Electric HLT Keg

Okay, so I'm assuming this question has been asked and answered before, but since I'm browsing at dial-up speeds I'll ask it again. I want to use either the Johnson A419 or the Ranco ETC-111000 on my HLT. I'm not partial to either one, they just fall in the affordability and ease of use category.
I'm no electrician, but I believe that I have 240v running to my garage. What kind of heating element will work with the controls above, fit in a keg (mounted horizontally), and can heat 12 gallons of water in a reasonable (an hour or less) amount of time?

I think you would be better off using an Auber PLC, and an SSR with a 5500w element in the HLT than messing with the two choices you shown, as it would be cheaper and allow more control.

Thanks for the quick reply. I think that the PLC is a bit overkill for what I require. I just need to heat the HLT and maintain the temp for a HERMs setup. My boil kettle will propane. Besides, my electronic skills are pretty nil.
I can either run 120v or 240v to the set up. Any ideas?

I'm considering a similar setup for my rig. My garage already has a 15A 120v circuit run so I've been contemplating using water from the water heater (approx. 125F) and then heating that with a 1440 watt element. I figure that should be enough to raise temps in a reasonable amount of time and it keeps costs down.
If I decide to pull from a non-heated source I'll probably end up running a 30A 240v circuit as that gives me more options down the road. My dream would be to have a Kal style setup, but I doubt the SWMBO would give financial approval to that.

Not sure if that helps you any, but just figured I'd throw in my $0.02.

-UNOmar

drunkenmonkeybrewing said:

Thanks for the quick reply. I think that the PLC is a bit overkill for what I require. I just need to heat the HLT and maintain the temp for a HERMs setup. My boil kettle will propane. Besides, my electronic skills are pretty nil.
I can either run 120v or 240v to the set up. Any ideas?

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You can use either of those controllers but you will still need to run an SSR off of the relay in the controller. For a 240v element I would run two SSR's to switch both legs of power.

Thanks for all of the replies above. Since it seems that I'm going to need an SSR or two regardless, how about the following?

40 A SSR
Control Box
PID Temperature Controller (SSR control output)

don't forget a temp probe and a heatsink for the SSR

Thanks. I haven't forgotten.