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- Nov 11, 2013
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With the aid of numerous threads on HBT and one great DIY blog (http://www.cedarcreeknetworks.com/heatstick.htm), I built my first heat stick last week. I intended to use it to aid my under-powered kitchen stove in bringing 5+ gallons to a boil quicker.
Due to the electrical limitations in my kitchen, I went with a 1500W water heating element (13.6 Amp continuous draw = ~90% of a 15 Amp outlets capacity). All other parts were from Home Depot. I used LOADS of JB Weld to seal it all up. Total cost: $38.57. Total work time: Approx 6-7 hrs (+24 hrs for JB Weld to cure).
When researching a heat stick's heating "power," I couldn't really find any "tests" that compared a stove alone to a stove + heat stick's heating ability so I thought I'd share my own test results.
To compare, I started with 5 gallons of tap water and put it to test.
Stove Alone = Pot lid ON + 1 burner (largest burner) on full HIGH power
- Started time at burner power on
- Start Temp: 118 F
- Pot + Burner at "room temp" before starting test
Stove + Heat Stick = Pot lid on but open where heat stick protruded out. 1 Large Burner on full HIGH power + 1500W Heat Stick
- Started time at power on (burner + heat stick powered up simultaneously)
- Start Temp: 116 F
- Pot + Burner at "room temp" before starting test
Results:
Stove Only time to boil: 1:07 (hrs:mins)
Stove + Stick time to boil: 0:32 (hrs:mins)
Approx Rate of Temp Increase:
Stove Only: ~ 7 Degrees F per min per gallon
Stove + Heat Stick: ~15 Degrees F per min per gallon
All in all, I am happy with the build. It was a fun build which will save me a little bit of time each brew day. Using my loose approximate math, I basically paid $40 + 2 days of work to shave 35 mins off each brew day. Not a terribly "good" investment in time savings, if you will, but since I travel for a living and literally have to "fit" brewing into my work schedule, any time saved is time earned that I can spend doing other things.
Pics:
1. Finished heat stick
2. Stove only pot heating
3. Stove + Heat Stick pot heating
4. 5 gallons (measure in "Ale Pale" bucket for both test runs)
(Sorry for the "sideways" pics. First time posting pics, don't know how to fix it)
Due to the electrical limitations in my kitchen, I went with a 1500W water heating element (13.6 Amp continuous draw = ~90% of a 15 Amp outlets capacity). All other parts were from Home Depot. I used LOADS of JB Weld to seal it all up. Total cost: $38.57. Total work time: Approx 6-7 hrs (+24 hrs for JB Weld to cure).
When researching a heat stick's heating "power," I couldn't really find any "tests" that compared a stove alone to a stove + heat stick's heating ability so I thought I'd share my own test results.
To compare, I started with 5 gallons of tap water and put it to test.
Stove Alone = Pot lid ON + 1 burner (largest burner) on full HIGH power
- Started time at burner power on
- Start Temp: 118 F
- Pot + Burner at "room temp" before starting test
Stove + Heat Stick = Pot lid on but open where heat stick protruded out. 1 Large Burner on full HIGH power + 1500W Heat Stick
- Started time at power on (burner + heat stick powered up simultaneously)
- Start Temp: 116 F
- Pot + Burner at "room temp" before starting test
Results:
Stove Only time to boil: 1:07 (hrs:mins)
Stove + Stick time to boil: 0:32 (hrs:mins)
Approx Rate of Temp Increase:
Stove Only: ~ 7 Degrees F per min per gallon
Stove + Heat Stick: ~15 Degrees F per min per gallon
All in all, I am happy with the build. It was a fun build which will save me a little bit of time each brew day. Using my loose approximate math, I basically paid $40 + 2 days of work to shave 35 mins off each brew day. Not a terribly "good" investment in time savings, if you will, but since I travel for a living and literally have to "fit" brewing into my work schedule, any time saved is time earned that I can spend doing other things.
Pics:
1. Finished heat stick
2. Stove only pot heating
3. Stove + Heat Stick pot heating
4. 5 gallons (measure in "Ale Pale" bucket for both test runs)
(Sorry for the "sideways" pics. First time posting pics, don't know how to fix it)
