Grounding E-Kettle

[frankstoneline]

I searched and found some ideas, but was hoping someone with more knowhow than myself could tell me if this is a good/bad idea.
I'm moving from a keggle to 10 gallon stainless kettles for space reasons and need to ground my elements, is it possible that I could JB weld a small screw to the kettle to ground my elements? I dont have tools to solder or weld anything on and am uncertain how else to go about grounding.
Also: Using a pair of elements am I going to encounter issues grounding both elements to the same post?

Thanks in advance.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I would NOT consider using JB-weld to attach a ground. Best to solder a lug type connection. Not pretty, but you could clamp the ground wire to the kettle handle with a hose clamp!

Grounding both elements to one post is not a problem. Or perhaps drill a hole in the very top of the kettle and use a bolt and nut to attach a ground, doubt the top 1/2" of your kettle needs to be water tight.

 

[frankstoneline]

I would NOT consider using JB-weld to attach a ground. Best to solder a lug type connection. Not pretty, but you could clamp the ground wire to the kettle handle with a hose clamp!

Grounding both elements to one post is not a problem. Or perhaps drill a hole in the very top of the kettle and use a bolt and nut to attach a ground, doubt the top 1/2" of your kettle needs to be water tight.

I think I've got it figured, going to drill a hole in the kettle adjacent the element and use a stainless bolt and a rubber seal instead.

 

[MercMan]

I believe I'd clamp a wire to the handle before I'd drill a second hole and possibly cause a leak.

 

[ryan_george]

I would NOT consider using JB-weld to attach a ground. Best to solder a lug type connection. Not pretty, but you could clamp the ground wire to the kettle handle with a hose clamp!

Grounding both elements to one post is not a problem. Or perhaps drill a hole in the very top of the kettle and use a bolt and nut to attach a ground, doubt the top 1/2" of your kettle needs to be water tight.

My method is to drill a hole at the upper rim of the pot, like you mentioned. Not necessarily the "cleanest", but it works.

 

[emyers]

Solder would be the cleanest by far. Drilling a hole in your vessel especially below the water level is just another place to potentially leak. I would recommend sanding down the head surface where the grade markings are and scuffing up the pot a bit to make a tighter fit. If you haven't soldered SS its real easy; just keep it clean, use paste flux, and pipe solder. It will only take a drop of solder to fill the void. I used this method on my first keggle and the stud was solid.

BTW JB weld is NOT conductive its an insulator

 

[ryan_george]

BTW JB weld is NOT conductive its an insulator

Oh right, the most important point of this thread is to NOT RELY on JB weld as a conductor. Please only use metal-to-metal contact for grounds. Ie. steel, aluminum, or copper.

 

[Backwoodsbrewing]

If your powering your element through a gfi protected receptacle there is really not much point and with gallons of liquid it would be wise to use a protected circuit

 

[MX1]

There is a thread on here somewhere, where a memebr drilled a hole through the "nut" part of the element and grounded that way. In theory, it makes sense and should work, the Ground wire is connected to the element, that is connected to the kettle, and well, it shold be nice and dry in there, if not you got bigger problems.

Tim

 

[BrewKit]

I attached the ground to the body of the element itself, as well.

I just drilled/ tapped a small hole and attached my grounding wire with a ring terminal. No need to drill another hole in the kettle. A pvc end cap will fit over the whole thing which makes it look pretty clean. There is no interference with the element's seal.

For a piece of mind, check for continuity between the ground wire and anywhere on the kettle itself.

 

[Rivenin]

i don't have a picture, but i drilled out a rivet on my pot handle and used a small SS bolt and nut and used that for a ground.

 

[kal]

The large locking nut in the kettle holding my elements in place presses the element head against the 2-gang box and kettle wall, effectively grounding everything.

This way I don't have to solder or drill to add a screw. It's all weldless, exactly the same way that Blichmann attaches their fittings (valves, sight gauges, temp probes) to their kettles.

Kal

 

[alien]

I more or less copied Kal here, although in my case I soft soldered the locknut on the outside of the keg. You aren't really supposed to rely on soldered connections for electrical contacts with stainless steel because of the risk of corrosion from the acid flux that is used, but I think it is OK for a ground connection, especially since there is a large surface area for the connection.

By the way, I found this element wrench to be absolutely indispensable
for screwing the element in!