Bucket Heater for Elec HLT

[RegionalChaos]

Has anyone used one of these?

http://www.alliedprecision.com/bucketheater.html

It claims to go past 150f, but some sites say it also has an auto shut off. I want to build a walk away elect HLT. I want to plug it in, set the temp I want, come back in a while and have it ready to go, sitting at the right temp. Instead of cutting a hole and installing a water heater element, I'm wondering if I can use some immersion heater or bucket heater that is already out there on the market ready to go.

 

[wilserbrewer]

This will work fine for heating water, at only 1000w it will take a while and work better if the vessel is insulated (cooler perhaps). I would guess it would take 2-3 hours to raise tap to sparge temp for 5 gallons. Best if put on a simple / cheap appliance/lighting timer, that way it would be ready when you are, and you would not be waiting.

I believe the auto shut off feature is to avoid running dry and being a fire hazard??? Not really positive???

 

[The Pol]

1000W is quite weak. 60F to 170F in 5 gallons, on a great day..... 85 minutes, not horrible

 

[RegionalChaos]

Are they limited?

That's one of the things I'd like to find out. Some sites say they have an autoshut off, others say you can go to boil, so I don't know what triggers the auto shut off. That's part of the reason I'm asking. I know 1000W would be weak, but if they work easy out of the box maybe drop in two?

 

[The Pol]

That's one of the things I'd like to find out. Some sites say they have an autoshut off, others say you can go to boil, so I don't know what triggers the auto shut off. That's part of the reason I'm asking. I know 1000W would be weak, but if they work easy out of the box maybe drop in two?

I know a cpl guys here have gotten them and sent them back, maybe they will chime in as to why.

 

[lustreking]

I have one that I used a couple times like wilserbrewer suggested. I hooked it up to an appliance timer, and set it to turn on around 45 minutes before I got home. When I got home, it was very close to dough in temperature, and I finished heating up to temperature using gas.

I can check the manual when I get home, but again, I think wilser is right, and the shutoff is to prevent it running dry.

 

[IrregularPulse]

have you looked into building a heat stick? Basically the same thing, but you can put whatever wattage element in it you want.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Probably work fine if coupled w/ a temp controller....provided you stir the water, and give it plenty of time in an insulated vessel.

You just really don't want to wait for 1000 watts...like watching grass grow i imagine.

On a simple timer, I would err on the overheat side, and then temper down to temp w/ cool water.

 

[limulus]

I have one in my garage right now. It does not work. It warmed my water to around 140, if my memory is correct. I bought it through an Amazon seller. They told me to keep it and refunded my money. I think I'm going to use the cord for my diy heater.

 

[RegionalChaos]

Thanks for the feedback. Largely what I was looking for. I think the difference between this and a heat stick would be that I wouldn't have to assemble this. Instead of a heat stick, I'd probably just rather install an element in the kettle.

 

[wilserbrewer]

It does not work. It warmed my water to around 140,

limulus...Just curious, what type of container were you heating in? lid?

 

[Catt22]

FYI, I just bought one and use it to heat my HLT. The HLT is a 50 qt Marine Ice Cube cooler. I have it on a timer and fill the HLT the night before I brew.

Here's some data:

1. I initially tested it out with 10 gallons of 44 F tap water in the cooler. The power cord kept the lid from closing completely during the test. I wanted to do some testing before boring a hole through the lid for the power cord. I could heat the water at a rate of 30 deg per hour which isn't very fast, but I don't care as that's what the timer is for. It got to 185 F and I shut it down, but it was continuing to heat. I think it would make it to boiling if given more time. It may be able to heat at a faster rate with the lid fully closed. A lot of heat was escaping that could have been retained. This could make a significant difference. I will test again and report back.

2. Next I used it for an actual brew session and it worked just fine. I heated another 10 gallons in the HLT and used part of this as my strike water cooling it some by blending with cold tap water. I had set the timer for 4:30 AM and I started brewing at about 10:00 AM. I need to do another test now that I have the hole bored in the lid and can close it fully. This will give me a better handle on how fast I can heat the water.

3. The automatic shut off feature is intended to shut the heater off should it run dry. The shutoff is above the boiling point of water, so as long as you have a well insulated vessel, you should be able to reach boiling temperatures if you allow enough time.

4. The Bucket Heater is rated at 1,000 watts which IIRC would draw about 10 amps. The point is that you will need a heavy duty three-prong type timer that can handle the high amperage. An ordinary two-prong lamp timer won't cut it. Home Depot has the heavy duty timers for about $11.00, so they are not very expensive or hard to find.

Bottom line is that it works very well so long as you allow enough time and the key to that is planning ahead and using a timer. Keep in mind that you will want to use a heavy duty extension cord for this also.

I give the Bucket Heater a thumbs up.

 

[RegionalChaos]

Thanks for the feedback catt22! I think I've got some b-day cash headed my way, and I'm trying to figure out how to best use some of it for brewery upgrades!

 

[Catt22]

Thanks for the feedback catt22! I think I've got some b-day cash headed my way, and I'm trying to figure out how to best use some of it for brewery upgrades!

