Element cord options

Hey guys, I'm working out the final details on my 2 vessel electric system and have a question for you. I was thinking of putting a plug on the kettle end of my element cord so I wouldn't have to drag a 6 foot cable around every time I moved my kettle. Has anyone done this? Do you like your setup? Are there any concerns other than the obvious don't get it wet? Thanks for your advice.

I put a short dongle on the kettle end:

IMO, A long cord would be a hassle. Here is how I did mine. It's about a 1-ft cord - short enough to not really be an issue and cheaper than a reverse service receptacle on the kettle.

Those are pretty much exactly what I was thinking of doing. Have you had any issues with them?

Joe_in_GA said:

Those are pretty much exactly what I was thinking of doing. Have you had any issues with them?

Click to expand...

Nope!

None here either. I have about 6 brews in since I went electric with the boil. All works far better than I expected.

Just mount this in the kettle box:


You can get them reasonably on ebay:
ebay.com - Hubbell-HBL2615-L5-30-flanged-outlet

Grainger has a good description of it:
grainger.com - Flanged-Inlet 3D072

P-J said:

Just mount this in the kettle box:

You can get them reasonably on ebay:
ebay.com - Hubbell-HBL2615-L5-30-flanged-outlet

Grainger has a good description of it:
grainger.com - Flanged-Inlet 3D072

Click to expand...

Looks like a good solution if you are using a 2-gang box on your kettle. Unfortunately there is not enough room in my setup (single box) to mount that.

I considered the flanged inlet also. It does take a bigger box. Mine only uses a handy box and doesn't stick out very far. If you go this route, I'd use a L6-30 rated 240V unless you are running your elements at 120V.

Someone needs to start making a molded plastic assembly that attaches to the back of an element and also has the male twist lock on the other end.

Bobby_M said:

Someone needs to start making a molded plastic assembly that attaches to the back of an element and also has the male twist lock on the other end.

Click to expand...

Good idea, when can I order one?

Might try hacking something together w/ a PVC endcap + reducer...

I guess the twistloc is a little overcautious.

I think I would use twist locks. The straight blades work fine, but the extra hold would be nice and they are only a couple extra bucks. There is always next time...

Boerderij - do you just have the ground pin attached to the J-box?

What do you do on a boil over?

The grounds are attached to silver soldered grounding lugs attached to the kettle. I do not have boilovers (use FermCap) but the boxes are both sealed with silicone just for belt and suspenders protection.

FermCap?? first I heard of it, man I don't know (expletive) about brewing yet. I just searched the forums and found some information on FermCap. Maybe if I knew about the stuff my last three boils wouldn't have boiled over, plus it may have saved me from spending $150 on a Bayou Classic 62qt pot.

I have to keep reading the forums.

Thanks guys. Now the problem is which way to go? Knowing my preference for overdoing things, I'm sure I'll end up with something that will work just fine and cost twice as much as it needs to.

lschiavo said:

I considered the flanged inlet also. It does take a bigger box. Mine only uses a handy box and doesn't stick out very far. If you go this route, I'd use a L6-30 rated 240V unless you are running your elements at 120V.

Click to expand...

I've been mulling this one over and then remembered fabricating parts and designing a system for a friend. With his setup I used a special plug and outlet very similar to the ones used for home computers but with a much higher current rating.

First thing, an element connector nut was soldered in place along with a gem box and ground wire. (Harris StayBrite-8 Silver solder is just awesome.)



Next thing after placing the element, a male connector was installed in the gem box cover.

or this

And its matching outlet was installed on the cable end.



The setup looks like this.



And then with the power cord in place on the HLT.



And another view of it.



Anyway, the connector set worked out very well for him and has been using it for a number of years now.

Oh well, just a thought.

P-J

That is pretty slick. Do you have any sources for the connectors?

Mine is setup just like P-J's. The soldered on box works really well.

I never would have thought that soldering the box in place like that would be strong enough to hold up. Is it just soldered around the edges like one would weld it or is there more to it?

lschiavo said:

That is pretty slick. Do you have any sources for the connectors?

Click to expand...

Box plug
PX0596-63

Box plug
PX0598/15/63

Cord outlet
PX0599

Images

AScott said:

I never would have thought that soldering the box in place like that would be strong enough to hold up. Is it just soldered around the edges like one would weld it or is there more to it?

Click to expand...

Harris StayBrite-8 Silver solder. Almost as strong as a braised connection but done with a propane torch at standard soldering temperatures. It requires a special flux for SS though - Harris StayBrite Liquid flux.

