E-HLT Questions

[deranma]

This is my first post, so bear with me as I try to explain what I am trying to do. I have a plastic covered keg which is no good for a BK and I already have a 10g round cooler for MLT, so the only thing I can think of for it is to be my HLT. I want to make it a electric HLT and I am thinking of controlling it with a Arduino board which will control a temperature sensor, heating element, and also a pump (I am building a two tier rig out of wood with the BK being on a propane/natural gas burner). My questions are as followed:

Is a 1500W or 2000W heating element sufficient enough to heat my HLT for strike, sparge and mash out?

The Arduino board will have relays and can I run the pump and heating element off the same outlet? The board will have set temperatures program in it to turn off the element and turn on when needed, so at some points both pump and heating element could be on.

I can't add 240V because my electric panel is full in my house, so I can't only use 120V lines. I know the outlets I want to use are on 20A circuits, so would it be better to roll with the 1500W element since it willdraw less amps?

Any thoughts or help with this will be appreciated?

Also, I would love to use natural gas instead of propane. I would like to brew in basement which has windows and if I were to do this I would fancy up a ventilation system. So does anyone know of a good burner or setup that would be natural gas?

 

[tektonjp]

One 1500 will do it, but take a loooong time. Why not two plugged into different circuits?

 

[dmfa200]

You may be able to use tandem circuit breakers to free up room for a two pole breaker needed for 240 volts for your heating element. I used them to free up space in my panel when running a new circuit out to my garage.

I know, I know it's a lot of work but I wanted to run 240v service out to my garage cause my wife didn't want me brewing in the house.

So, I got the latest NEC for reference, bought the wire, conduit and supplies and ran a new 50 amp service out to my detached garage.

Sure I had to crawl through the attic and dig 40 feet of trench by hand all the way out to the garage but by God my wife was not gonna stop me from brewing.

I told her!

 

[deranma]

One 1500 will do it, but take a loooong time. Why not two plugged into different circuits?

Like are you talking two different outlets? Or creating a circuit set up? I am not the most electrical savvy, but I am learning and trying my best.

 

[deranma]

You may be able to use tandem circuit breakers to free up room for a two pole breaker needed for 240 volts for your heating element. I used them to free up space in my panel when running a new circuit out to my garage.

I know, I know it's a lot of work but I wanted to run 240v service out to my garage cause my wife didn't want me brewing in the house.

So, I got the latest NEC for reference, bought the wire, conduit and supplies and ran a new 50 amp service out to my detached garage.

Sure I had to crawl through the attic and dig 40 feet of trench by hand all the way out to the garage but by God my wife was not gonna stop me from brewing.

I told her!

I just want to put one in my basement if anything. The main panel isn't to far from where I plan to brew. I would go all electric if I knew how or knew someone that could do this for me.

 

[dmfa200]

First you need to determine if your panel will accept tandem breakers

Next determine how many amps your service needs to be and that will dictate the wire size.
Electric water heater elements are usually wired with 10ga which will handle about 30 amps
I ran 6ga wire for my 50 amp service.

The rest of the work will be running the wire from your panel to the basement.

It's not rocket science. You just need to have the correct information, tools, and most importantly determination.

I never let my lack of experience in a project stop me from failing to accomplish a goal.



That and the fact that I've been a tradesman for more than 20 years and have more tools than most people.

 

[deranma]

Are those the same breakers that would have two switches? I have quite a few of those on my panel.

 

[dmfa200]

Are those the same breakers that would have two switches? I have quite a few of those on my panel.

Is this what your seeing?

 

[deranma]

Yep I have some that say 15 and 20.

 

[dmfa200]

Hopefully you have a little room to spare for a couple more of these and 240v power is a possibility.

I am not going to tell you to do it yourself if you don't feel comfortable working with electricity. I would at least consult an electrician before taking this on.

Safety and use of the correct materials is very important!
The rest is just a little manual labor.

 

[deranma]

Know any good electricians in the Cincinnati area that wouldn't charge an arm and a leg?

 

[runs4beer]

Do you have electric dryer or range in your house, what do the two pole (two switch) breackers power?

 

[deranma]

No we have gas on both of those. I think anything that might use it is hardwired into the house. Most of them are for outlets in the house.