Bending an element

I am building a heatstick, and the 5500 watt ripple element is a few inches longer than the pot will hold.

Question: Can I bend it CAREFULLY to fit the pot? Or should I buy a shorter, lower wattage element?

Should be able to. I've seen plenty of bent elements on this forum, as well as bending one myself -- just marginally, though. But there's also a couple threads on here of elements snapped in half. I guess either way there's not much harm in trying before buying a different one. Try to curve it instead of doing a sharp turn, I guess.

iijakii said:

Try to curve it instead of doing a sharp turn, I guess.

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+1

They can certainly be bent, just try and spread out the bend - don't try any sharp 90 degree angles.

I spread mine out slightly to make cleaning easier:



Some others have done more extreme cases:





Kal

If those last two still work then I got no worries. I just need a little bend.
Thanks guys.

Anybody got tips for actually bending the element other than be careful? What tools are needed and is there a proper procedure?

TexasWine said:

Anybody got tips for actually bending the element other than be careful? What tools are needed and is there a proper procedure?

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Two hands is all that's needed in my experiences. If you're trying something extreme something to leverage/bend against like a can or what not would be good.

Hands are best as you're not likely to put any strain on any single point. They're quite easy to bend.

Kal

The black incoloy elements bend. Shiny ones break. I used my hands and a pipe and a 4" PVC pipe to bend it around. Go slow.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1442059479.984618.jpg

dcbw said:

The black incoloy elements bend. Shiny ones break. I used my hands and a pipe and a 4" PVC pipe to bend it around. Go slow.

View attachment 302772

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I'm assuming shiny = stainless?

The bending was easier than I thought it would be. I only needed the element shorter, so I tried to keep as much of the original ripple shape as possible. I used an oak plank with a hole as a bending boss and hand power.

Amazing how simple ideas work the best sometimes, and no damage to the element. Good job!

John

Looks good! That's definitely the right way to do it as it doesn't put lots of stress on any one point, but instead spreads the bend out across a longer area.

Happy brewing!

Kal

This thread got me thinking. I ordered 30 gallon custom kettles with 1.5" TC fittings for the elements. That makes it awesome to remove them for cleaning. I was wishing I had gone with 2" T fittings though since it takes a bit of rotating to get the element in and out. Since they are 30 gallon kettles (they are huge), I don't have any problems with the length of the elements since the kettles are almost 20" diameter. I decided to do the opposite and actually straighten the elements some to make it easier to fish them in and out. Works great now! Thanks for the great discussions that make all our lives easier!

chessking said:

The bending was easier than I thought it would be. I only needed the element shorter, so I tried to keep as much of the original ripple shape as possible. I used an oak plank with a hole as a bending boss and hand power.

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What was the before and after length of your element?

he Kettle it is in looks to be about 12 inches?

Thanks

Dan

The before length was about 14 inches from the base of the threads. My after length is about 10 1/2 inches. I could have shortened it more, but that was all I needed to fit my kettle.

Cool...thanks for the measurement....per chance, do you know the make of the element? Where purchased?

Got mine at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BPG4LI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Also Bobby's got a nice selection

https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1902.htm

Bent my SS element from Brew Hardware just last weekend.... :rockin:

paul_111 said:

Bent my SS element from Brew Hardware just last weekend.... :rockin:

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How do you like that Hot Rod Heat stick? I looks well built and functional, and is a lot cheaper than the one I built. If/when I go with a second element, that's the one I plan to buy.

Also what size pot are you working with?

It is well-made and works well. I am using the bent element in a 3 gallon pot. I have another element that is not bent in a 6 gallon pot.

If I were to go through the motions again, I think I would punch a hole in the pot for one on brewhardware's tc fittings instead.

Chessking, have you had any issues with your element since bending?

If I opt for a ripple element to replace my current "fold-back" element in my HotRod (get one!) I'll only need to shorten it an inch or two, so not as extreme as yours.

eulipion2 said:

Chessking, have you had any issues with your element since bending?

If I opt for a ripple element to replace my current "fold-back" element in my HotRod (get one!) I'll only need to shorten it an inch or two, so not as extreme as yours.

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My element has worked great. 6 gal from the tap temps to boil in under 20 min. I was careful to make gentle bends, but from what I have seen of other bent elements, what I did was minimal.

chessking said:

My element has worked great. 6 gal from the tap temps to boil in under 20 min. I was careful to make gentle bends, but from what I have seen of other bent elements, what I did was minimal.

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Awesome, thanks!