a question about putting element in Kettle

[brew_ny]

Good Day I have a 16 gallon kettle I want to put an electric water heater element in to heat water for now

but more then likely will do my brew kettle in the future

My question is how to control the element ?

I know I could just plug and unplug it or switch it on and off, if I want to babysit it

I have been doing some reading and have found a couple of way to do it and i am sure there are many many more

one

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=3

1/16 DIN PID Temperature Controller (SSR control output)

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=30

40A SSR

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=77

Heat Sink for Solid State Relay, 40A

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_3&products_id=2

K Type Thermocouple (6 ft. cable)

put in all in a panel and control it that way

or


http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_30&products_id=353

40A Solid State Voltage Regulator, High power SCR, SSVR

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=77

Heat Sink for Solid State Relay, 40A

I want to control a Camco 02962/02963 5500W 240V Screw-In Lime Life Ripple Water Heater Element - Ultra Low Watt Density

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BPG4LI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I get that one way is cheaper and somewhat easier to put together then the other and the first one is more accurate

but is one that much better then the other or about the same

thank for any thought or help

S_M

 

[cgherrington3]

No, you can't just plug it and unplug it. You WILL burn the wort that way.

At a minimum you must pulse the element to control the boil.

You don't need a PID, but good PIDs have boil control, so you can kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

[brew_ny]

No, you can't just plug it and unplug it. You WILL burn the wort that way.

my statement was kinda figurative, but thanks for the input on the PID I am leaning in that direction

as I can control the heat better without having to watch it as much

at first I am just going to do my strike water, then do the brew kettle to get away from the propane by this summer

all the best

S_M

 

[cgherrington3]

Your going to love electric and the PID.

Your going want to circulate that strike water with a pump.

Those $8 pond pumps from harbor freight work great. Don't boil it

 

[brew_ny]

Your going to love electric and the PID.

Your going want to circulate that strike water with a pump.

Those $8 pond pumps from harbor freight work great. Don't boil it

I am sure I will and thanks for the heads up on the pump

S_M

 

[trboyden]

The SSVR from Auberins is the closest to propane cooking. Using a PID gives you additional options such staying within a specific temperature range or doing timed cooking. So it depends on how much control you want now/in the future. For just heating water, the SSVR kit + heat sink + element will do the trick.

 

[BadNewsBrewery]

One other option is to size your element to your kettle. There are calculators online that you can use, but using some guessing, you could maybe get by with a 3500w element in a 15gal kettle and get it to hold a decent temperature or even boil depending on volume and heat loss to your environment. The downside - in order to get a small enough element that won't boil things (if you're just heating water) and won't over-boil the wort if used in a boil kettle, then you'll have to deal with relatively slow heat times.

The dial-controlled option helps with this - you can run it at max power to get near your target temperature, and then dial it down to maintain.

The PID option does this for you automatically, and is the most user-friendly / hands off way to maintain a targeted temperature. It is also the most complicated to set up and build. So simply put, the more time and effort you put into your build now, the less you have to worry about down the road. All things being equal, I'd vote for the PID. If you prefer the dial or don't care about hitting specific temperatures without monitoring anything, then the dial controlled SSR would work great.

-Kevin

 

[augiedoggy]

Your going to love electric and the PID.

Your going want to circulate that strike water with a pump.

Those $8 pond pumps from harbor freight work great. Don't boil it

The food grade 12v solar pumps also work very well and can handle boiling liquid. They start at about $20.... just search "p38 pump" on amazon or eBay...
I have a handful of the harbor freight pumps for may salt water aquarium... they use exposed magnets, rubber bushings and plastic..and steel shafts that rust.. and god knows what they used in manufacturing the stuff that might leech into the liquid once it gets hot...in china they are known for "disposing" of waste by sticking in other products to dilute it... (remember the mercury in the Colgate branded toothpaste from the dollar store) certainly not food grade or "safe"

This reminds me of an article I recently read about how they found that lead from the production of spirits (booze) used to be one of the big contributing causes of people getting gout...

 

[brew_ny]

For just heating water, the SSVR kit + heat sink + element will do the trick.

thank you all for the input I went round and round and ended up going with the kit to give electric a try

would love to get away from gas by spring/summer totally, the heat from the gas is great now as it is 9 degrees out with the wind whipping

but in July it is like being back in the Steel Mill in Gary

I bought a couple of 5500 watt element as they are the cheapest, I have a 100 amp drop in my garage

so I will put in a couple of 30 amp breakers and run some 10 ga. to a couple of GFCI outlets

well that will depend on the plug I use and the outlet I need if I need to I will put GFCI breakers in the panel, as I have lots of room

thanks again all for the help

S_M

 

[brew_ny]

I am shocked, shocked I tell you with how well the 5500 watt elements heats up 13 gallons of water

I ended up picking up a 15 gallon Aluminum stock pot to try electric with

I put a weldless stainless steel valve in and the 5500 watt ripple life element

I went with the SSVR kit from Auberins in 40 amps and installed a midwest spa panel 60 amp GFCI

I did not want to cut a hole in my 16 gallon stainless steel pot until I tried electric and saw it work

I took 13 gallons of water and put it in my pot in a 40 degree building let it sit until water was 40

turned the element on high and with in 50 minute had a rolling boil as if it was on my high pressure SP 10

with the SSVR and rheostat I had no problem dialing the boil in to just where I wanted it to be

needless to said I will be drilling my Boil Kettle this week, I will be brewing tomorrow so I will boil on gas

but more then likely for the last time

thanks for all the advice and great info here

All the best

S_M

 

[kenh]

That's great news - I switched to electric about 18 months ago and I love it! Next you need a mash tun with electric heat or a mash tun with a RIMS tube. I went with a RIMS tube myself because I already mash in a 10 gallon GOTT cooler and a RIMS tube works great with a GOTT cooler.

You don't know how lucky you are to have a 100 Amp drop available. My brother in-law installed a 30 amp plug in the basement for me and it works great but I can-not do my mash and heat my sparge water at the same time, at least not yet. With your 100 amps you can run your hot liquor tank, your mash tun and your boil pot - all at the same time!

 

[brew_ny]

I mash in a 72 quart coleman extreme cooler now I do 11.5 gallon batches

I am not sure where I am headed yet I am going to do a three tier for now and use gravity to move the wort

I was gifted two brand new Omron E5CS-X temperature controller so I may buy a couple of SSR and build a panel

for now I put my SSVR and heat sink in a 6x6 box with a 220 switch and a outlet

I had most of the stuff laying around what I did not have I got from my maintenance people where work

for me electric opens many doors as to where I can build my brew house

all the best

S_M

 

[AfroHopster]

I brought this with 2 elements not sure how to wire it up and what box to put it in and suggestions?

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[brew_ny]

I used this box for what I did

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Carlon-6-in-x-4-in-Junction-Box-E987RR/100404096

not sure what you have tell me more and maybe I can help

S_M

 

[AfroHopster]

I brought all the stuff in your 1st post last week just waiting for it to come in need to tap the keg and wire it

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[brew_ny]

Good Day all so I used my e-kettle to heat my mash and sparge water it heated 6.5 gallons of 38 degree water to 176 in a flash

alls I can say is WOW

I will be drilling a hole in my stainless steel brew kettle tomorrow and be boiling wort on Sunday

I boiled my brew with my SP 10 and after using the e-kettle I can not believe how loud it is

it is not bad after you hit the boil temp but getting there it is like a jet in my garage

it was nice to be able to hear my music and heat water at the same time

I am going to love electric brewing for sure

thanks all

S_M