exposed prongs = bad idea.

You want male on the pot, female on the supply. Always.

+1 to that.

You should be able to plug anything in and never be exposed to live current, no matter what the device is.

This is why wall plugs are always female.

This is why the a removable power cord for your PC/toaster/TV has a female end on the part that plugs into the TV. Like this:



If it stays plugged into the wall socket but comes undone at the appliance, there are no live wires.

Kal

kal said:

+1 to that.

You should be able to plug anything in and never be exposed to live current, no matter what the device is.

This is why wall plugs are always female.

This is why the a removable power cord for your PC/toaster/TV has a female end on the part that plugs into the TV. Like this:

If it stays plugged into the wall socket but comes undone at the appliance, there are no live wires.

Kal

Click to expand...

That would explain why I haven't seen any others like that. I guess I will swap those out.

Thanks for the tip.

^^^ and that is the male socket on the appliance side.

AnOldUR said:

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I was looking for those but I couldn't find any rated for 20a. I might have to just go with a short 12g cord hanging off the kettle. Not what I really wanted but it sounds like a better option then live prongs laying on a wet floor .

Right, those connectors are generally rated 10A.

Powercon 32A connectors are the best, and priced accordingly.

http://www.neutrik.com/en/audio/powercon/powercon-32-a/nac3mp-hc

Switchcraft HPC connectors are the cheap alternative. I am a bit dubious about their suitability for carrying mains power but I am trying them out for connecting to the element housings.

http://www.switchcraft.com/Category.aspx?Parent=770

Up until now I have just used pigtails and it's been no big deal.

Personally, I'd go with a twist-lock and they are available in 20A.

Turn-Lock Three-Blade Male Flanged Receptacle, NEMA L5-20
McMaster# 7162K9

How many amps is that good for?

mnherky said:

How many amps is that good for?

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That looks like regular 300v computer cable. It's 18g stranded is only 7 amp safely, 10 max.

AnOldUR said:

Personally, I'd go with a twist-lock and they are available in 20A.

Turn-Lock Three-Blade Male Flanged Receptacle, NEMA L5-20
McMaster# 7162K9

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$32.65 for a female connector and a male flanged receptacle. Man. That's a hard pill to swallow.

Bulky too.

Don't think my cheap ass boiler is worth it.

stamandster said:

That looks like regular 300v computer cable. It's 18g stranded is only 7 amp safely, 10 max.

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They are 240V 20A plugs. Who would use a 7A plug on a heating element?

They are about $2 each and are letter "H" on this page...

http://www.mouser.com/catalogviewer...61-PX0596/63&catalogculture=en-US&catalog=645

Monster Mash said:

They are 240V 20A plugs. Who would use a 7A plug on a heating element?

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From where this sub-topic started - Who would use a female input socket / suicide plug

mattd2 said:

From where this sub-topic started - Who would use a female input socket / suicide plug

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I would that's why I would never try to build something like this without this place

Monster Mash said:

...They are about $2 each and are letter "H" on this page...

http://www.mouser.com/catalogviewer...61-PX0596/63&catalogculture=en-US&catalog=645

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can't see them on the page you linked?

mattd2 said:

can't see them on the page you linked?

Click to expand...

Go down to figure H and scroll to the right

Monster Mash said:

Go down to figure H and scroll to the right

Click to expand...

Yep, what I am getting is page 1312 - M23 & M40 connectors. Figure H is a round plug?

mnherky said:

I was looking for those but I couldn't find any rated for 20a. I might have to just go with a short 12g cord hanging off the kettle. Not what I really wanted but it sounds like a better option then live prongs laying on a wet floor .

Click to expand...

Here is the one I bought. Rated for 20A

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00917YZMW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

This is what I use (/will use when it arrives) for the power to my control box. My element has a 12ga power cord that connects to the element inside a gang box. On the other end, the prongs connect to an outlet built in to the control box. No live wires!

However, I do agree that the twist lock receptacles are safer and look nicer. unfortunately, they are more expensive, but it depends what you're going for.

JayMac said:

Here is the one I bought. Rated for 20A

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00917YZMW/ref=oh_details_o02_s01_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is what I use (/will use when it arrives) for the power to my control box. My element has a 12ga power cord that connects to the element inside a gang box. On the other end, the prongs connect to an outlet built in to the control box. No live wires!

However, I do agree that the twist lock receptacles are safer and look nicer. unfortunately, they are more expensive, but it depends what you're going for.

Click to expand...

I went with two of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-Type-Powe...o_Audio_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ebd409fc7

JayMac said:

Here is the one I bought. Rated for 20A

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00917YZMW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

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Curious. What C19 cord or connector are you using?

AnOldUR said:

Curious. What C19 cord or connector are you using?

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http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012ELTK8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I bought this one. A little on the expensive side, but it is 10ft which gives a ton of slack.

Here's mine. I was trying to get something simple and low-profile with a detachable cord. They're 120v 1500w elements, so I wired them up to a standard NEMA 5-15 plug ( your typical north American household outlet ).

