DYI HERMS- Heating Element question

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dutch101st

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I wanted to bounce off of you guys an idea I have for my HERMS...

I currently live in a townhome apartment and do not have access to a 240V circuit. As such, my plan for my HERMS is to heat my HLT (converted Sanke keg) up with propane for my initial strike water then maintain with an electrical heating element.

Will a 1500 watt element do the job in maintaining a steady temp (I will have it hooked to a temp controller)?

Will ONE 1500 watt element be enough or should I go for 2?

Yea, being on 110 is a bummer...I need a house. hehee
 
1500 will be fine. I had a 1500w in my HLT for about a year now. It will heat from ground temp, it just takes a few hours. I get up early and turn it on, then go back to bed.
 
for maintaining temps, 1500W is good. remember, the only thing you're combating is the heat loss, and if your system is insulated, there really won't be much. now, if you're trying to do steps, it may take a little longer than you like, but it also depends on batch size. probably OK for stepping with 5 gal brews.

probably going too far with this, but here's some math for step mashing:
that element is ~= 5120 BTU/Hr, which equates to being able to raise 5120 pounds of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit in one hour . 4 gallons of water (US) is 33 pounds, so, that element should (in a perfectly insulted container) raise 4 gallons of water ~150 degrees Fahrenheit in 1 hour, or about 2.5 degrees per minute.
double the amount of water, cut the rate of rise in half.

hope this is helpful (if not too much)
 
No, that works. Thanks!

Yea, I am going to be using propane to raise up the temp to my strike water...or I might utilize my brew kettle for strike water while heating up my HLT.

Too many options...hehee
 
1500W is fine for an HLT. I heated 6 gallons from 74.5°F to 171°F in 1.5 hours in an uninsulated keg with no lid manually stirring every 10-15 minutes.
 
You could figure out what phases different outlets are on, run extension cords, and get 220.

No, you can't really do this if you are being safe.

If you try to pull the hot from two different outlets and make a 220V source, the GFI (which you SHOULD BE USING) on those 110V outlets will trip instantly.

However.... do you have a washer and dryer in your apartment? What about an electric stove?

I'm just saying.... there might already be a place to plug into 220V in your pad somewhere.
 
Nope, its all 110v...stove and dryer are all gas. I have a pretty good plan figured out- heat 5-7 gallons of water in the HLT and the brew kettle with propane, transfer from the brew kettle to the HLT and get the HLT up to 158 or so. Then run the 1500 element to maintain the temp.

I will be using a GFI...I would be crazy and irresponsible not to. I am not a big fan of electricity and the effects it can cause on the human body...benefits from working for a major utility company.

The control box is going to be built by someone who knows their stuff anyways...not me. I don't do well with wiring. Man's gotta know his limits.
 
Here is a picture from last week...all of the fittings are stainless and the keggle now has holes for a HEREMS coil and sightglass....

photo.jpg
 
I just did a dry run on a 10 gallon stainless pot which has a 1500w - 120vac heating element intalled. I use a PID controller to modulate the element to maintain temperature and I started out with 74F. water (5 gallons) and had it up to 170F. in 58 minutes. I insulated the pot and lid with silver foil insulation wrap and had no problem maintaining temperature. I have the temperature probe mounted across the pot from the element, but also have a thermometer installed about 2" above that and both sensors read 170F. This was without stirring the pot at all.

Salute! :mug:
 
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