Heatstick = awesome!

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I have another question --

I bought my threaded brass drain pipe along with the element and the 1 1/2" x 1 1/4" slip joint nut (slip reducer).

However, this alone isn't watertight. Once I put the three parts together (screwed by hands), I poured water down the pipe, and well... water was coming out from the joint. Is this normal?! Am I misunderstanding something? I thought this was supposed to be watertight...
 
What are you using to seal the metal-to-metal joints? I used White Lightning silicone sealant, which is FDA approved for food contact. Other folks have used other brands. There are plenty of advocates for JB Weld. These are, of course, semi-permanent or permanent placements, respectively. For a seal one could disassemble easily I suspect one could use other kinks of gasket material, but food safety issues would arise.
 
ThreeDogsNE said:
What are you using to seal the metal-to-metal joints? I used White Lightning silicone sealant, which is FDA approved for food contact. Other folks have used other brands. There are plenty of advocates for JB Weld. These are, of course, semi-permanent or permanent placements, respectively. For a seal one could disassemble easily I suspect one could use other kinks of gasket material, but food safety issues would arise.
Click to expand...

I use this website : http://www.3d0g.net/brewing/heatstick

But I'm not doing it RIGHT NOW. I was just buying the pieces, and I wanted to check if they fitted. And, from 3d0g site and the article in this month's BYO, I had in mind that the threaded brass drain pipe, the element's base and the slip joint nut should fit perfectly and be waterproof by itself. And that the only reason to use epoxy would be to protect the connections in case of problems. However, when I pour water in the pipe, water comes out. But I do have a problem centering the element in the pipe. Whatever the way I screw it in, it always seem like the nut doesn't screw the right way.
 
The threads between the drain pipe and slip reducer are not designed to be water-tight. So, even with a tight seal between the reducer and element via the element gasket, it's still going to leak. JB Weld (or something) is necessary to seal the metal-to-metal threads.

Yes, centering the element in the pipe definitely takes some fiddling. These bits were obviously never intended to be used this way so there's some finesse in the assembly.

(3d0g site is mine, btw.)
 
Built a heat stick and could not get a good rolling boil with the single 1500 watt element. After reading about using two sticks; built another unit but was disappointed when the pot didn't develop a good rolling boil. Just by accident noticed that placing both elements in very close proximity to each other resulted in the rolling boil that was desired. Moving the heater elements away from each other diminished the height of the rolling boil. Hope this helps others.
 
I built two heatsticks this weekend, 1500w and 2000w. I haven't brewed with them yet, but I tested them in water. These are pretty great.

For 7gal of water in an 8gal aluminum pot, it took 53min to bring to a boil from 70degF, and 23' to boil from ~155degF. After boiling I shut off the 1500w, and had a good boil with just the 2000w.

I'm wondering though, is it safe to just unplug these things while they are running? I noticed a small spark inside the receptacle when I unplugged them.
 
jkarp said:
The threads between the drain pipe and slip reducer are not designed to be water-tight. So, even with a tight seal between the reducer and element via the element gasket, it's still going to leak. JB Weld (or something) is necessary to seal the metal-to-metal threads.

Yes, centering the element in the pipe definitely takes some fiddling. These bits were obviously never intended to be used this way so there's some finesse in the assembly.

(3d0g site is mine, btw.)
Click to expand...

I had a really inconvenient failure recently because of that very problem. I was getting leaking through the threads. I tried to post-fix it several times and it trashed a GFCI along the way.

So I built two new ones, one I sealed the threads with PFTE tape, the other I sealed the threads with food-grade Silicone sealant. (the innards were also sealed with generous JB weld and silicone I piped in with a tube.)

So far both are working gloriously. It's hard to seal the threads once you've glued stuff in place, because sealing the outside (with epoxy or silicone) will just fail again. You need to seal IN the threads. No idea yet whether the pipe tape or silicone work better, both are fully operational with no hiccups yet...
 
I think it's a good idea to use a switch to control these devices. My plan is to build a heavy duty extension cable with two outlets and two switches.

With two 1500 watt sticks I get about 3-4 degrees per minute increase in the kettle temperature. It's possible to prepare sparge water during the Mash In time.
 
jkarp said:
Yes, centering the element in the pipe definitely takes some fiddling.
(3d0g site is mine, btw.)
Click to expand...

Actually stumbled upon this by accident, I bought the 1 1/4 drain pipe, not the 1 1/2 by accident, the element would not fit because of the protrusions of the nut on the element. I ground the element "nut" on a grinder to reduce its size and it fits nice and centered in the smaller size drain tube. I have built several this way and prefer it to the oversized tube IMO.
 
Wow, I just found this thread. I have been looking into electric brewing. Right now, I have been using my turkey fryer propane system on my back deck. In the few cases that I had to brew in the basement, I open a window directly above the brewpot, put a window fan in, and keep a carbon monoxide detector on hand. I would still prefer to use two of these heatsticks though.

My problem is, I am not electrically inclined at all. I keep wanting to give it a shot but I am just too nervous to put two electrical wands in a pot filled with liquid.

Would anyone be willing to make me a straight and a 90 degree one? I would be more than willing to pay for the parts and labor.

Whoever would be willing, please shoot me a pm or reply here. Thanks!
 