How about something like this with the appropriate cover?

GregKelley said:

How about something like this with the appropriate cover?

Click to expand...

That is a female outlet. It would require a male plug on the cord which would expose 240V open on the plug probes. That's a killer waiting to happen.

Do not go there as you are playing "you bet your life" in real time...

P-J said:

That is a female outlet. It would require a male plug on the cord which would expose 240V open on the plug probes. That's a killer waiting to happen.

Do not go there as you are playing "you bet your life" in real time...

Click to expand...

I guess you are right if you accidentally have the controller turned on or if the plug comes disconnected mid-session.

P-J said:

Harris StayBrite-8 Silver solder. Almost as strong as a braised connection but done with a propane torch at standard soldering temperatures. It requires a special flux for SS though - Harris StayBrite Liquid flux.

Click to expand...

I have this to solder the fittings onto my kettle. I just never would have thought a joint between the edge of the box and the kettle would be strong enough to be durable. Now that I see it, I think I'll give it a try.

I never stop learning things around here.

GregKelley said:

How about something like this with the appropriate cover?

Click to expand...

Please don't use that, you'll have an extension cord with live ends; like a cattle prod! It's not a matter of "if an accident happens", it's simply a matter of when. You can find the correct panel mount male receptacle on Ebay pretty cheap. If you can't find one I'll be glad to find one for you.

pickles said:

Please don't use that, you'll have an extension cord with live ends; like a cattle prod! It's not a matter of "if an accident happens", it's simply a matter of when. You can find the correct panel mount male receptacle on Ebay pretty cheap. If you can't find one I'll be glad to find one for you.

Click to expand...

Don't worry, I won't. Although I do like the sound of "Cattle Prod Stout"

P-J said:

Box plug
PX0596-63

Box plug
PX0598/15/63

Cord outlet
PX0599

Images

Click to expand...

Pretty good prices too. I see by the spec sheet they are rated 20A 240VAC by UL. Good for a 4500W element for sure. Probably close enough for a 5500W too... If I do another element, I will pick some up.

lschiavo said:

Pretty good prices too. I see by the spec sheet they are rated 20A 240VAC by UL. Good for a 4500W element for sure. Probably close enough for a 5500W too... If I do another element, I will pick some up.

Click to expand...

Yea, it'll be ok with 5500W but with a Sanke keg setup 4500W elements are enough. One thing about the connectors. All connections should be soldered i.e. no crimp on lug connections, IMHO.

This SOOOO tagged.

I really need to upgrade my "pvc caps crammed full of silicone" setup on my HLT. I mean, it works fine, but it worries me.

Plus, sooner or later I'm going to add elements to my BK, and the heatsticks will just be backups.

:rockin:

P-J said:

Box plug
PX0596-63

Box plug
PX0598/15/63

Cord outlet
PX0599

Images

Click to expand...

How about cover plates for them? Or do you have to cut your own?

mgude said:

How about cover plates for them? Or do you have to cut your own?

Click to expand...

Yea, you have to cut your own. There are way too many variables for a vendor to provide it.

P-J said:

I've been mulling this one over and then remembered fabricating parts and designing a system for a friend. With his setup I used a special plug and outlet very similar to the ones used for home computers but with a much higher current rating.

First thing, an element connector nut was soldered in place along with a gem box and ground wire.

P-J

Click to expand...

I trust your advice implicitly, but I'm curious about sealing within the box... those handy/gem boxes are not "weather tight"… Were there provisions to seal it off or are we not worried about water at the element contacts? Good enough with a solid ground and GFCI? Just thinking about boilover and other such accidents within the wet zone..
Thanks

MoesTavern said:

I trust your advice implicitly, but I'm curious about sealing within the box... those handy/gem boxes are not "weather tight"… Were there provisions to seal it off or are we not worried about water at the element contacts? Good enough with a solid ground and GFCI? Just thinking about boilover and other such accidents within the wet zone..
Thanks

Click to expand...

I had no concerns with it. I purposely left the bottom seam open enough to provide a drain area "in case". This also eliminated a risk concern I had 'if' the element gasket leaked. Overall, all is A-Ok as the whole thing is GFCI protected.

I had no concerns about boil overs. That is one of the major reasons I choose to use Auber Instruments PIDs. They have a manual mode that allows you to control the percent power delivered during a boil.

I hope this makes sense.

Here is what I ended up with. It's the usual 1" coupling with a cap on the end. I plan on painting it eventually. I still have a long way to go until my system is done, so I'm not in a rush.