Home built hot plate question.

[Berniep]

I am planning to build an electric hot plate with a canning element and a phase angle controller. I used propane for my first two 3 gallon boils but I hate to buy propane and it adds much heat to the shop and I have to keep the big door open letting all my AC out and the bugs in. Will a 2600 watt element be enough to boil 5 gallons? That is about the largest element that I can find.

Would it be beneficial to use a flame tamer type of aluminum plate between a stainless stock pot and an electric element? I happen to have some 3/16ths aluminum plate laying around.
Thanks
Bernie

 

[SweetSounds]

I am planning to build an electric hot plate with a canning element and a phase angle controller. I used propane for my first two 3 gallon boils but I hate to buy propane and it adds much heat to the shop and I have to keep the big door open letting all my AC out and the bugs in. Will a 2600 watt element be enough to boil 5 gallons? That is about the largest element that I can find.

Would it be beneficial to use a flame tamer type of aluminum plate between a stainless stock pot and an electric element? I happen to have some 3/16ths aluminum plate laying around.
Thanks
Bernie

I doubt 2600 watts on a hot plate is going to be enough to get 5 gallons to a boil. Most use at least 3000-4000 watts for 5 gallons, and that's with the element submerged directly into the wort! You're going to have thermal losses and heat transfer inefficiencies that will likely reduce the amount of energy transferred into your wort.

Take a look around here for "Heat stick" threads. There are a lot of guys that successfully boil 5 gallon batches with 1 or 2 110v heat sticks.

Also, is your 2600 watt element 110 volts? Or 220?
2600 watts at 110 volts is almost 24 amps. It's not likely that you will have a 30 amp 110v circuit available (They are very uncommon)
If you have a 220v element, you'll be in better shape, I think.

 

[Berniep]

I doubt 2600 watts on a hot plate is going to be enough to get 5 gallons to a boil. Most use at least 3000-4000 watts for 5 gallons, and that's with the element submerged directly into the wort! You're going to have thermal losses and heat transfer inefficiencies that will likely reduce the amount of energy transferred into your wort.

Take a look around here for "Heat stick" threads. There are a lot of guys that successfully boil 5 gallon batches with 1 or 2 110v heat sticks.

Also, is your 2600 watt element 110 volts? Or 220?
2600 watts at 110 volts is almost 24 amps. It's not likely that you will have a 30 amp 110v circuit available (They are very uncommon)
If you have a 220v element, you'll be in better shape, I think.

Yep its a 220V 50 amp welder circuit. If I could find an element of higher power it would be great. I could put a water heater element in a stock pot. I can get an ultra low density 5500 watt element but that seems like it would be a pain to stir around and also clean. If I could stick with the hotplate form factor I could cook and can all kinds of stuff on it.
I just found the hot stick design while searching the forum just before you posted and will look into that.
Thanks a bunch.
The search goes on.

 

[SweetSounds]

Yep its a 220V 50 amp welder circuit. If I could find an element of higher power it would be great. I could put a water heater element in a stock pot. I can get an ultra low density 5500 watt element but that seems like it would be a pain to stir around and also clean. If I could stick with the hotplate form factor I could cook and can all kinds of stuff on it.
I just found the hot stick design while searching the forum just before you posted and will look into that.
Thanks a bunch.
The search goes on.

How about looking on CL for a cooktop?

Seriously though, Elements installed in the pot can be removable - As removable as the valves and thermowells are for cleaning.

You would seal the element to the pot with an o-ring, and just torque a bit over finger tight - Kinda like an oil filter on the car - "Finger tight + 1/4 turn" or so

 

[DeafSmith]

Or you could build a "Stovezilla"

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/lives-stovezilla-born-177317/

 

[Berniep]

Thanks guys.
Maybe I do need three smaller elements close together.
I guess it would be simpler to put an element in a stock pot. Or maybe I need to quit avoiding those keggle threads and figure out if thats what I need.
I Have done two extract batches so far and I still am not sure if I will go all grain or not.
My idea was to build a sort of counter/brewstand that has the element at one end and a nice counter and maybe a sink for prep for brewing, wine-making, canning and making salsa and such.
All on casters so it can be moved into a corner or along the side when the shop is being used for other things.