Bill33525 said:
I think it's a good idea to use a switch to control these devices. My plan is to build a heavy duty extension cable with two outlets and two switches.

With two 1500 watt sticks I get about 3-4 degrees per minute increase in the kettle temperature. It's possible to prepare sparge water during the Mash In time.
Click to expand...

Yeah, switched outlets are the only way to go.

IMAG0082.JPG

IMAG0081.JPG


:rockin:
 
I bought some silicone to seal up the heatstick, but it says that it corrodes copper, brass, and sensitive metals (like zinc and steel), which is almost every material a heatstick is made out of. This is because the silicone releases acetic acid (vinegar) as it cures.

I was wondering if anyone has noticed this to be any kind of issue?
 
I used White Lightning brand "100% silicone sealant" on all four of mine. I have used them for several brews. The zinc on the pipe nuts and the face of the water heater elements are visible through the cured sealant, and they all look fine. I presume they did not oxidize significantly, despite the acetic acid, because of the fact that they were sealed off from oxygen by the sealant. However, I really don't care how they look, because they are quite effectively kept out of contact with the wort be the sealant. It works just fine. It did stink for a few days while it cured, so don't build it one day and brew the next. Mine took a good week to cure. I ended up rigging up a heat lamp to hasten the process, because I was pushing the timing.
 
If you ever switched the stick on when it was not submerged in water the plastic pipe will probably melt down. It's probably better to stay with the metal pipe for this application. [although with careful use it may work]

BTW: Heat sticks are great for bumping up the temperature in a plastic mash tun if needed. Be careful not to allow the element to contact the plastic liner of the mash tun.
 
Cybershadow said:
Any reason this shouldn't be used instead of the chrome plated one? It's lighter and cheaper. i would imagin if this pipe carries hot water it can handle the heating element.
Click to expand...

The temp limit of polypropylene is 110C - AWFULLY close to boiling IMO. Plastic drain pipes aren't exposed to those temps for hours at a time either. I'd be concerned about it softening, plus wonder about what (if anything) leaches out at those temps. You also won't have anything to tie the ground wire to.
 
Bill33525 said:
If you ever switched the stick on when it was not submerged in water the plastic pipe will probably melt down.
Click to expand...

No worry there. If you switched it on when not submerged, the element would melt down before the plastic would.
 
ok, I built one of these. Used the original design, with a little adjustment, I moved the ground wire up the handle and out of the water. 1500W 120V water heater element, I used JB Weld to seal it up at the end and where the nut attaches to the chrome fitting. I tested it tonight, and it worked like a champ. Started with 66* water and it went up steady over the next hour and a half and topped out at 205.7*. I am really impressed and this will help save some propane on brew days.

It is definitely worth doing if you want to save propane...

JM
 
Brewed yesterday with my heatstick that I have used many times before. This time when I pulled out the heatstick after the boil it was completely black and the element is easily pliable. It still works but for some reason I can easily bend it with one hand where before it was very stiff. Please do you best to ignore any possible innuendoes in this post and focus on the task at hand. ;-)
 
Your element sound like it's on the way out. Have you used it a lot? These elements usually last for years in normal hot water tank service. The only issue I'm experiencing is the JB Weld is flaking off the big round nut that holds the element into the pipe.

Is anyone else experiencing this?
 
I have only had it about a year or so( whenever I started this thread is when I built it). I was thinking that maybe part of the element was exposed to the air during the boil. Is it possible this could have caused it?
 
BackBayBrewing said:
I have only had it about a year or so( whenever I started this thread is when I built it). I was thinking that maybe part of the element was exposed to the air during the boil. Is it possible this could have caused it?
Click to expand...

Possibly, but depending on how much you brew, a year is about normal lifespan for brewing with a steel element. I'm seeing much better life out of the Rheem copper elements. I've got 9 months on one and it's bright and shiny like an immersion chiller after every brew.
 
jkarp said:
Possibly, but depending on how much you brew, a year is about normal lifespan for brewing with a steel element. I'm seeing much better life out of the Rheem copper elements. I've got 9 months on one and it's bright and shiny like an immersion chiller after every brew.
Click to expand...

You also need to consider that the normal operating temp for these elements in water heaters is 120-140, not 212.
 
I was using my 1500w element to warm up a mash. Some of the grain must have gotten stuck in it because after about a minute of stirring I started smelling and seeing smoke come out of the mash. I turned of the stick and pulled it out of the mash. It was glowing red-hot. After it cooled down I turned it back on and it started tripping the GFI. I started inspecting the element and noticed that it had cracked and that the metal had become really soft. I bent it with my hands.

Since I used JBWeld, I pretty much have to scrap this one. I'd like to find a way to make one so that the element can be reasonably easy to remove and replace. I may try silicone.
 
chase said:
This type of element can be used in a mash?
Click to expand...

Really, no element can be used in the mash without extreme caution. The risk of scorching is very high. I've successfully used a heatstick to step up an extremely thin mash (3+ qt/lb) but even then the stick needed to be moving constantly. You're much better off designing a system where only the wort is heated and then recirculated back into the mash.
 
Sounds like your mash was not wet enough to conduct the heat away from the element. In order to warm up the mash it will have to be very soupy.
You may want to look into elements that have a built in cut off if the temperature gets too high.
 

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