Kettle elements - How High

[Frisp]

Peeps I have access to 3 Tesco Kettle elements which I am fitting 2 to a 60L plastic bin to get me going. I have fitted 1 at 4 1/2 inches from the botton which puts it slightly better than halfway up a 25L boil. Im thinking about #2 going in 2 1/2inches lower ( lets me heat 15L if I want, and will let my IC sit lower in the wort). Does anyone see any problems with that.

Aslo Is 2 enough in a boiler. Im thinking about putting #3 in my 33L picnic box to preheat the MT ( good or bad idea, I can see it getting in the way when stirring the Mash

 

[Bugno]

How are you plugging these in. Are they all going to separate sockets. From what I have heard you can't plug two of these into the one socket. I have 2 elements and a 10 gallon bin that I have to get around to putting together. I was told that I need two extention leads going to two separate sockets.

 

[Vossy1]

Aslo Is 2 enough in a boiler

2 elements in a 60 ltr boiler is right

Does anyone see any problems with that.

You can put the elements as low as you want in the boiler as long as you can still tighten the back nut tup
so, no, no problems

Im thinking about putting #3 in my 33L picnic box to preheat the MT ( good or bad idea, I can see it getting in the way when stirring the Mash

I think you've recognised the only 'down side'

 

[Frisp]

Im aware that these puppies are going to pull in the region of 10 Amps each so not only am I going to take the power from seperate sockets They will be fed from 2 different Ring mains with 13A fuses in the plugleads.

As for height I will drop this one as low as I dare and I will dump the idea of one in the MT and make a 25L HLT out of one of my brewbins
Thanks peeps
Jim

 

[BrewStew]

just dont have all three on at the same time if you ever do a double brewday and start the next mash while you're boiling. I think that will probably trip your switch/blow fuses

 

[MEB]

I use 2 in a 25L boiler. It's slightly too much so 3 in a 60 should be spot on. It's always usefull to have too many and then once the boil is going you could switch one off to maintain a nice rolling boil.
I'd place all of them as low down as is possible. Then when you put the chiller in it won't be stuck half out of the wort cos you have an element half way up ya boiler. Also the elements at the bottom will encourage more movement during the boil. Probably a good thing.

It works for me.

 

[floydmeddler]

Here's how it's done!

http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/view ... =6&t=20718

Floyd

 

[Mephistopholes]

resurecting an old post here but where did you get your 60l plastic tub from, which you converted to a boiler?

 

[graysalchemy]

I used two in a 60l plastic tub. Only problem i set them at about 5 inches. When you are heating up water from cold you get a thermocline where the water bellow the element doesn't get hot, however i find if i drain into a bucket while it is heating up and pour it back into the top it mixes up sufficently to break the thermocline and allow water to circulate and all heat up.

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