Safety of Using Bucket Heater to Assist Boil

Hey all, I've been considering buying some type of heating element to get my wort boiling faster. I know some people use the Marshalltown 742G Bucket Water Heater and it seems perfect for my needs. Since it is not FDA approved (or otherwise recommended) for use with food, how safe is it to use in direct contact with something that is to be consumed?

I'm limited to using my gas range for the time being and have been able to get things to a boil, but a weak boil and painfully slow. I was recently given a larger brew kettle and was hoping to graduate to full boils. I have looked into some commercially available heat sticks, but they seem too expensive for what they are. The DIY projects are intriguing, but this bucket heater is cheaper than many of the DIY's and I'm not terribly proficient at building things.

Any input is much appreciated.

I am the type of person who believes in doing things right the first time. I have tried cutting corners in the past and end up buying the cheaper item, then down the road buying what I really wanted in the first place because i am not happy with its performance. Personally I would recommend saving your money for the parts for making the heat-stick or buying one pre-made.

Researching the heat stick is what eventually turned into me building an electric HERMS system

sTiNkFiZzle said:

I am the type of person who believes in doing things right the first time. I have tried cutting corners in the past and end up buying the cheaper item, then down the road buying what I really wanted in the first place because i am not happy with its performance. Personally I would recommend saving your money for the parts for making the heat-stick or buying one pre-made.

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The Marshalltown 742G bucket heater is a heat stick. In fact, it's quite a bit nicer than any DIY heat stick I've ever seen.

I guess my concern was having something easy to clean. Not sure if this breaks down for cleaning. But for $40 you can always buy another. I actually considered the bucket heater my self several years ago to save on propane in hopes of preheating the water prior to mashing and assist in the boil.