Removable heating element

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matteospacca

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Good evening everyone. I'm new to the forum :)
After a few years of brewing I have the need to switch from direct fire to electric. I have a very (probably stupid) question. Before drilling a 1,5" hole in my SS Brewtech 15Gal kettle I would like to know if there is and kind of removable heating element options on the market. Something like a submergible element that hooks up to the top of the kettle without the need of drilling. I was also thinking about a RIMS system but I don't think you can get to boiling with rims and also not sure the pump will work with boiling water.
Many thanks

Matteo
 
Welcome to the forum Matteo. There is no stupid question here.

There are heat sticks, which are heating elements with a cable coming from them. You drop them into your pot. I haven't used one of these, but I would not recommend it.

I would suggest that you DO drill a hole in your kettle and install a proper heating element.

Many available pumps DO work with boiling water. In the USA, March pumps are very common. Also, search Chugger pumps.
 
If you can mount a tri-clamp fitting in on the hole you drill, then you can use a removable high-power element. The fitting would ideally be welded but could be soldered or even a weldless bulkhead fitting. There are various sources for the parts, but I recommend you consider brewhardware.com, whose offerings have greatly contributed to my electric brewing setup.
 
I do know brewhardware. Unfortunately they do not ship to Europe. As far as I know there is no other online-shop like brewhardware
 
One of the things you need to consider is the heat density (Watts/Square cm) of heating elements.

Heating (strike) water can be done with any element, but wort may scorch on smaller, high heat density elements. So for brewing we prefer to use "folded ripple elements" which have lower heat density. There are also (long) heating coils with very low heat density.
 
It just occurred to that given the link I shared above, I should also include a warning: I love SHFC but... I did buy one product from them that turned out to be a klunker...The non-TC housing for the electrical element:
IMG_1488.jpg

..That's a Camco 5500W element. I believe the ones sold on Aliexpress are mostly Dernoid, but I don't imagine they have longer threads... Once inserted, there's no way to fit a socket or wrench on the backside, nor is there enough remaining thread to secure it on my BK. I ended up going to the hardware store and using juction-box parts for an outdoor lighting fixture:
IMG_1489.jpg

You could look at the options available from the source; this one looks like it has the threads, capacity and cover:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...4216827897402451508e62bd!12000028031074084!shThough most of their customers seem to be happy, they do have a minority of those who have reported issues with faulty ground connections, and leaks.
That all said; brewhardware.com is in my opinion, the number-source of reliable parts.. I believe his elements are the Dernords, but he's selected and inspected them himself and chosen his stock to be ideally suited to the homebrewer. Maybe you could ask @Bobby_M if there's any way he can ship to you. ...his hot-pods are the best ready-made element housing solution I've seen anywhere: Kettle Element Enclosures
 
I have used 2 hotrod electric heaters for 3 years now. Absolutely love them. 1900-2000 watt low density heater that draws 13 amps at 110V and a 4500 watt low density heater at 240V. I use the 1900 watt for heating my strike water ,about 7 gallons, never tried boiling with it. I use the 4500 watt 240V to boil 14.5 gallons of wort . It takes about 20 minutes to a rolling boil from 148F mash temp to boiling . Straight 240V off my panel ( no controller) gives me a nice rolling boil for an hr of boil time . Electric consumption between the 2 elements for a 5 hr brew cycle is about 9KWH or about $1.53 US vs $3.50 US for propane. Electric is way more efficient, quiet and safer in certain situations.
 
Thanks for all the tips. I will end up drilling the kettle as it seems to be the easiest option.
Just a little help. I'm very good in drilling but very bad in wiring. Can somebody help me on wiring the element (which wire goes where).
I'm on a 220V/16A single phase.
Thanks
 

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My elements have 3 wires. White and black are hot , green is ground. Wiring the 2 pole 220v breaker would be white and black ( 110 v each leg ) green to ground buss .
 
Mark3885 said:
My elements have 3 wires. White and black are hot , green is ground. Wiring the 2 pole 220v breaker would be white and black ( 110 v each leg ) green to ground buss .
Click to expand...
OP is in Italy, and their electrical system is different than in North America. They, and the rest of Europe, use a true single phase 230V (220 -240 depending on country), rather than the split phase (I don't care what anyone says, it is really two phase) used in NA. So, they only have one hot, and get the full 230V between the single hot and neutral. Standard wiring insulation color conventions are also different - hot/line is brown, neutral is blue, and ground is striped green & yellow.