Glad to be of some assistance. I just filled the HLT with 44 F tap water for another test run. I am monitoring the temp with a digital thermocouple thermometer and I started a timer to keep track of the heating rate. I need this info myself for future brews. I have a hole bored through the lid for the power cord and a thermowell installed for the temp probe. I probably won't take it all the way to boiling as I am mostly interested in the rate. I'll let it go for three or four hours and see where it's at. That should yield an approximate rate per hour capability in the insulated HLT.

 

[RegionalChaos]

By all means Catt22, let us know the time it takes for you.

 

[arturo7]

So, what does this thing cost?

 

[The Pol]

By all means Catt22, let us know the time it takes for you.

You can easily calculate the time using a simple formula as well.

 

[RegionalChaos]

arturo7, about 30 bucks. Pol, got a link to the formula?

 

[The Pol]

So, what does this thing cost?

Typically $40

 

[The Pol]

arturo7, about 30 bucks. Pol, got a link to the formula?

Well 1BTU will raise a pound of water 1F in one hour. 1kW is 3412 BTUs if memory serves. I use a simple spreadsheet. Give me start and end temp and quantity in gallons and I can tell you in a matter of seconds how long.

 

[Catt22]

Update on the Bucket Heater:

1. Running at 936 watts
2. Drawing 8.2 amps
3. Heated 10 gallons in a 50 qt Marine Ice Cube cooler at a rate of 43 deg F/per hour
with the cooler lid closed (power cord feeds through a drilled hole in the lid)
4. Heating rate monitored with a digital thermocouple thermometer via a thermowell
into cooler.

As you can see, keeping the lid closed on the cooler was a big improvement in the heating rate. So in summary, I would say it would probably take between 2-1/2 and 4 hours to heat tap water to 180 F in a well insulated and covered vessel depending primarily on how cold your tap water is initially. Not bad at all IMO.

 

[Catt22]

Tractor Supply is selling them for $34.95

 

[The Pol]

That is a good cooler. I am getting 67 minutes with 936W to heat 10g 43F in one hour at 100% eff. mathematically.

 

[Catt22]

Dunno what might be causing the discrpency. The thermowell is positioned near the bottom of the cooler (about 2 inches off the bottom) and I'm measuring the 936 watt power consumption with a Kill-A-Watt meter. The heater is rated at 1000 watts, but I guess that's a rounded number. I think the water in the cooler should be getting fairly well mixed by convection currents. It's still running and I'm going to see if it will get up to boiling. I'll keep checking on the progress and I'll post an update later.

 

[Munsoned]

Dunno what might be causing the discrpency. The thermowell is positioned near the bottom of the cooler (about 2 inches off the bottom) and I'm measuring the 936 watt power consumption with a Kill-A-Watt meter. The heater is rated at 1000 watts, but I guess that's a rounded number. I think the water in the cooler should be getting fairly well mixed by convection currents. It's still running and I'm going to see if it will get up to boiling. I'll keep checking on the progress and I'll post an update later.

Did your cooler also start at 44*F? Maybe some heat transfer from the (maybe room temp?) cooler to the water at the early stages helped a tad?

 

[The Pol]

60 minutes, 67... that is close enough...

1000W rated at 120VAC, but if your line voltage is a little less than 120VAC (116VAC), you will have a reduction

 

[Catt22]

Did your cooler also start at 44*F? Maybe some heat transfer from the (maybe room temp?) cooler to the water at the early stages helped a tad?

The cooler was at the garage temp of about 57 degrees. The tap water was at 44 F. I filled the cooler to 10 gallons, started the heater and waited until the water temp reached 50 F then started the clock. I figured this would eliminate the thermal mass influence of the cooler and give us a better estimate of the average rate of temperature gain.

 

[Catt22]

60 minutes, 67... that is close enough...

1000W rated at 120VAC, but if your line voltage is a little less than 120VAC (116VAC), you will have a reduction

The line voltage is just shy of 115 v.

 

[Catt22]

Update again:

It's been running for 3 hours and the temp is up to 150 F. The average heating rate has dropped to about 38 F per hour and it's now obvious why. The cooler lid is quite warm, so a lot of heat is escaping the cooler through the lid. The rate of loss increased as the delta between the temperature of the water and the ambient air temp increased. This is destined to get worse as the temp climbs. It's becoming clear that coolers (with uninsulated lids) can keep things cool better than they can keep things hot. Heat rises, duh.

So, the next thing I need to do is inject some foam into the cooler lid to improve the lid insulation. That should help considerably. I'm still heading to a boil if possible, but another test will be required after insulating the lid.

 

[RegionalChaos]

Update on the Bucket Heater:

1. Running at 936 watts
2. Drawing 8.2 amps
3. Heated 10 gallons in a 50 qt Marine Ice Cube cooler at a rate of 43 deg F/per hour
with the cooler lid closed (power cord feeds through a drilled hole in the lid)
4. Heating rate monitored with a digital thermocouple thermometer via a thermowell
into cooler.

As you can see, keeping the lid closed on the cooler was a big improvement in the heating rate. So in summary, I would say it would probably take between 2-1/2 and 4 hours to heat tap water to 180 F in a well insulated and covered vessel depending primarily on how cold your tap water is initially. Not bad at all IMO.

Thanks for the update Catt22! It's always nice to get observational info. Do you think you could easily fit 2 of those in the cooler?