Heat Stick Design Safety

[barleywhore69]

I am building a heat stick to assist my wimpy ceramic stove top burner. I have a 10 gal Aluminum stock pot and would like to do 5.5 gallon batches.

I attempted a 5 gal pale ale and despite: wrapping the pot with layers of aluminum foil/wrapping with a towel/ rotating it on the burner for better heat distribution/gently stirring occasionally/ covering 90% of the top with foil and flipping it over every couple minutes to get the condensation away from the wort/ and wishing for at least one freak burst of heat from the crappy stove..... I never really got over 208 F (I need 212 F here to boil). I just bottled it yesterday so we'll see, but it tasted questionable...
I've been doing 1-3 gallon batches. Even the 3 gal batch is tough to boil down.

So,
I started building a supplemental heatstick. A basic 1500 watt Medium Watt Density element with a 12 gauge outdoor cord and a 15 amp plug.
I test fit over and over before doing any cutting or J.B. welding. After dropping $50+ on this already, I want it to work. I wired the element carefully and then mixed up a little J.B. weld and coated the face of the element with the wire connections like my life depended on it; very carefully getting all around the wires and sealing to the plastic and metal. Then I potted the element with a small section of pvc drainpipe and dumped in a bunch of J.B. Weld, mashing it into the bottom and around the wires with a stick. After that cured for a week, I trimmed it up to fit inside the 15" chromed brass J pipe and it fits pretty nicely. I'm not too worried about that part, unless the rest of it leaks and it sits in wort, working the J.B. weld loose. I've ordered the 1 1/2" to 1 1/4" reducer nut. It was hard to find in stainless without a zinc coating. It only cost $3.50 shipped though when I did locate it. I plan on using some food grade hi temp silicone inside the drain tube, sliding the pvc/element assembly in, silicone the threads of the nut, screw the nut down (with the rubber washer, or maybe a silicone washer. IDEAS? ) and then let it all cure for several days. I removed about a foot of the cord insulation on the element end and currently have the ground wire waiting for a solid, safe installation.


My question is: What is the safest way to ground this thing?
Do fold the threads over the top of the J pipe and screw down the pvc handle? :hs: Come loose? ground effectively?
Do I drill a hole in the top of the J pipe and secure the ground wire to the chrome/brass inside the pipe with a brass nut and bolt? J.B. Weld on the outside to seal. nestar: seems like the best idea to me so far
Do I leave the ground wire sticking out and alligator clip it to the rim of my ALUMINUM boil kettle before I plug it in? (What if i forget or it comes off...)
Does the heatstick metal need to be touching the kettle in any of these situations?

I plan on using a plug in GFCI outlet adapter from Home Depot $12
Can I plug in a basic 15 amp surge protector power strip to the GFCI and then plug the heatstick into the power strip, then use the switch on the power strip to turn the heatstick on and off? Or will that pop the GFCI or the surge protector on the power strip?

I also plan on eventually installing an element into the kettle. I need to obtain the tools and supplies. Would there be any major problems with using the heatstick and a kettle element? (Both would be on separate 20 amp circuits, GFCI protection, elements not touching each other, fully submerged)

Thanks for helping prevent electrocution

 

[bmick]

Look for the thread on building this thing here on HBT. I followed that to the T and have used it many times safely. Ain't broke...don't fix it.

 

[barleywhore69]

Yes....
I've read that and all the other ones. I'm looking for some updated info from people that are still using their 2, 3, 4+ year old heatstick and their methods of sealing the tough spots. I realize the heatstick is kind of a ghetto version of mounting an element in your kettle/MLT but I already started it and want to get some use out of my investment. I wouldn't really recommend building one. It came out to be more expensive that I would have liked (over $50). The kettle-mounted element seems to be a much nicer solution. That being said, heatsticks have their uses and I would like to be sure I am doing it in a reasonably safe way.

 

[helibrewer]

This is the best way to seal it:
http://www.3d0g.net/brewing/heatstick

 

[barleywhore69]

I'm still using this heatstick. It works great. The only problem will be when the element eventually dies, probably at an inopportune time. I'm looking into mounting the element right in the kettle. The heatstick does get in the way of the wort chiller when I put it in for the last 15 minutes of boil. I have to pull the wort chiller out halfway to get the heatstick out. I guess I could just leave the heatstick in while cooling but I like to rinse the gunk off of it quickly, while its hot.

 

[MikeInMKE]

The heatstick does get in the way of the wort chiller when I put it in for the last 15 minutes of boil.

At "flameout" remove your heat stick and then drop in your wort chiller. The nearly-boiling wort will be hot enough to pasteurize your wort chiller.

 

[stevedasleeve]

Mines been working great for 2+ years. I built another one as backup but have not needed it at all. I take out the heat stick 5 mins before the end of the boil and set my induction plate to 10 (I set it at 3 during the boil) to clean it off. Immersion cooler goes in 15 mins before the end of the boil with the stick in the center.

 

[barleywhore69]

I should build a straight one. Mine had a 90 degree bend so I can use it in my smaller pot too. I've found by rearranging things that I don't need the extra pot though. I could use the ability to boil outside with two heatsticks.