Let's say I'm a dummy (electric brewing)

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JollyMon

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Not a big stretch. I'm contemplating building an electric BK. I think I could figure it out, but would rather learn from the experience of those who have already done this. I'm limited to 120. I'm looking for...

A parts list
A set of step by step directions for dummies
A picture tutorial of someone's build

Maybe the subject should say I'm a greedy, selfish, want it all, jerk. I know I'm asking a lot but with all the great support out there I figure I might actually get what I'm looking for. It might come from 3 different sources (or more) but I'm guessing these things are out there.

Thanks in advance, you guys rock!
 
If limited to 120v, you should consider the stove assisted approach as mentioned. There is a link in my signature for my stovetop setup, you may find it useful.
 
you havnt included all needed information.

-batch size
-kettle size and construction
-do you have welding or soldering capabilities?
-any electrical knowledge? can you read a schematic?
-how handy are you?
-budget
-power limitations (are you working with only a standard 15A circuit? "120v only" can mean a lot of things)

if you come to me and say "im stupid" then im not likely to tell you to go play with 120v electricity. you need to convince us you wont hurt yourself with this knowledge before we give it to you. from your one post, im not convinced.
 
It might be helpful to know why you are limited to 120V, but assuming you are, you may want to do a dual 120V element design where you use 2 outlets to power your BK.

You'll need to make sure they are both on separate circuits, or you'll probably pop the breaker. I'd also advise GFCI, which you can do fairly cheaply inline, or if you are a bit more adventurous, you could replace the breakers on the outlets you plan to use with GFCI breakers.

Do you have an electric dryer? If so it's pretty much got to be 220V. You *might* be able to find a way to utilize the circuit or outlet for brewing.
 
Audger - I'm no master electrician, but I've done enough electrical work to know how not to kill myself. Batch size TBD, kettle size and construction TBD, welding or soldering NO, I can read a very basic schematic and basic is my plan, I'm plenty handy (before brewing I was a home boat builder), I'm a cheap ass (that's my budget), I am working with 15A's but could change if it makes enough sense. And finally I never said I was stupid, I said let's say I'm a dummy just to see what kind of basic/simple solutions I would be presented with.

Ultimately I could figure this all out on my own because I'm really lazy, not dumb. But why reinvent the wheel. If the knowledge is out there I'd rather just steal it. I'm open to all of the above when it comes to solutions. Right now I'm just in the research stage anyways. That's why I'm asking questions.

Homercidal, if u r still with me I was planning on a dual element design most likely.
 
I have seen a few dual element designs. They are very similar to any electric system but simply require installing 2 elements instead of one and using 2 separate circuits.

There is a lot of information out there on electric. Just do the mechanical stuff the same and modify the wiring to reflect a 120V installation for each element.

As I said before, I HIGHLY recommend building with a GFCI either inline or in the breaker box. 20 Amp GFI breakers are very inexpensive.
 
What I would look into is mounting the elements across each other, like a plus sign, with one element sitting just above the other.

How you actually mount the element is up to you. Search for various mounting options.

Personally, I'm planning on soldering a large nut onto the side of my kettle and screwing the element in place in side a waterproof box to protect the wires.

The actual wiring is a piece of cake, really. There is a very simple PWM circuit that works in conjunction with a relay to power the element. That is all you need for a BK.

Supply the 120V to the relay, and wire the PWM to the relay as well. The PWM circuit fires the relay more or less as you turn the knob.
 
...And finally I never said I was stupid, I said let's say I'm a dummy just to see what kind of basic/simple solutions I would be presented with.

good enough i suppose... :mug:

the no soldering or welding thing is going to be your main problem (unless you are interested in heat sticks; not my cup of tea but to each their own)... its difficult to get a heating element, let alone several, to seal against the rounded surface of a kettle without installing some sort of threaded bulkhead to screw it into. none of the weldless heating element builds i have seen were very mechanically sound or leak proof, which is what i want when dealing with thousands of watts of electricity inside gallons of hot water.

if you wanted to answer the rest of the questions i asked, we might be able to give more specific info...
 
My ports are soldered, but all my elements are weldless (lock nut with stock element gasket). They've never leaked and have been through 2 years worth of brewing. I think weldless is perfectly acceptable for elements.
 
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