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A customer in the UK has asked for a suggestion on a 240V, 1500W internal heating element with 1" NPT thread. I am sure that someone on here is using this configuration successfully, so instead of reinventing the wheel I thought that I would just ask. If you have a suggestion for such a heating element please let me know so that I can pass it along.
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I have this for years--its a 240 volt hot water heater element I don't see what the mystery is-- they have 240 volts and everyone can get got water heater elements. Use a variac in series with the supply to control the flow. I thought that there was something in a sticky somewhere :)
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The alternative to a router speed control is the best for lowering wattage as needed
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Many water heater elements come with an NPS fitting, not NPT, and I know that there are forum members who have found some pretty good deals on suitable elements.
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Hey guys, I am said customer. Our problem seems to be that 1" NPT couplings do not seem to be standard in the UK, which is where I am. Rick has kindly agreed to take delivery of an element for me and send it with my still so that I don't have to pay for two lots of shipping. We just want to make sure I get the right thing. So far, I'm leaning towards this: http://www.amazon.com/Ca...y_view_div_1424462241064Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Cheers, Sean
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what size boiler are you getting ?
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Originally Posted by: SeanyP321  Hey guys, I am said customer. Our problem seems to be that 1" NPT couplings do not seem to be standard in the UK, which is where I am. Rick has kindly agreed to take delivery of an element for me and send it with my still so that I don't have to pay for two lots of shipping. We just want to make sure I get the right thing. So far, I'm leaning towards this: http://www.amazon.com/Ca...y_view_div_1424462241064Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Cheers, Sean Howdy Sean, the world really is very small and just because your in the UK dosen't mean you cant get the element of your choice. You can order anything you want online, just like ordering the still of your choice and it will land at your front door in a week or so. I have used a setup like you want for several years now with great success. Nowthen if Rick is gonna get the element for you and add it to your order then all you need now is a voltage control of some kind, again you can order that online too. I know ebay has a UK system. Scotty uses a variac voltage controller and I use a router speed controller, they both do the same thing. Good luck and happy hoochin.
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Thanks for the input Heeler. Yep, I get the concept of ordering stuff online and having it arrive at your door ;-) It's just that rather than pay for international shipping twice, it made sense to pack it all into one order. The question was more, 'Is there a particular 240v element that users with similar rigs would recommend?' I've decided to go with this http://www.amazon.com/Ca...y_view_div_1424462241064And just hope it works okay. As for my controller, they don't seem to do router controllers here - or indeed anywhere for 240v. Variacs are very expensive over here. I'm looking at this: http://www.sutronics.com...sp?ProductCode=BFM240-13I've read a couple of posts on various sites of people having success with it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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Variacs offer the best overall control (very linear voltage control), but they are relatively expensive -- especially the higher current models. Knowing Scotty, he probably dickered down some unsuspecting soul at hamfest & got his for a song and a dance.  I'm not sure if it's your thing, but you might want to consider building your own. There are a lot of DIY power controller designs on the web (pretty much all Triac/SCR/SSR based). The homebrew community has a lot of electric brewery designs as well -- you can hoist the power control section from one those & just leave out all of the temperature control stuff. If you're interested just search for "PSR-25 controller" or "diy electric brewery control" -- you'll find plenty. I think Stilldragon offers a kit a well.
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Thanks John,
The funny thing is - it's EXACTLY my thing. I'm a big DIY fan. Alas, that doesn't make me very good at everything. All too many times, I set out on project and up spending the same as I would if I bought something off the shelf. I once build a FULL HD projector from scratch. Worked like a dream but I could have bought a top of the line model for the same price.
On this occasion, I've promised myself I will do as little building as possible. Hence ordering a still from BH ;)
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With over 35 years in plumbing the best I have used is a "sand hog" (State). They can be dry fired for a short period of time and work buried in scale in the water heater.
Look at a PID digital temp controler with a SSR (40A).
Happy Brewing
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I will share my experience.. I used propane the first few years. Once I built a RSC control box and use a 220V circuit, I never looked back :) I had a sparky come in and properly run a standalone circuit for it in the plant and also installed decent protection for safety's sake. it's not cheap, but you cannot buy back your life after a simple mistake - so... I followed a common kit build (40a SSR based) for my RSC controller(Pix are in the thread here), but I made some changes others had made. Called my sparky back to look at it and certify it independently. It has worked perfectly every since. I only wish I'd added more functionality to it, like common temp monitoring from my temp gauges, RSC controlled plugin for my BH band heater, etc. Next generation, I guess. I have a 2500W element in a 13 gal milk jug boiler. Brings 10 gals of wash up in about 45m - and I take it really slow too, at about 40% of the radio dial. Edited by user Saturday, March 07, 2015 2:15:53 PM(UTC)
| Reason: Clarifications |
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