What PID and SSR do I need?

[BigJP]

Planning a very basic Electric BK set up. The BK is the only thing I will need to heat as it doubles as my HLT. I am going to have 240v run from 30 amp breaker out to garage free of charge. Planning on either a 4500w or 5500w heating element in my Boil Keggle. What do I have to do to control this element once boiling? What is PID? SSR? Heat Sink? Someone please help out or point me to an old thread. Right now I use propane for 5 & 10 gallon batches. I want something super easy, cheap, and can by mannual.

 

[LandoLincoln]

For a 15.5g keggle and 240v 30a service you could use a 5500w element, a SYL-2352 PID and a 40a SSR with a heatsink.

If you want to run "by manual" then you could get a PWM (pulse-width modulator) instead of the PID. And then you'd need an AC to DC converter to run the PWM. You could use an old wall wort type of plug to power it.

And most importantly, you need a GFCI breaker.

 

[BigJP]

With the PWM do I still need the SSR and Heat Sink? As you can tell I am not very electrically inclined. Where do I get the PWM and which one?

 

[LandoLincoln]

Yeah, you'll still need an SSR and the heatsink.

Here's a good thread on the topic.

 

[BigJP]

Could I use this setup http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-PID...931?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4165b39043

 

[LandoLincoln]

Could I use this setup http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-PID...931?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4165b39043

That's a 25a SSR. I would go 40a.

 

[BigJP]

Hate to bug you, but how about this one then? It has a 40A SSR. How do I know which PID's will work? Seems like so many different ones and why are the so much cheaper than Auber?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087O6T10/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[LandoLincoln]

Hate to bug you, but how about this one then? It has a 40A SSR. How do I know which PID's will work? Seems like so many different ones and why are the so much cheaper than Auber?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087O6T10/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Yeah, that would probably work, but you still need a heatsink.

Auber makes quality parts. That's why they're more expensive.

 

[alien]

A few people on the forum use those AGPtek PID's. The general opinion seems to be that they work but the documentation is not the best.