The gray part is a 1" electrical conduit coupler which slides over the heating element. The yellow part was the inside of a replacement cord end I bought at Princess Auto http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/Pvc/15A-125V-Male-Rubber-Cord-Connector/0700146.p but it looked like the ones at Home Depot were the same size. I sanded the inside of the conduit coupler slightly to allow for a tight compression fit with the cord end. The ground wire was soldered to the metal housing of the element, which provides a good ground connection to the keg as the threaded coupler is welded to the keg itself. The whole assembly was filled half-way with epoxy to ensure the electrical connections to the element don't come loose, and to hold the coupler onto the element.

Works great. The yellow plug is extremely snug, but if I ever have troubles with it in the future, I'll re-install the screws and set them in epoxy.







The last picture shows both of the 1500w elements in my BK. I've done one of them in this picture, the other one still needs to be done.


Also posted here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/simple-plug-ends-my-electric-elements-450564/

I just saw this and have to say that's pretty sweet! You should make more up and sell them! I'd be in for one for sure

Not sure where to ask this but....

I want to purchase a 20 gallon stainless kettle and have a tri clover fitting welded to fit an element piece from Brewers hardware.

Does anyone now know where I can purchase the kettle with the fitting welded in or... send one and have it done?

Yambor44 said:

Not sure where to ask this but.... I want to purchase a 20 gallon stainless kettle and have a tri clover fitting welded to fit an element piece from Brewers hardware. Does anyone now know where I can purchase the kettle with the fitting welded in or... send one and have it done?

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I got mine from Stout. BrewersHardware.com also sells custom kettles as do the makers of Brewhemoth.

Here's mine. 2" TC housings from Still Dragon with Hubble strain reliefs.

Thanks heckels. That's exactly what I want when it's done. Did they weld the TC fitting into the kettle for you? I have a contact form into BH and waiting to hear back from them. Forgive me but what's a Hubble strain relief?

Yambor44 said:

Thanks heckels. That's exactly what I want when it's done. Did they weld the TC fitting into the kettle for you? I have a contact form into BH and waiting to hear back from them. Forgive me but what's a Hubble strain relief?

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Yep. I believe all of Stout's tanks use TC fittings. I had requested that they up the port size for the element to 2" to make it easier to use a ripple element.

The strain relief is the piece coming out of the element housing. It helps to reduced the strain on the connections where they go into the housing.

My element enclosure was inspried by Bobbie's new enclosure except I sandwiched a welding spud with the lid of a stainless steel kitchen shaker with silver solder. See my build linked in my sign for more details.


Silver soldered the ground lug


This turned out to be too much wire. I didn't account for the ground wire taking up space inside the can when I wound the wire (there is about 4' of each color). In the end there is only about 2' of each color within the can (except the ground).


The final product with the connectors pushed into the switchcraft plug (that was a pain).


Just before it was screwed on (I put a reverse torque on the wires before screwing them in so they would relax when tightened).


And complete

Still Dragon setup I'll likely be upgrading that strain relief or painting it black. I just need one more for my boil pot.

I debated over this one or Bobby's from brewhardware.com and in the end in happier with this one. I have the Brewhardware rims tube with element enclosure and the Still Dragon is hands down nicer and beefier. It's also 2" instead of 1-1/2" I barely fit that ripple element in the 2" enclosure.



Sent from my HTC One using Home Brew mobile app

Cheap waterproof and effective as others have stated... just used a 1 1/4" electrical coupler filled with harbor freight epoxy. For now I save my "bling" for the beer...
Later I may want something a little more impressive looking for me and the brew friends.... ( have yet to befriend anyone locally in the hobby but one person who brews with gas in his shed an hour away) Right now I'm spending were its more important though.
I do wish I had put the switch craft connectors close to the kettles as the longer cords are a pain when carrying my boil kettle over to the bathroom to clean it. ( brewing in a spare bedroom - no basement)

renthispace said:

My element enclosure was inspried by Bobbie's new enclosure except I sandwiched a welding spud with the lid of a stainless steel kitchen shaker with silver solder. See my build linked in my sign for more details.


Silver soldered the ground lug

This turned out to be too much wire. I didn't account for the ground wire taking up space inside the can when I wound the wire (there is about 4' of each color). In the end there is only about 2' of each color within the can (except the ground).

The final product with the connectors pushed into the switchcraft plug (that was a pain).

Just before it was screwed on (I put a reverse torque on the wires before screwing them in so they would relax when tightened).

And complete

Click to expand...

I LIKE THIS!!!

Did you just the lid that came with it, with all the holes and stuff?

Tim

I used Still dragon element guard kits. Really like how they turned out. Here are some pictures.

Build thread here - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-eherms-mostly-kal-clone-home-brewery-421059/

That looks pretty great! Who did your welding on the Blichmann?

Still Dragon housing here. Another member here welded the TC ferrule to the keggle. I removed the too-small plastic strain releif that came with it, widened the hole, and used a large SS PG21 gland. Works great. Nice to be able to remove the ripple element so easily for cleaning.

Moby said:

That looks pretty great! Who did your welding on the Blichmann?

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The welding was done by a fellow HBTer named Colebeer78 who is located not too far from me here in the Chicago south burbs. He did a great job at a reasonable price I think.

MX1 said:

I LIKE THIS!!!

Did you just the lid that came with it, with all the holes and stuff?

Tim

Click to expand...

Yes I did. If you check out my build in my signature I have pictures of me putting it together before I soldered the whole thing.

Enclosures by bobby, they're the weldless version with camco ripple elements. Perfectly waterproof the first time. Awesome product.