Still dragon element guard kit and RADIUS FACE SOLDER FLANGE

Hello all,

Long story short I started with propane all-grain brewing and now I have to move to electric. Moving from a house with garage to an apartment is the driving force. I'm not complaining cuz I really want an electric single tier setup. Anyways I'm set on getting Camco's 5500 watt, 240 volt, RIPPLE shape All Stainless Heating Element. Been scouring forums and the web on the how to install these bad boys. One for my HLT and the other for my boil kettle. The element guard kit from still dragon is a front runner for me.
http://stilldragon.com/index.php/element-guard-kit.html
I was going to use there 2" TriClamp Weldless Bulkhead Fitting along with it.
http://stilldragon.com/index.php/2-t...d-fitting.html
But now I came upon RADIUS FACED SOLDER FLANGE from brewhardware.com and loving the idea of soldering.
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tc15rsf.htm
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tc2rsf.htm
So my question is...can I use the Still dragon element guard kit with these flanges? And which flange should I use, the 1.5" or 2"? I'm a bit of a noob and that's why i'm asking these questions. Thanks in advance for the help!!

I recommend the 1.5" radius flange from Bobby at BrewHardware. I bought the Hot Pod kit he sells.

IMG_20150524_155746446_HDR by Mad Scientist Brewhaus, on Flickr

MS

The Stilldragon element guard requires a 2" tri-clamp fitting on the kettle. A 1.5" tri-clamp fitting will not work.

All triclovers are intercompatible for a given size. No problem mixing.

FYI... The Still Dragon Element Housing will not work with the 2" Radius Faced Solder Flange from Brew Hardware. I tried them together and they would not work, they element guard is a little wider than the hole on the Solder Flange.

snackson said:

FYI... The Still Dragon Element Housing will not work with the 2" Radius Faced Solder Flange from Brew Hardware. I tried them together and they would not work, they element guard is a little wider than the hole on the Solder Flange.

Click to expand...

Thanks Snackson! That is exactly what I needed to know before purchasing. It looks like I'll just buy the whole kit from Bobby @ Brewhardware.com. Thanks for the rest of the replies!

That's what I would do. I have his kit on my HLT and my BK, the 1.5" one though. I love them. The Still Dragon one is nice and sturdy, but you need to get a 2" ferrule and either weld/solder that on. I may do that to my next kettle later this year. I have to sell a bunch of my stuff off since I am moving across the Pacific.

snackson said:

FYI... The Still Dragon Element Housing will not work with the 2" Radius Faced Solder Flange from Brew Hardware. I tried them together and they would not work, they element guard is a little wider than the hole on the Solder Flange.

Click to expand...

This is true of our previous stock of the 2" radius flanges. Our new stock has a large ID exactly the same as the weld ferrules.

Bobby_M said:

This is true of our previous stock of the 2" radius flanges. Our new stock has a large ID exactly the same as the weld ferrules.

Click to expand...

Hey Bobby would a 1-7/8 diameter hole be too big to install the 2" radius flanges? The only reason I ask is because I already have a punch that can do that size.

Since the tubing for a 2" tc measures 2" and is about 1/16" that makes the ID about 1-7/8. Sounds exactly right to me. The solder side of the flange should be 2.5" OD and 1-7/8" ID.

Bobby_M said:

Since the tubing for a 2" tc measures 2" and is about 1/16" that makes the ID about 1-7/8. Sounds exactly right to me. The solder side of the flange should be 2.5" OD and 1-7/8" ID.

Click to expand...

Thanks Bobby!!! You rock!

Bobby_M said:

This is true of our previous stock of the 2" radius flanges. Our new stock has a large ID exactly the same as the weld ferrules.

Click to expand...

When did you get these in? I looked a week or two ago and couldn't find any 2" hotpod kits so I ended up buying the 1.5". If I thought I could get anywhere near what I paid for it I'd just sell it in the FS/FT and buy the 2".

About a week and a half ago.