Brew on :mug:
 
Yep. This means the part arrivied with a missing part. I guess I will return it and maybe get the denord element via Aliexpress
 
matteospacca said:
Yep. This means the part arrivied with a missing part. I guess I will return it and maybe get the denord element via Aliexpress
Click to expand...
You can make your own jumpers. For this application you want to terminate the jumper wires with crimped on closed eyelet terminals. The power delivery wires should also be terminated with closed eyelet terminals. Just screwing down on bare wire ends will work, but is much more likely to result in a loose, unreliable connection.

Brew on :mug:
 
IslandLizard said:
One of the things you need to consider is the heat density (Watts/Square cm) of heating elements.

Heating (strike) water can be done with any element, but wort may scorch on smaller, high heat density elements. So for brewing we prefer to use "folded ripple elements" which have lower heat density. There are also (long) heating coils with very low heat density.
Click to expand...
I can't tell from your picture how long your element is and I know many people use that style of element, but I'm personally uncomfortable with concentrating all the heat in a small area and I worry about hops and break material filling the close gaps and scorching... I went with the long ripple style element myself, as have most homebrewers.
Also: I see that style of element comes in various different diameters you'd have to drill, and if it requires a larger hole than the standard elements, you won't be able to undo it except maybe by drilling larger to install a TC bulhead (such as this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...908059113!sea!CA!0&curPageLogUid=7BS5g0p3Bmd6 )
Like @doug293cz said; you can just jumper them, and I don't what shipping times are like to Italy, but here in Canada, I usually wait 3-5 months for something from Aliexpress.
If you decide to order a different element, I believe this is the one that brewhardware sells:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...031074085!sea!CA!0&curPageLogUid=2ZaLbDFyUa66...make sure and click the option that includes the nut.
:mug:
 
Underpowering an element isn't a big deal, it just means lower heat and a longer time to reach temps. Given the size of your kettle, if you're buying a new element, I'd go with 5500W. I initially installed a 4500W in my 15G keggle, which was OK for 5 gallon batches, if a bit slow, but I've replaced it with a 5500W @ 30A and gotten better times when doing larger batches. Going that route, you can use it at 16A, but have the option to upgrade for better times later. I suspect there may be a detail about the draw that I've lost, but hopefully someone else will weigh in here.

Late EDIT: SAFETY WARNING!: I have a limited working memory. I was only thinking of the power supplied from the controller to the element... But I suspect there is another detail I'm overlooking here... @doug293cz is an authority on these matters and has post many educational posts and schematics for controllers... I don't know what you will use for a controller, but please defer to his advice.
 
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matteospacca said:
Thanks. Do you know if with a 4500KW element I need a 30A inlet or a 16A is still fine?
Click to expand...
If the element is rated at 4500W @ 220V, then it will draw 4500 / 220 = 20.45 A when it is connected to 220V input power, which is too much for a 16A circuit.

If the element is rated at 4500W @ 240V, then it will draw 4500 /240 = 18.75 A when it is connected to 240V input power - still too much for a 16A circuit. But if this element is connected to 220V input power, it will only draw 18.75 * 220 / 240 = 17.19 A.

Since this element has three individual heater tubes, you could just connect two of them to power instead of all three. This would cut the current draw and heat output by 1/3, which would then work on a 16A circuit.

Brew on :mug:
 
Broken Crow said:
Underpowering an element isn't a big deal, it just means lower heat and a longer time to reach temps. Given the size of your kettle, if you're buying a new element, I'd go with 5500W. I initially installed a 4500W in my 15G keggle, which was OK for 5 gallon batches, if a bit slow, but I've replaced it with a 5500W @ 30A and gotten better times when doing larger batches. Going that route, you can use it at 16A, but have the option to upgrade for better times later. I suspect there may be a detail about the draw that I've lost, but hopefully someone else will weigh in here.
Click to expand...
Underpowering an element is fine, but you can't reduce the power by putting it on a lower amp rated circuit at its rated voltage. You have to lower the voltage to lower the power, which will also lower the current draw.

Brew on :mug:
 
Last edited:
doug293cz said:
you can't reduce the power by putting it on a lower amp rated circuit
Click to expand...
Right. In case there's any unclarity: putting a 5500W or 4500W element on a 16 amp 220V or 240V circuit -- that is, one with fairly skinny wire -- will immediately trip the circuit breaker or blow the fuse. Were it not for the protection provided by the fuse or circuit breaker, such an arrangement would quickly and severely heat the wire in the wall, likely starting a fire.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
A couple questions; What to you have, or intend to aquire/build for a controller? Do you have a 30A source available, or is it outside your means or intention? Are you limited to 16A?
[In case this provides any food-for-thought; On brew days, I pull my electric stove away from the wall and plug my 30A brew-rig into the stove outlet... many others on here use their clothes-dryer outlet]
 

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