barleywhore69
Well-Known Member
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
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