2nd boiler advice

[Shanna]

Hi there,

Finally going to get some of my brothers (electrician) time to rewire my shed and it is forcing me to get my act together on my choice of boiler. I have wired up a 5.5 KW element in a keggle complete with ball valve. However the more i think about it the more I am thinking this is not going to be a good choice for a boiler (where the wort is boiled).

I am thinking instead of using it as a hot water heater (for strike water and cleaning) and start working on another boiler (thanks Partridge9 now I will be able to brew Rossa Tsunami stout ;-). Instead I will go the Charlie Shields route and create a second heating vessel that includes two independently wired heating elements.

Two elements going together should allow me reach a boil but give me the option of switching one off and continue the rolling boil with the other one. My boiler holds 50 litres but I honestly don't see myself ever using more than approximately 35 litres of liquid in the boiler.

Is this realistic? Do others on here use a single element to maintain a rolling boil or does this require careful monitoring of the temperature and switching on and off the boiler to maintain temperature and stop it getting too hot. Ideally I don't want to have to switch on and off the heating element that is maintaining the boil. Instead i would hope to use something like this regulator to dial down the voltage but keep the boil simmering.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Adjustable-3800W-AC-0-220V-Voltage-Regulator-Dimming-Light-Lamps-Speed-Control-/230893394398?pt=UK_BOI_Industrial_Automation_Control_ET&hash=item35c25199de

I would hope this voltage regulator could be used to maintain the heat of boil in the same way that you could maintain it if you had a pot sitting on a ring on the cooker.

If this regulator works as I described, would it be overkill to add one to each of the heating elements to provide greater control?

I had great plans during the day of the Tog Capital brewers brewing demonstration to tap Patrrige9 and Rossa up for information on the kettle but instead I ended up stirring the wort ;-)

Regards,

Declan

[JimmyM]

That will be fine on the small elements but its not rated for y9ur 5.5kw element.

However im not sure its worth the effort.
If I were you id build my boiler with 2 elements (mine only has one) and switch one off when you get to rolling boil. One element maintains a nice rolling boil in 20l of uninsulated wort - if i but a jacket on it - it goes a little more vigorous. If i put the lid on, it goes mental altogether.

Another thing to consider - If you ever envisage a situation where you will be using that big element (5.5kw) at the same time as even one of the smaller elements, You wanna do the maths on whether your switch will trip back at the fuse board. Is the shed the only thing in the house on that switch?
Edit: with the big lad and one of the little lads you're up around 30A - but you shouldnt need to have your HLT going while boiling, unless you're doing a double batch or something.

[newToBrew]

how does that work Declan ? - I see two wire connections in the pic - is it live wire in & live wire out some where in the middle of the "kettle lead"  between the mains plug and the  element socket, with the neutral going straight  from mains plug to the  element socket?

is it really that simple ??

[Shanna]

Hi newtobrew

honestly don't know it works. I saw someone else on the forum suggest it. Have an brother who is an  electrician that I am going to rUN it by.

Declan

how does that work Declan ? - I see two wire connections in the pic - is it live wire in & live wire out some where in the middle of the "kettle lead"  between the mains plug and the  element socket, with the neutral going straight  from mains plug to the  element socket?

is it really that simple ??

[Shanna]

Hi JimmyM,

yes I understand the 5.5 kw element is too big for the dimmer.
I have a separate fuse board in.my garage that I am getting a dedicated 30 amp fuse installed for the 5.5 kw element and also getting the shed wiring up graded. My brother is an electrician and will do the necessary in this.respect to ensure everything is safe.

thanks for your comments

Declan

That will be fine on the small elements but
Another thing to consider - If you ever envisage a situation where you will be using that big element (5.5kw) at the same time as even one of the smaller elements, You wanna do the maths on whether your switch will trip back at the fuse board. Is the shed the only thing in the house on that switch?
Edit: with the big lad and one of the little lads you're up around 30A - but you shouldnt need to have your HLT going while boiling, unless you're doing a double batch or something.

[JimmyM]

Ah right - I read the OP properly this time.
I suppose if your boiler holds 50l it may make sense to have a bit of variabilty as the batch size may vary too.
1 element may not give a good enough boil on 35l and 2 elements may be too much. Dunno never gone outside the rhealms of ~20l boils.

[Shanna]

Hi Tube,

Yes that link was originally provided by you  . With two elements (where one is hooked up to a dimmer) I would hope this would give enough flexibility to adjust the temperature on a 35 litre batch. Its most likely that I won't be doing this size boil very often and I just want to give myself options.

Declan

Can't see a rolling 35L boil on one 2kw element.

I have that device you've linked to on ebay, haven't gotten around to using it yet tho.

[Shanna]

The existing keg that I have has the ball valve and the heating element secured via compression fittings that compress o-rings and washers to provide a tight fit around the holes in the keggle wall.

I was wondering if others could suggest a way to secure a ball valve and or heating element (other than welding).

Regards,

Declan

[Shanna]

Just a quick update on my brewshed build. My brother has wired it to support the 5.5KW heating element (36 amp fuse + dedicated socket). I fired the keggle up for around 1/2 hour last Friday night and thank fully there were no leaks and the power held up ;-)

I have started working on the 2nd keggle that I will be using for my main wort boiler (the other will be used purely for heating water). I bought a bunch of copper t connectors and right angled bends as well as 2 meters of copper for making a manifold/drain for my mash tun.

Shanna

[Shanna]

"Hubble bubble toil and trouble" First outing of my new kettle, works like a treat.  Thankfully no leaks or shorts  8-)