Hot Water Element - Is This Hlt-mountable?

[bugwan]

Hi guys,

I came across an ad recently for hot water elements (2400W, banana or straight) on Cracker.com.au. They look great and at just $25.95 (plus $8 postage), I thought I might go one for my HLT. It will be mounted in a keg or alum pot.

I just wanted to get some opinions on whether this type of element could be easily mounted with weldless fittings? I don't have easy access to a welder or workshop, so I was hoping to get the job done with a leftover Bunnings voucher....what are my chances?? Also, would the so-called "banana" or a straight one be best for a HLT?

Here's the one I was interested in;
View attachment Element.bmp

And here's the "banana";


Cheers for any assistance. Enjoy the weekend fellas :beer:

 

[KillerRx4]

I cant think of anyway to mount one of those without welding a flanged mount on.

You can also get a screwed element, I think theyre available in 1" & 2" threads. But again it will more than likely require a welded socket to screw it into.

 

[bugwan]

Thanks for the reply Killer. How do people mount their elements taken from home kettles? Do they have threads?

I have fitted weldless thermometers and ballvalves in the past (using a threaded tube and bulkhead fittings), wish I could do the same.

Anyone else who's put an element in a keg who can help?

 

[Tony]

I have a HWS element in my HLT.

I made a flange out of some SS flat and pipe and tig welded it on.

I started out with a cover on it till i set it up with the element

when i mounted the element it had it running and thought......mmmmmm if my kids, or me touch that it will fry us.

So i mounted a small clipsal adaptable box on it for protection

I started off with a 2400W but it was too slow so i put in a 3600W element and its great. It will heat up the 50 liters from cold in 1/2 hr

here are some pics.

cheers

 

[bugwan]

Excellent post Tony - thanks for digging up all those pics mate. A great set up!

If only I could weld...! The mounting flange is a great idea though. Perfect for this application infact.

 

[Barramundi]

use a kettle element, theyre cheap, i just got one for $13 brand new , only need to cut a hole to fit it using the bits that come with it holding it into the kettle it came out of , and theyre 2400W just like the one your lookin at getting

 

[bugwan]

Cheers Barra. I just got a Mashmaster HLT temp controller, so I'm cashless for a little longer. I'll go with your suggestion I think.

I'm still using a plastic bucket, so until there's more money lying around, I might stick with it. Finding a keg, a holesaw bit, weldless fittings etc will get a bit pricey...

Cheers guys, always plenty of help around here.

 

[Barramundi]

i just put mine together with two kettle elements, only issue is with two elements of the same power point it keeps tripping the supply , i was running it through a RCD rated at 10 amps tomorrow im gonna try direct to the power point which has a 20 amp circuit breaker , seemed to be goin ok b4 it tripped out , just gotta get a camp mat or similar to insulate the keg and we are laughin ....

p.s always happy to help out a fellow western surburbian melbournian...

 

[Barramundi]

just ran a bit of a test on my kettle element powered HLT , took 20 minutes to bring 25 litres up to 73 degs C, thats with 2 kettle elements , will try later when the water cools again with a single element only
also need to note that was open lid and no insulation ...

 

[Tony M]

I scrounged a very similar element from a HWS and just drilled a hole thru the side of my HLT and made up a backing plate identical to the mounting flange. I then bolted the two together with 4mm brass bolts and sandwiched the HLT skin between the two with a 3mm thick gasket on the outside. The gasket I cut from a piece of plain old insertion rubber.
No leaks and no welding.

 

[ArnieW]

I just wanted to get some opinions on whether this type of element could be easily mounted with weldless fittings?

Hi Bugwan,

yep, it is easy to do so. All you need are some stainless bolts that will bolt the element in from the inside of the HLT, and then a way of making them water tight. In mine, the bolt head + washer + rubber washer are inside the HLT, the bolt exits the HLT (hole is just big enough for the bolt) and then goes through the element mounting hole, to another washer + nut. Do this four times for the four mounting holes, tighten the whole assembly and the bolts will tighten on the rubber washers and create a seal on the inside of the HLT.

There is one more thing to do to complete the sealing part though, and I left it out above because the description probably would have been too complicated (a picture is worth a thousand words). On the inside of the HLT the washer is needed to give some surface area for the rubber washer to compress onto the HLT inside wall. But this means that potentially some liquor can find a path between the bolt head and the washer and run down the bolt and through the bolt hole in the HLT wall. To stop this, simply add a little bit of teflon tape between the bolt head and the washer, and you should be done.

I hope that all makes sense - believe me it is not hard and quite possible without welding.

cheers, ARnie

 

[winkle]

Bugwan,
ArnieW has done basicly the same as I did. From memory I used rubber washers on the stainless steel bolts and a fair blob of aquarium sealant. I'd even used the old thermostat to cut out at ~85 C but that eventually died. The external wiring is now housed under a plastic box.View attachment 12686View attachment 12687

Usually takes about 25 minutes from ambient to 78 C.

 

[Wortgames]

There's another option available, which is to get a spiral urn element that mounts through the base.

You only need to drill 2 small (12mm?) holes and they seal up nice and tight - you just need some clearance underneath the kettle for the tails and wiring.

 

[bugwan]

Guys, thanks again. I've slapped a $9.00 element from a Belle (BigW) kettle in the temporary plastic HLT today. Seals up a treat. I can use my immersion element as a backup too.

I will pick up the element I mentioned in the first post now, thanks to those who have helped out and put my mind at ease.

Cheers fellas,
Dave

 

[willanth]

Those elements look outstanding! I will try and pick a few up if they're still available, as they would work great in my mash tun and my lauter tun. They'd be controled by MashMasters anyway, so it would be ideal.

Cheers,
Will