BBFCreatureFM
Active Member
Subscribing to this post, because it seems like a brilliant idea, even for a propane and cooler guy. I will continue to monitor everyone's results. This may be worth a shot.
When I know that I am going to brew the next morning, I just crank up the hot water tank the night before. Generally that will put me about 5 degrees +/- of my strike temp.
Good enough for me
Don't they say you generally shouldn't use hot water for consumption?
"It is not approved for heating drinking water. While the solder that we use is RoHS compliant, thus containing no lead, there has been no testing to determine compliance for use with potable water. Also, the units are manufactured in an industrial environment as opposed to a clean room, therefore, we do not condone their use for heating water for human consumption... It is probably not dangerous but not necessarily safe either. I do not know what sort of chemicals are used in process the metal parts."
I don't know anything about this stuff, but does this worry any of you??
No. What would you expect them to say?
I dunno, do you really want to use brew equipment that isn't rated food-safe? Again, I don't know if it's something that we should worry about, just asking.
Forgive me if I missed this, but has anyone had luck using that stick in a cooler? Do those metal foils keep the main element far enough away from everything so as to not melt the plastic?
Also @JonnyJumpUp - there is no single technique or method that works for everybody, since everybody's process is a bit different. This saves me a ****LOAD of propane heating 12 gallons to strike temp and gets me close to that temp while I'm doing something else (sleeping). Also, I am trying to work within SWMBO limitations on how long a brew day should take, since I am pretty much JUST brewing when I brew. This shortens my day by getting some stuff set up the night before so in the AM I can let 'er rip. From the time I get up, my 10 gallons is in the fermenter and equipment is all cleaned and put away in 4 1/2 hours. This works very nicely for me. I don't personally see the need to complicate things with a temp controller, as this gets me very close and I can just run the burner for 5 mins to dial it in exactly.
So I am using this now in a converted keg heating up 7 gallons of water. Temp at the bottom of the keg where the probe was resting was 19C but the keg felt hot so i tested the water at the top.. it was 47C!!!!! That is a HUGE difference.. anyone having similar results? I'm thinking if I insulate and use with my STC1000 temp controller there will be much less of a temperature gradient.
Thoughts?
So I am using this now in a converted keg heating up 7 gallons of water. Temp at the bottom of the keg where the probe was resting was 19C but the keg felt hot so i tested the water at the top.. it was 47C!!!!! That is a HUGE difference.. anyone having similar results? I'm thinking if I insulate and use with my STC1000 temp controller there will be much less of a temperature gradient.
Thoughts?
ilikeguns said:@iamjonsharp did you measure the temps around your cooler to see if they were inline? I'm curious to see how the temps vary in a flatter cooler (yours) compared to my converted keg. I got a huge difference in temps depending on where my probe was.
Anyone ever use this timer with the bucket heater? I'm thinking of wiring it into my project box with my STC 1000
http://1000bulbs.com/product/63761/...C777dash777ST01&site=www.amazonproductads.com
What's the advantage over any other timer, except that it costs 5 times as much?
I saw it for 20 bucks and i want an outlet style timer so it fits flush into my project box next to my stc-1000.
EDIT: The ratings had me a little confused.. is this rated for 8 amps? or 15? The bucket heater draws 8 and from my limited understanding of electricity, I'd rather not run full capacity. Correct?
Ratings:
Resistive: 15 A, 120-277 VAC
Tungsten: 15 A, 120 VAC, 6 A, 208-277 VAC
Ballast: 8 A, 120 VAC, 4 A, 208-277 VAC
Motor: 1 HP, 120 VAC, 2 HP, 240 VAC
DC Loads: 4 A, 12 VDS, 2 A, 28 VDS
ilikeguns said:Anyone ever use this timer with the bucket heater? I'm thinking of wiring it into my project box with my STC 1000
http://1000bulbs.com/product/63761/ELEC-ST01.html?utm_source=SmartFeedAmazonProductAds&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_term=ELECST01&utm_content=ElectricalInWallTimersDigitalAstronomic&utm_campaign=SmartFeedAmazonProductAds&thissku=ELEC777dash777ST01&site=www.amazonproductads.com
I just used this setup to heat my strike water while I was at work yoday so I could brew when I got home.
18 gallons of 40 degree water for six hours of heating time and it was 135 when I got home. I need to figure the times better. But it still saved 40 minutes off my brewday
I bought mine from Amazon. Do they ship to Canada?
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