Where do you place the element?

[Handsaw]

Do you want the element as close to the bottom of the kettle as possible?
I'm about to punch the hole and was thinking that I wanted the element as close to the bottom as I could get it but I haven't seen anybody say that is a good thing or a bad thing. For me as close to the bottom as possible is having the hole center at 1.25 inches above the bottom of the pot.
This is for BIAB if that makes any difference.

 

[ylpaul2000]

My system is HERMS but I still put mine as low as possible as to leave enough room for the coil. I would imagine that for a BIAB system you would still want it as low as possible to avoid burning a hole in the bag you are using.

 

[thargrav]

Do you want the element as close to the bottom of the kettle as possible?
I'm about to punch the hole and was thinking that I wanted the element as close to the bottom as I could get it but I haven't seen anybody say that is a good thing or a bad thing. For me as close to the bottom as possible is having the hole center at 1.25 inches above the bottom of the pot.
This is for BIAB if that makes any difference.

Since heat rises you want it as low as possible but far enough above the roll at the bottom of the pot to let the soda flatten out under the element nut. 1.25 shod work great for most pots.

 

[Handsaw]

Thanks all.
I punched the hole between 1 3/8 and 1 1/2 above the bottom. I went the extra 1/8 to 1/4 to get above the curve at the bottom of the kettle.
I haven't done a leak test yet. that is tomorrow evening after work.
I used a Greenlee punch marked 1 1/4 and had to use a dremmel tool with sandpaper to knock just a little bit off so I could get the element threads through the hole. It is a ripple element so I couldn't screw it in through the hole otherwise I think the 1 1/4 hole would have been file.

 

[Handsaw]

I've done the leak test and no problems. It brought 5 gal of tap water to a rolling boil in about 21 min. Of course that has nothing to do with where I put the element.