Element for HLT

[murphyslaw]

Would this work as an HLT element? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-Water-Heater-Screw-Element/3692734

I plan to have a very limited use for this HLT. I just got a grainfather, which doesn't heat sparge water, and that's all I plan to do with this HLT. In fact, I'll probably put ALL my brewing water in the GF, use its delay function to heat all the water to my strike temp (probably 160ish), then drain off the 3-4 gallons of sparge water and into my HLT. So I all I really need is something that can reheat already warm water to about 168-170F. In the near future, I'd probably add an STC-1000 or similarly cheap controller.

I know its not ULWD, but if its only heating water, that should be fine, right?

Also, its zinc plated copper, but I've read around here that if I soak it in star san or citric acid the plating will come off and it will be fine to use after that?

Thanks!

 

[passedpawn]

If that's all you plan on doing with it, you might consider a dual purpose gizmo like a sous vide water heater / circulator. Anova is the most popular, but there's a bunch of them that are cheaper if you don't need bluetooth programability (who the heck needs that, anyway?).

This one is $69. I'm thinking about getting one for cheesemaking
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017HX1FTC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[kh54s10]

Why not just sparge with cold water. I still heat my sparge water, but see a lot of opinions that it really doesn't make much if any difference.

 

[mredge73]

You can get bucket heaters for even cheaper if that is all you want:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FO8FY68/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[murphyslaw]

If that's all you plan on doing with it, you might consider a dual purpose gizmo like a sous vide water heater / circulator. Anova is the most popular, but there's a bunch of them that are cheaper if you don't need bluetooth programability (who the heck needs that, anyway?).

This one is $69. I'm thinking about getting one for cheesemaking
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017HX1FTC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

View attachment 558282

Oh, that's not a bad idea. I've gotten really into cooking lately and had been thinking about getting one of these anyway.

Why not just sparge with cold water. I still heat my sparge water, but see a lot of opinions that it really doesn't make much if any difference.

Yeah, that's an option. Particularly since the water would be warm already anyway. But I'd prefer to hot sparge.

 

[passedpawn]

Why not just sparge with cold water. I still heat my sparge water, but see a lot of opinions that it really doesn't make much if any difference.

I did a semi-controlled experiment a year or two ago. Cold sparge vs hot sparge - same day, same recipe. I got about 3 gravity points difference in total efficiency to the kettle. To me, that's statistically NO DIFFERENCE given my haphazard process control

So yea, I agree. Works out for me, too, as I usually do back-to-back batches, and I don't have hot sparge water for the second mash.

 

[murphyslaw]

You can get bucket heaters for even cheaper if that is all you want:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FO8FY68/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Oh, that probably makes a lot more sense than what I was thinking. Thanks.

 

[murphyslaw]

I did a semi-controlled experiment a year or two ago. Cold sparge vs hot sparge - same day, same recipe. I got about 3 gravity points difference in total efficiency to the kettle. To me, that's statistically NO DIFFERENCE given my haphazard process control

So yea, I agree. Works out for me, too, as I usually do back-to-back batches, and I don't have hot sparge water for the second mash.

Did it affect the speed of your sparge or the fermentability of your wort?

 

[passedpawn]

Did it affect the speed of your sparge or the fermentability of your wort?

I batch sparge, so no. Also, no difference for me and fermentability on that controlled experiment. I use cold water for the 2nd batch sparge every time I brew, but I don't usually make the same recipe back-to-back, so it was just that one time that I could really come to any conclusion on these things.

If you're used to doing a mash out addition, where you increase the mash temperature to above 170 to STOP enzymatic activity, then it's possible that you'll have INCREASED fermentability by sparging cold - but I doubt it. That activity at cold temperatures is very slow, so I don't think there'll be a difference, and you're gonna be boiling soon anyway. Hope that thought was clear.

 

[Jeremy17099]

You could heat your strike water higher than normal say 180° then drain what you need into a 5 gallon igloo cooler. That should keep it hot enough to sparge with. Just add a bit of cold water to get strike temp to where you want it.

 

[murphyslaw]

You could heat your strike water higher than normal say 180° then drain what you need into a 5 gallon igloo cooler. That should keep it hot enough to sparge with. Just add a bit of cold water to get strike temp to where you want it.

But then I'd have to cool my strike water.

I ended up buying the $10 bucket heater.

 

[TexasWine]

But then I'd have to cool my strike water.

Don't you have a wort chiller and a pump? It's dead simple to chill your strike water if you do. I do it every brew day because I boil my strike water to deaerate it.

 

[murphyslaw]

Don't you have a wort chiller and a pump? It's dead simple to chill your strike water if you do. I do it every brew day because I boil my strike water to deaerate it.

Sure. But I've been trying to streamline things lately. Adding a pre-mash cooling stage isn't what I'm going for at this point.

Used the bucket heater today to get my sparge water from 130 to 170. Worked like a charm.