Water heater element question

[Pharmbrewer]

I'm thinking of upgrading my system in the near future. I currently do all grain in split batches on a stovetop. I was thinking of purchasing an electric turkey fryer as I want to stay indoors. I could then do 10 gal batches when I want to by utilizing my stove and the turkey fryer. Not optimal but it would work. Or...

I could buy one of these http://www.highgravitybrew.com/productc ... 2657&qty=1 The problem is they recomend the 4500 watt element because its stainless steel and ultra low density. However in order to use this element you need one of these
http://www.highgravitybrew.com/productc ... 6p3084.htm
otherwise you end up with a 20% evaporation rate.

This seems a little pricey to me. Is there a cheaper way to build one of these controllers with a potentiometer or rheostat or something? I'm not an electrician however my father in law is so I'm sure he could help me put something together.
Any Ideas?


Thanks
PB

[Kbar]

If you do not mind being the water temperature regulator, it could be just plug it into the 220V outlet in your garage and watch the temp yourself. that only costs some cable and plugs, assuming you already have a 220V outlet in your garage. Some safety guards in place of course. I use the Minibrew HLT and a 4500W element. BK is still propane fired though.

[beltbuckle]

Instead of regulating a 4500w element why not got with a smaller element? I run electric and have a 3500w element and a 2500w element in my boil kettle. I run them both until just before the boil starts, then unplug the 3500w element. This yields less than a 1.5gph boil off rate. Just seems silly to control a high wattage device presumably with pulse width modulation when you can size it right in the first place.

[Pharmbrewer]

Instead of regulating a 4500w element why not got with a smaller element? I run electric and have a 3500w element and a 2500w element in my boil kettle. I run them both until just before the boil starts, then unplug the 3500w element. This yields less than a 1.5gph boil off rate. Just seems silly to control a high wattage device presumably with pulse width modulation when you can size it right in the first place.

The company that sells the kettle states:
"Most home brewers brew 5 – 10 gallon batches. A 3500 watt heating element is the right wattage for these volumes to use with on/off control, but this size of heating element is not available in stainless steel at a reasonable price. The thin chrome plating is not really suitable for a boil kettle application, and these heating elements look like they have re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere from space after boiling a batch."

Have you noticed scortching or carmelization problems with your elements?

[Pharmbrewer]

If you do not mind being the water temperature regulator, it could be just plug it into the 220V outlet in your garage and watch the temp yourself. that only costs some cable and plugs, assuming you already have a 220V outlet in your garage. Some safety guards in place of course. I use the Minibrew HLT and a 4500W element. BK is still propane fired though.

I thought of this, currently I have a 220V outlet in my brew room in my basement. It's hooked up to my stove now. I just thought plugging and unplugging it to maintain a good rolling boil would be a pain.

[Kbar]

I would think that for the BK, it would simply run the full boil time, no on/off cycling. Would need some EC Element users on their BK to give some feedback on that. Thanks!

[Stinkfist]

If you want a lot cheaper version I use of these I built..cost about 35-40 bucks...and has worked perfectly for about 15 batches so far..

http://www.cedarcreeknetworks.com/heatstick.htm

[beltbuckle]

Scorching is not an issue. I have brewed the lightest blondes where it would show through immediately if it was there. Stainless would be nice, but I don't know if it is worth the cost. And unwound agree that somewhere between 2500-3500 watts is a good size for a nice rolling boil in a 12 gallon batch. Its like a lot of things in homebrewing... There are a lot of people who spread false info like the scorching thing without ever trying it.