Help with electric HLT base?

[Nodrog]

Probably belongs in the ghetto thread...

Have installed element in base of 20 litre pot for my HLT. It still needs a box covering the terminals, and an outlet, I'll use a weld less bulkhead fitting in the base. Then some insulation.

I'm worried about what to do about putting it down! If its mounted on a custom brew stand then the terminals and the outlet can go throu a hole in that. But I don't have such a stand, the vessels are going to be kept in the garage, knocking around on shelves etc. I need some way of protecting the outlet, and more importantly the terminal box when I put the HLT down on something.

Most ghetto solution so far is epoxying a couple of 50x50 timber strips to the bottom, but not sure how well they will stick, and is maybe a little extreme ghetto.

What are others doing? Searching gets lots of how to's on getting the element in, but less on the base assembly.

Work so far:

 

[Truman42]

You could use one of those small metal jiffy boxes from Jaycar to cover the element terminals and have the cable coming out of the side through a cable gland.
Then use the same boxes on 4 points around the edge to act as a stand for the HLt to sit on. Just silicone them in place with high temperature silicone.

But why did you put the element on the bottom when you could have just mounted it to the side of the kettle?

 

[Nodrog]

Re bottom mounting, i Wasn't confident on getting the element fitting to seal on a round surface, it's straight out of a kitchen kettle.

Think I'm going to be glueing something to the bottom somehow....!

 

[QldKev]

I would enclose the element in the die-cast / metal jiffy box.

For a stand, here a look here on my website what I did under my mashtun, works perfectly and super strong.

The other alternative you have if you plan on making a brewframe later to sit it in, is build a basic wooden frame for the element housing to sit into. Then you could even use some heat proof silicone to glue it to the pot. Later when you no longer want it there, you cut the silicone away and remover the frame.

 

[breakbeer]

I used a milk crate until I built a stand

 

[Nodrog]

Went with a Plastic jiffy box and wooden frame. Hopefully the plastic takes the heat!