Some issues with my simple eBIAB setup

[brewuuhu]

I got a very simple, cheap DIY brewkettle setup that I use for ~3 gallon BIAB brews. I installed a 2 kW heating element from a cheap electric kettle, so I assume it's high watt density. Now after a couple of brews there's some troubles I run into:

1. The BIAB bag I picked up is great (fits nicely, strong, can be pulled together by a cord) but for some reason has a coarse bottom, resulting in lots of grain particles in my kettle after the mash.

2. The heating element does a great job during the mash and gets a good boil going. Several times now however, it has stopped working during the boil, which is probably due to scorching. It doesn't burn or turn black or leave any noticeable flavor in the beer, but the element is just covered in a layer of gunk and as soon as the brew is over and the element cleaned a little, it works fine again.

I'd like to improve my brew days, and I know that most people will tell me to just install a proper, (ultra) low watt density element and my scorching problems will be a thing of the past. However where I live those aren't that easy to come by, especially one that fits in my kettle. (I'll keep looking though.) Besides that, I see mixed opinions online, with quite a few people saying that you can brew fine with high density elements in your kettle, no scorching problems.

Does my element stop working because of scorching? Any way to prevent that (other than replacing it with ULWD element)?
Is it normal to get lots of grain particles (both very small stuff and also (bits of) grain hulls) in my wort after the mash, or should I just get a better BIAB bag? Will this help with not scorching the element?

Lot of questions, for still a beginning electric BIAB brewer. Thanks!

 

[Hommel]

particles in the bottle of the kettle are normal but i don't get a lot. too much and it can settle on your element and scorch. the tighter the knit of your bag the less you will get but even with a tight knit bag i get a little bit. at the end of the boil it is just mixed in with the trub.

scorching won't kill you element. if you let it fire dry it can kill the element but then it won't work anymore. my guess would be the electronics you are using to power the element are getting overheated and start working once they cool off but hard to say for sure.

scorching is dark brown or black material on the element that requires a stainless steel pad, lots of elbow grease and chemicals to remove. if it is a thin tan layer that is normal and you would even get that with an ULWD element. if it is the normal stuff you can just get it off with a sponge and normal pbw cleaning cycle.

 

[wilserbrewer]

A finer mesh poly voile bag will limit debris in the kettle. Stirring your wort periodically will suspend the trub an may limit scorching. Cleaning your element between brews is essential.

As to your element turning off, this may be a safety overheat function of the device you are using? Not sure why this is happening?

 

[brewuuhu]

Thanks, this helps a lot. Seems scorching isn't really any issue for me then, and it's the electronics that cause the element to stop working. I'll have someone with more electronics experience have a look at it, and probably get a better heat resistant cable and attach that properly.

I still wanna get a better BIAB bag at some point, with a finer mesh, but it's not a priority now. The grain particles I get now are no problem in the final beer at least, it all clears out in the fermentor / bottle.