316SS 4500W elements on eBay

I found this on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RU-SCREW-PLUG-IMMERSION-HEATER-Heating-Element-Rod-TSP01527-3500-4500W-240-208V-/400337589562?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d35fad53a

The details are sketchy but it looks like they're actually made by Tempco who makes a lot of industrial stuff from what I gather. The part number fits within their numbering scheme. Apparently they have a 316SS screw plug and element and are 4500W at 240V. It's a small step down in wattage for me, but since I've had bad rusting issues I've decided to take a chance on two of these. He has a return policy and I offered $65 for two (plus $9 something shipping) which he accepted. If they're legit then I think they are probably way under priced. *

I'll let you know how this works out.

*Edit: It looks like he now shows 3 left and bumped the price a tad. They were $35.75 I think.

Only 1 left now. Did someone here also buy two?

I did. Thanks for the heads up!

Awesome! Hope they work out.

Got more details on the item from Tempco:

From their email:


This product was designed for food equipment steam table.

Here is the general description .

Qty. Available: *0
Part Number: *TSP01527
Watts: *4500
Volts: *240 Single Phase
Leadwire: *N/A
Cable: *N/A

SCREW PLUG HEATER
NPT 1"-11 1/2 316SS
1 elements, 15.50" immersion LG
x 0.315" dia., foldback design
90 deg. C epoxy end seal
316SS sheath, 1.25" cold length
Stamp UL logo plus code DV
after part number
Water Immersion medium
Separate grounding means req'd
Electropolish all wetted surfaces

I got the last one... figure il use it for the hlt and hope the acidity of the wort protects the bk. Any idea of the differance in heating time between the 5500 and 4500 elements?

for time differences, check out #12 here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/4500w-5-gal-overkill-295423/index2.html

bikesnbeers said:

for time differences, check out #12 here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/4500w-5-gal-overkill-295423/index2.html

Click to expand...

Thanks for that... i havent had a chance to use my system yet but once i do ill figure how important that 9 minutes is to me..lol

Hey guys, just got mine in the mail.

The good: they look great, packed well.

The bad: they're a little too long for my keggles. I should've measured first but I was going by my camco length, forgetting the fact that their waviness makes them effectively shorter.

If the element can be mounted back some then I think it can work. Off to study differen't mounting methods.

Ok, so here's some pics. I'm wondering if I can bend this thing so I don't have to radically change the way it's mounted (Kal's method). I'd like to stay weldless/solderless so I don't have to mess with that. Any ideas are welcome though.

The reason for wanting a stainless screw plug. The anode didn't work. It looks like water was getting in the locknut.



In the pot as far as it will go currently.





Comparison with previous element

That looks like a NPT thread vs the usual NPS. If you can solder or weld a full coupler in there to give some stand off you should be fine.

Thanks ScubaSteve. You're right, it's NPT. It said it on the description and I didn't think about it. I think the coupler is a good idea. I'll have to look at that silver solder thread again and see if I'm up to it.

jsguitar said:

Thanks ScubaSteve. You're right, it's NPT. It said it on the description and I didn't think about it. I think the coupler is a good idea. I'll have to look at that silver solder thread again and see if I'm up to it.

Click to expand...

What, and forego the fun of trying to bend it into a ripple element?

jeffmeh said:

What, and forego the fun of trying to bend it into a ripple element?

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Oh, you'd like to see that, wouldn't you?

I'm feeling kind of blah about the whole thing right now. The silver solder thing is not looking very appealing to me. It looks like I'd need to get some stuff just to practice on for a while.

jsguitar said:

Oh, you'd like to see that, wouldn't you?

I'm feeling kind of blah about the whole thing right now. The silver solder thing is not looking very appealing to me. It looks like I'd need to get some stuff just to practice on for a while.

Click to expand...

