1500 vs 1000 watt heatstick

[Pixalated]

My 1000 watt bucket water heater on my electric stove can bring 4 gallons of water to a lazy boil.

It sounds like full a volume all-grain "brew in a bag" will need to boil as much as 7 gallons from the start. I am worried that my current heat stick won't be able to do the job.

I am thinking of building a heatstick following this tutorial. I do have a 20 amp outlet in the kitchen, so according to the tutorial I can go as high as 1500 watts. Will that make a big difference? Can I go with a 2000 watt element?

My range is plugged into a 50 amp outlet. Should I consider using that?

 

[moparx12]

i built a heatstick using that same tutorial. I dont remember what size heat stick i used. However, if you have easy access to a 50A 240V plug, i would highly recommend building your heatstick with a 5500W ULWD element. that is a high wattage element that wont scortch the wort because its watts per inch is low compared to other elements.

 

[Pixalated]

Is that any more difficult to build it? I was able to slide my oven out of the way pretty easy. With 5500W, i wouldn't even bother using the stove. I'd still keep it on the stove because I have a vent right above it.

 

[Junkster]

I think you could go with a 2000 watt element if you have a dedicated 120V, 20A outlet...

 

[moparx12]

its not hard to build, but like Junkster said if you have a GFCI 120 outlet near the stove, you may actually be better off going with a 120 element of lower wattage. Then you could use the stove and the heat stick at the same time.

 

[moparx12]

To be safe you need to make sure whatever outlet or breaker you use is GFCI

 

[birvine]

I am using 2kw 110v elements on 20A circuits without a problem. Using one 1500w and one 2000w I get such a strong boil that I will be building a PWM to control one of them.

B

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

I use two 2000 watt 120v heatsticks, each on a separate, 20A GFCI protected circuit.

They can boil about 14 gallons in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[Pixalated]

I don't think the circuit is GFCI protected, so I would need to buy an adapter for it.
How do i know if it has protection? There is no "reset" button on that outlet.

 

[lud]

Gfci circuits usually have multiple outlets wired in AFTER the gfci outlet. Plug a radio or a light into the outlet you want to use. Find the nearest gfci outlet and push the test button (tripping the gfci). If it controls your outlet, the radio or light will not have power.

 

[lud]

Or you can buy a portable gfci at most hardware stores for about 35 bucks.

 

[Pixalated]

The only outlets with the reset buttons in my house are in the bathrooms, but I will take another look. Is a GFCI adapter the same thing as a surge protector?

 

[lud]

No

 

[Pixalated]

@lud, thanks! I'll probably just buy a portable one. Better safe than sorry.

 

[moparx12]

You could also change the breaker to that outlet to a GFCI, that may me a more expensive route though.

 

[lud]

True dat! Or he could find an upstream outlet and replace it with a gfci outlet which would run about 12 bucks...if you do it yourself....

 

[Pixalated]

I really don't have a problem with replacing an outlet. How hard can that be?
Is there a good site where I can read up in this stuff?

 

[lud]

Google your question just like you said...." how do I replace an outlet with a gfci?"

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

Google your question just like you said...." how do I replace an outlet with a gfci?"

Yeah, it's just pretty much "an outlet". But a little bulkier, with electronics and lights and switches.

 

[lud]

And the ability to save your ass. Lol.

 

[Pixalated]

Doesn't seem that difficult at all.
Famous last words

 

[lud]

Ok....post back here when you're done...if we don't from you in a week we'll call 911.

 

[Pixalated]

So, it's been more than a week, but no need to call 911.
The heatstick works!

On the first test, there was a leak I spotted right away, without even plugging it in. I ended up picking up some kind of plumber putty from Home Depot that was potable water safe and could withstand up to 250F. I used it to seal the leak, and brewed my first batch with it last night. Works like a charm.

 

[lud]

And the gfi...?

 

[Pixalated]

I replaced it without any problems. The only tricky part was figuring out "line" and "load", but the instructions were very clear on how to do that. Haven't tripped it yet, so the stick is well sealed.

 

[lud]

Yay! Good work....

 

[Pixalated]

When I first tested the heatstick, it took over 2 hours to bring 6 gallons of water to a boil. I wrapped my kettle in reflectix, covered it with a lid and use my stove's burner to speed up the process. Got 6 gallons to a boil in just over an hour.