Thinking of bulding electric keggle??

I have been doing 5-10 gallon BIAB now for a couple years now with great success! Now its winter here in Ontario and it's freezing out so I want to bring the brewing inside. I have a 13.5 Euro keggle that i have been using, I want to add a 240v element to it so I can stay inside, like this one! http://http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Camco-4500W-240V-Water-Heater-Fold-Back-Screw-In-Better-Element-02583-/130809075117?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e74d415ad
I want to go as cheap as possible for now to see how I like it! My question is, is there a fitting that can be bolted on or welded, or soldered, to the keg so the element can be screwed in? can this just be wired and plugged into my dryer plug? Will this boil too rapidly and cause boil over without a way to turn the power down? Was also thinking of building a heat stick but this seems like a lot less work!

These were current when you posted your questions and show a couple of options.
There are also threads concerning element control via PID out there for the searching.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/weldless-2-ferrules-370610/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/bottom-drain-e-keggle-376489/

I did the TriClamp way as i wanted it easily removable. If you want to do cheap your best bet would probably be a 1" NPT coupler welded in (you can get a decent seal even though the elements are NPS) or a 1" NPS welding spud.

If you ok with weldless that would be the simplest way, just need a washer/gasket and a 1" NPS locknut.

Theres lots of examples of these ways on here if you search around a bit.

PID is probably your best bet, although I've seen people have success with a 240V Variac (they're expensive but you can usually get them surplus for cheap). You're going to be in for alot of pain/wasted heat if you attempt to run the element at full power constantly.

There are alot of PID's on ebay for around $25 are they worth buying?

christpuncher123 said:

There are alot of PID's on ebay for around $25 are they worth buying?

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My thoughts?

Bite the bullet and buy the SYS-2352 PID from Auber Instruments.

No looking back and no regrets down the road later on.

My opinion? Buy it cheap and just toss your $'s in the trash when things don't work out for you later on. Stuff like: You get the PID and it only shows degree 'C' - so now you need a calculator to change that to degree 'F' every step of your brew process.

Oh well, I'll shut up now.

P-J

I think the Auber ones are very reasonable priced. I don't think they are expensive. Do a google search, it seems like most of them are $200 and up.

Chris

I can buy a lot of propane for $200!

christpuncher123 said:

I can buy a lot of propane for $200!

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He said after reviewing the "Electric Brewing" forum...

Thanks for the laugh. I sure hope you live in the Deep South so that you can brew during the winter months.

christpuncher123 said:

I can buy a lot of propane for $200!

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The Auber SYL-2352 is only $45.50, not $200+

P-J said:

He said after reviewing the "Electric Brewing" forum...

Thanks for the laugh. I sure hope you live in the Deep South so that you can brew during the winter months.

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P-J is the man so I would trust his advice. He helped sigh my build and I couldn't be happier. On a side note, the OP said he was from Ontario so only reading C might not be a problem. But the auber pods are cheap, reliable and have great customer service. For connecting the element, check Www.theelectricbrewery.com kal has instructions on how to install the element weldless, they don't leak and are easy to install.

goybar said:

The Auber SYL-2352 is only $45.50, not $200+

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That's more like it!