Installing heating element

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GregKelley

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How far from the bottom do you typically install your heating element for the BK? I know you have to consider that the element will need to be fully submerged so it has to be low enough to handle one's smallest batch. It also has to be high enough to be above any tubes or false bottoms as well as allow for the outside box to be attached. Any other considerations?
 
Kal (theelectricbrewery.com) went for 4". From his site:

"In our Boil Kettle (BK) the center of the element is 4" from the bottom and on the right side. In our Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) the center of the element is 3" from the bottom and on the left side. The Boil Kettle element is installed slightly higher than the one in the Hot liquor tank as we have a large hop strainer installed in the boil kettle which sits on the bottom so the element could not be installed any lower. This places the element just below the 5 gallon marker in the boil kettle so 5 gallons is the minimum volume of beer we can produce with this setup. We typically brew 10-13 gallons."

He's referring to position in a 20 gallon blichmann kettle.
 
How far from the bottom do you typically install your heating element for the BK? I know you have to consider that the element will need to be fully submerged so it has to be low enough to handle one's smallest batch. It also has to be high enough to be above any tubes or false bottoms as well as allow for the outside box to be attached. Any other considerations?

I mounted both of mine @4.5" from the bottom as measured from the outside of the kegs, it basically boils down to the type of kegs you have so that the gang box is mounted on the flat surface on the outside and allow for the curve inside the kegs. Best of luck.
 
I did read Kal's write-up, thanks. I have either a 30 or 40 qt pot, not a keggle. Can't remember right now, it's at home. Anyway, I'm thinking that I can get it lower than 4" with the limit being 1/2 the size of the gang box. Do I want it that low? Is it more efficient to be a little higher up?
 
Mine is 4.5" up... er... the second time around. The first time I put it a bit low and the hop stopper I have wouldn't fit under it. That was not a fun few minutes to be in the basement while I cursed up a storm. In the end, I plugged the first hole with a 1" bushing and added a sacrificial anode for the element... if anyone ever asks, I can say that was *always* the plan ;)
 
If you are planning on welding a nut on the BK for the element to thread into and are using a ripple element, be sure to factor in the room necessary for the element to rotate as you install it.
 
If you are planning on welding a nut on the BK for the element to thread into and are using a ripple element, be sure to factor in the room necessary for the element to rotate as you install it.
That is an excellent point.

Also, the final rotational position of the element should be considered once it is screwed in place. When the nut is welded it cannot be changed.
 
That is an excellent point.

Also, the final rotational position of the element should be considered once it is screwed in place. When the nut is welded it cannot be changed.

P-J,
How important is it to control the rotational position of the element? I've never figured that out, as elements from different vendors (and possibly from the same vendor) do not have the threads timed to the bends in the element. That means that I don't know the position of the element in my water heater either. Gasket thickness will also come into play.

Chuck
 
P-J,
How important is it to control the rotational position of the element? I've never figured that out, as elements from different vendors (and possibly from the same vendor) do not have the threads timed to the bends in the element. That means that I don't know the position of the element in my water heater either. Gasket thickness will also come into play.

Chuck
It is only important if the ripple element could interfere with other components in the kettle. Like a false bottom. It is one of the reasons that I solder the element nut in place. It could also be placed using Kal's method.
 

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