Help Installing heat element in kettle

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

So Im looking to install a 1650W 15A heat element in my kettle just to help my stovetop maintain a solid boil. Think built in heatstick. Unfortunately, I have no electrical experience and am uneasy about my work. I've been looking on how to install an element with little success. Can someone give me solid advice as to what I need to buy exactly and how to construct it?

 

[wedge421]

Everything you could ever want to know about building an electric setup is found here:

http://theelectricbrewery.com/

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

appreciated!

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

Bah, I don't have the tools nor the cash to deck out a kettle with that nice of an element =( guess I'll have to go with a heat stick

 

[Maltose]

What's your budget? The heating element would probably cost $15-30. I used Kal's conduit box method and punched the side of my keggle. Most expensive part I had to buy was the chassis punch for around $35. The rest of the parts were picked up at Lowe's for under $30.

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

I was hoping to do it for under $50.(didnt expect the hole punching gear to be that expensive)But I'm willing to waver in expense to have a quality element installed. Got a link to that build?

 

[Maltose]

didn't really take pictures during mine, but I built the element housings step by step from electricbrewery.com

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-herms-build-204716/

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

Damn thats a shiney rig

 

[Duckfoot]

So Im looking to install a 1650W 15A heat element in my keg just to help my stovetop maintain a solid boil.

You use a keg sitting on your stovetop as a boil kettle?

PS: love the username.... "It is just ... the luxury edition has so much more eagle."

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

Na, getting a 10 gallon SS kettle soon. Looking at the heating options for it. Wasn't thinking when I typed that =P

 

[audger]

if the heating element is a screw-in type, get a (1.25" to 1") stainless steel reducing bushing (the threads on the element are 1" NPT male).
make a hole and solder or weld that busing into the side of your keg where you want it.
screw your heating element directly into it. the element's gasket will seal fine against the bushing.
wire it up.

shouldnt cost more then $10 unless you need to buy a hole saw, or pay someone to weld.

worked fine for me
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/ghost6303/beer/e073e04d.jpg

 

[ekjohns]

if the heating element is a screw-in type, get a (1.25" to 1") stainless steel reducing bushing (the threads on the element are 1" NPT male).
make a hole and solder or weld that busing into the side of your keg where you want it.
screw your heating element directly into it. the element's gasket will seal fine against the bushing.
wire it up.

shouldnt cost more then $10 unless you need to buy a hole saw, or pay someone to weld.

worked fine for me
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/ghost6303/beer/e073e04d.jpg

im hoping to do this exact same thing. Just need to find someone in the columbus, OH area that can cut the hole and weld on the nut for cheap. Can the nut be silver soldered on?

 

[audger]

that picture is silver soldered. as long as you dont dry-fire your kettle it wont get hot enough to melt. as long as you get a good connection, its almost as strong as a weld. if i tried to pry that out of the container, it would bend the steel before the solder connection failed.

it was super easy to do, just use plenty of pipe flux (not the weak, no-rinse electronics kind, you want acid flux here). the bushing has a much higher thermal mass then the thin walled steel container, so heat it up first. once its hot enough for solder to flow on the bushing, move your torch to the thinner steel container. it shouldnt take very much time before the solder flows into the joint.

if you dont get a 100% perfect connection the first try, let it cool, scrub everything really well with soap and water, re-flux everything, and have another go. that picture took two tries before i got a complete seal all the way around.

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

Theres some solid advice. I can probably get a buddy to soder it. Or actually I may go up to the welding place where I get my co2 filled and see if theyll weld it on.