Why dont you check with a local welder? My buddy welded all my coupling for free but i caled a local guy for pricing and when i told him what it was for he said 10 buck per coupler. Even if u pay a bit more its only one and it will be done right

kosmokramer said:

Why dont you check with a local welder? My buddy welded all my coupling for free but i caled a local guy for pricing and when i told him what it was for he said 10 buck per coupler. Even if u pay a bit more its only one and it will be done right

Click to expand...

I've been thinking about it. I took a look a your build, which is looking awesome, and saw your couplers. He did a great job. I think this element will work for you with the coupler and regular keg. The keg I'm showing in the pic is a Coors keg that has a narrower bottom and top to it, so it's especially tight. My BK is a regular type keg.

Maybe later, after a couple of beers I'll just order some soldering stuff and commit myself to it. We'll see what happens!

nevermind

I haven't received my element yet. I'm pretty sure the length will work, but I already have the NPS coupler. I missed that in the description too.

Good idea / Bad idea?... Thread the NPT element into the NPS coupler.

PS. kosmo- that is a killer system!

bikesnbeers said:

Good idea / Bad idea?... Thread the NPT element into the NPS coupler.

Click to expand...

IDK, but it sounds kind of iffy. It'd be a bad place for a leak. Are they already welded on?

jsguitar said:

Are they already welded on?

Click to expand...

No. I have a 2" TC ferrule on there waiting for the TC x NPS cap. I'll send more details when I receive the element.

When you look at your tapered plug on the element, does it look like its tapered the entire length of the threads? The plug looks longggg. Thanks.

bikesnbeers said:

When you look at your tapered plug on the element, does it look like its tapered the entire length of the threads? The plug looks longggg. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's tapered the entire length. The threads go .75" deep. I thought intitially that the extra threads would be a good thing as I could barely get the camco to thread into my pot.

thanks guys! I cant wait to use the darn thing...lol Just before i was finished building i started a kitchen remodel project and havent had a chance to write the programming or run a batch through it. Hopefully the element works out. Ill report back and let you know how it works out, nothing like more shiny stainless in the hlt!

Hey guys. I finally got my coupler soldered in my HLT and the element fits now. I decided to solder all my fittings so it will be a little while before I test the element out.

Is that a full coupler?

Yes, it's a full coupler. I figured I needed the length for this particular keg (Coors).

looks great.. you'll surely have no rusting problems!

good work jsguitar! I can't wait to see how these elements work out. I've been slacking on mine. How do you plan on protecting the wiring?

jsguitar said:

Yes, it's a full coupler. I figured I needed the length for this particular keg (Coors).

Click to expand...

Hopefully it'll work with my half. Haven't had a chance to mess with it

Thanks guys!

bikesnbeers said:

....How do you plan on protecting the wiring?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure yet. I was using Kal's weldless method with the previous elements. Since these will seal with the threads I'll probably do something slightly different. I haven't quite figured that out yet though.

Good job! See, it wasn't so hard...you'll get better after a few tries. These joints will be plenty strong as long as you don't completely abuse them. Now, think about all the cool stuff you can do with this new skill! In some ways it is better than welding, because you can remove the fitting and replace with something else if your needs change.

I finally figured out a way to mount these with what I had. I put teflon tape on the element threads, pushed it through the box, put a silicone o-ring on, screwed the lock nut I had on tight, applied a little more teflon to the end of the element threads and got it into the coupling as tight as I could. It feels nice and solid now with no leaks. The element is actually screwed in really tight, with the lock nut just barely touching the coupling.

This took me a few tries to get it just right. Possibly better would be to solder the locknut onto the coupling, but my skills are probably not up to that.

I also soldered a SS screw to the kettle skirt and attached a ground wire from the box to the kettle to make sure there was a good ground.

After I leak tested it with 12 gallons of water, I hooked the cable up and set the controller to 170º. It took 46 minutes to get there from 56º with the lid off.

This is my boil kettle. I still need to hook everything up on my HLT.