Singing heating element

So i fired up the e-kettles this eveining to run the autotune and what not...the element in the HLT emits a high pitched tone. i rotated the element and nothing changed. the brew kettle doesnt make any noise. both are 5500w stainless elements. what gives?

thanks Darryl

The best I can figure is I had boiled some water in the hlt because I had a bad SSR out of the box and there was mineral build up on the element that i hadnt cleaned off. I cleaned the element and havent heard it since.

thats a good one, good to know, didn't know elements could sing too

Suicided1954 said:

The best I can figure is I had boiled some water in the hlt because I had a bad SSR out of the box and there was mineral build up on the element that i hadnt cleaned off. I cleaned the element and havent heard it since.

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I'm wondering if the element was getting some sort of vibration that was affected by the bad SSR due to current flow. The element was probably vibrating kinda like a tuning fork that rings when struck. Possibility?

the_Roqk said:

I'm wondering if the element was getting some sort of vibration that was affected by the bad SSR due to current flow. The element was probably vibrating kinda like a tuning fork that rings when struck. Possibility?

Click to expand...

Well the bad ssr just let it get 100% power ignoring my set point of 150 and boiled. The new ssr gives it 100% power during the heating cycle and it's hasn't done it since I cleaned off the scale. I don't use tap water to make beer, I make water for that.

It was just another little annoyance in a weekend that produced no beer...

From the Camco Element FAQ:

Q: I just installed a water heater element and now my heater makes a humming sound.
A: This is called a “harmonic.” If the element is installed so that the loop is horizontal, the vibration from the electric current will cause the element to hum. This noise can be prevented by installing so that the loop is vertical. The flanged elements have arrows on the flange indicating the vertical position of the loop. To eliminate the humming on screw-in elements, tighten the element another half turn. In some instances, less than a half turn will stop the harmonic.

Suicided1954 said:

Well the bad ssr just let it get 100% power ignoring my set point of 150 and boiled. The new ssr gives it 100% power during the heating cycle and it's hasn't done it since I cleaned off the scale. I don't use tap water to make beer, I make water for that.

It was just another little annoyance in a weekend that produced no beer...

Click to expand...

You stated that it hasn't done it since you've cleaned off the scale. That, in itself kinda baffles me. So are you still having the same problem even after the SSR change? What type of SSR were you using? Just wondering since you must have a PID that you've set the temp at, then maybe the PID is the problem. The PID tells the SSR to turn off/on depending on the set temp and the feedback it gets from the thermocouple. Right? Look forward to the solution as I'm getting my components together for my Electric brew rig.