Hi All,
I'm planning to convert an HDPE plastic drum into and electric HLT using a 5500 watt element. I have two questions about this.
First, what would be the best way to secure the element to the drum. I know the element comes with a rubber gasket and I could use a simple locking nut on the inside of the drum, but I am wondering if the wall thickness of the drum would make that difficult (not enough of the element's threads protruding past the wall for the locking nut to thread on to). Kal's setup here looks good, but again, I don't know if it would work with a thicker wall compared to his stainless vessels.
My second question is about the placement of my temperature probe... any ideas about the best place to put it to get an accurate reading? Would I need some kind of circulation pump to avoid stratification of the liquid temps? I think the maximum temps I would be looking at would be 75° C or 170° F.
Thanks,
Sean
I'm planning to convert an HDPE plastic drum into and electric HLT using a 5500 watt element. I have two questions about this.
First, what would be the best way to secure the element to the drum. I know the element comes with a rubber gasket and I could use a simple locking nut on the inside of the drum, but I am wondering if the wall thickness of the drum would make that difficult (not enough of the element's threads protruding past the wall for the locking nut to thread on to). Kal's setup here looks good, but again, I don't know if it would work with a thicker wall compared to his stainless vessels.
My second question is about the placement of my temperature probe... any ideas about the best place to put it to get an accurate reading? Would I need some kind of circulation pump to avoid stratification of the liquid temps? I think the maximum temps I would be looking at would be 75° C or 170° F.
Thanks,
Sean