E HLT help

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HDIr0n

HDIr0n

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Soo, I have been reading a lot on setting up a electric HLT and I ordered a bunch of stuff today (pump, controller, stir motor, etc. ) and I ran by das depot and grabbed the 1500w heating element and I am looking at it and it only has 2 connections, so I am wondering where I am going to hook up the ground? I am going to be using a Johnson A419 120v. I was thinking about using a junction box where the power cord runs into and hook up the two hot leads and put the ground on the junction box screw, and then attach it to my cooler. Will this be ok or do I need to do anything further?

Thanks,
-G
 
Thanks, I am going to be installing it into a 60qt cooler, and will have all morning to heat it up so time isn't that big of a deal. I am stuck with 1500w due to my breakers and only being able to do 110v. When I get my own house then I can install 220v and do a 5500w and run all the crazy controllers and panels that some of the people have on here.
 
I have my elements mounted very similar to TiberBrew in an outdoor enclosure with the box grounded. I like this method because it provides a nice means of ground and the whole assembly is 100% serviceable (you can replace the element without destroying the enclosure).

Ed
 
i've been hesitating between that method and the good old pvc pipe & JB weld...Because Im using keggles, Im unsure as to whether the junction box will be uneven due to the ridges on the outer body of the keg...any thoughts?
 
+1 to Gagrew
Another alternative is to remove the stock sealing washer, drill an adequate hole into the element mounting ring, and then solder the ground wire there. The added benefit here is no chance of losing ground between the junction box and the element. It is a bit tricky to make a hole without mussing up the sealing ring, but I was successful on my first try. Just a whisker of Dremel cleanup after the solder cooled and I was good to go. (Beware when anyone asserts after the first attempt!)
 
Gabrew said:
i've been hesitating between that method and the good old pvc pipe & JB weld...Because Im using keggles, Im unsure as to whether the junction box will be uneven due to the ridges on the outer body of the keg...any thoughts?
Click to expand...

The box will sit against the coupling you use in the keg. To get it flat, I had a 2" coupling put in my HLT & BK and then used a 2"x1" bushing to get a big flat spot for the washer/box to fit against.

So it looks kinda like this picture, but with the element in a box:
Coupling-Reducer-Element.jpg


Ed
 
sure looks great...but ive already geared up and installed 95% of my weldless hardware...:S
 
Then you still have a 5% chance to make the jump to welded, leak free fittings :D I started with weldless too. Then 25 minutes into a boil it started dripping.
 
Gabrew said:
sure looks great...but ive already geared up and installed 95% of my weldless hardware...:S
Click to expand...

This is where I diverted from Kal's original design... he did the same thing with standard 1" weldless couplings in Blichman kettles.

You can do it weldless. Personally, I like the solid feel of welded fittings, but MANY folks have great success with weldless.

Ed
 
Gabrew said:
sure looks great...but ive already geared up and installed 95% of my weldless hardware...:S
Click to expand...

Keep in mind my 1" locknut is welded to the outside of my keggle. Picture here.

To OP: I'm not sure yet how you'd install this method on a cooler. I know Pol had a setup with an element installed into a 10 gal cooler, so you might want to check out his thread.

TB
 
Tiber_Brew said:
Keep in mind my 1" locknut is welded to the outside of my keggle. Picture here.

To OP: I'm not sure yet how you'd install this method on a cooler. I know Pol had a setup with an element installed into a 10 gal cooler, so you might want to check out his thread.

TB
Click to expand...

I am going to be going through the side and just screw in the junction box with a big enough hole for the element to fit through. I was just unsure if I needed to ground it to my stand or if a junction box will be enough. Pol is whom I got this idea from reading his posts. The main reason I am going with a cooler is due to my lack of 220v and only 15 amps. Man I can't wait to have my own house where I can put this stuff in. The cooler I am going to use is an Ice cube 60qt, I have the 40qt Ice cube cooler as my MT and love it.

-G
 
HDIr0n said:
Ed that is a very clean install of a heater for rims.
Click to expand...

Thanks...

That's also what my HLT & BK electrical connections look like. The only difference is I used a double gang box on the HLT & BK.

Don't you love my carpeted brewstand... :D


Ed
 
HDIr0n said:
I am going to be going through the side and just screw in the junction box with a big enough hole for the element to fit through. I was just unsure if I needed to ground it to my stand or if a junction box will be enough. Pol is whom I got this idea from reading his posts. The main reason I am going with a cooler is due to my lack of 220v and only 15 amps. Man I can't wait to have my own house where I can put this stuff in. The cooler I am going to use is an Ice cube 60qt, I have the 40qt Ice cube cooler as my MT and love it.

-G
Click to expand...

I ment that I wasn't sure how you'd install wellness setup with junction box on a cooler without leaks. Sounds like you're doing good research; keep it up!

TB
 
So I am guessing that if I am plugged into a GFCI outlet, and ground into a junction box I will be ok?
 
HDIr0n said:
Soo, I have been reading a lot on setting up a electric HLT and I ordered a bunch of stuff today (pump, controller, stir motor, etc. ) and I ran by das depot and grabbed the 1500w heating element and I am looking at it and it only has 2 connections, so I am wondering where I am going to hook up the ground? I am going to be using a Johnson A419 120v. I was thinking about using a junction box where the power cord runs into and hook up the two hot leads and put the ground on the junction box screw, and then attach it to my cooler. Will this be ok or do I need to do anything further?

Thanks,
-G
Click to expand...

check out this wort-o-matic electric HLT build
 
Here is my HLT

The heat exchanger, at somepoint I will get a bigger one, but for now I will see how well it works.

IMAG0039 by HDIr0n, on Flickr

Here is the top with the stir motor and the connections to the heat exchanger

IMAG0040 by HDIr0n, on Flickr

Here is the front for now until I install the controller and the heating element.

IMAG0042 by HDIr0n, on Flickr

More to come
 
Ohio-Ed said:
The box will sit against the coupling you use in the keg. To get it flat, I had a 2" coupling put in my HLT & BK and then used a 2"x1" bushing to get a big flat spot for the washer/box to fit against.

So it looks kinda like this picture, but with the element in a box:
Coupling-Reducer-Element.jpg


Ed
Click to expand...

Question for you...How do you insure there is no leaking from the threads on that 2" coupling? Do you use some sort of high temp teflon tape? (if that exists?)
 
HDIr0n said:
Does anybody know where to find the sheet of copper to make a grounding ring?
Click to expand...

When I grounded my cooler I used a sheet of aluminum flashing from Home Depot.

They sold them in like 4" squares 5 or 10 of them for $4....which is good cause I messed a few up getting my grounding ring "right"


And if you use them a safety FYI...the ends are SHARP. Like 2" deep cut on my thumb sharp from not paying attention. Probably could have used stitches but superglue worked just as well.
 

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