Keg King Elements

[fergi]

I don't really want to bring third parties into this, although it is a Keg King product, the initial purchase was not from Keg King. Keg King sent the replacement element to me as I live several hundreds of km's away and couldn't just pop in to the initial retailer for a replacement, and

 this retailer said he was sick of sending out replacements at his expense

. So when I sent the email about the replacement product having issues, the email was forwarded to Keg King to verify it is ok to replace without me needing to send this one in to help save cost of postage. I even mentioned I would be happy to place an order for other goods so we could just add the element to the package to eliminate costs for sending it out.

So it seems this element has rusted, the false bottoms have rust, ss barb's have rust, and I've been told about thermometers also with rust. But somehow he says this is my problem?


QldKev

i cant believe this thread has not had a reply from the manufacturer or retailer.

you dont need to be half smart to know these units have a major problem, they are obviously not fit for the purpose.

if the retailer is sick of replacing them at his own expense well stop selling them, it is very simple business practice.
source the elements somewhere else, the majority of guys have stated they would rather pay more for a hassle free unit.

i tried to buy an element from beerbelly a couple of months ago and when i went in Amanda showed me the returned units and would not sell me one, i beleive she said they have stopped dealing with the supplier of these units. sound business ethics i reckon.

fergi

 

[DJR]

I have used mine about 5-10 times as a HLT element, not a kettle element, and it's been fine so far. The lead does get warm and feels like the plastic will melt, i have put some extra duct tape around the lead and put a little bit on a loop to stop the lead sagging as it gets warm. I think the lead could have issues if it starts to get warm, sags and then the extra weight on the lead causes a split in the insulation.

For the price they are fine IMO, another option is the custom made one that Matho got, i've seen the unit in the flesh and it is very well made, also as it is quite long the heat load is quite low which is good for avoiding hot spots and excessive scorching of the wort

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=834488

However if a retailer will not stand behind the product if it has issues, that's no good at all. At least they could say "use a flap wheel or a SS scrubbie, remove the rust and then re-passivate the steel oh and here's a voucher for the hassle" if they are not willing to replace

 

[merlin032]

i tried to buy an element from beerbelly a couple of months ago and when i went in Amanda showed me the returned units and would not sell me one, i beleive she said they have stopped dealing with the supplier of these units. sound business ethics i reckon.

that's the type of response I'd expect to see from a decent retailer.


Since having the issue with the kegking element (the usual wiring issue that everyone seems to be having), my LHB shop has made the decision to stop stocking the elements and has warned me off some of their other products (all because of quality issues) - they showed me a box of about 12 heating elements they were returning to keg king with the same issue that I had.

I guess you get what you pay for - I've learnt my lesson

 

[punkin]

Would there be interest in a version of elements that used Incolloy 800 elements with your choice of wattage from 2000 to 3600 watt and beyond in a mirror polished stainless housing?

The housing is built around 2" triclamp ferrulles, so would require a ferrule to be welded to the keg.

These are housings that are for the rims tube i'll be offering is all, but i could see they would work brilliantly on all boilers.

Not weldless is all.

 

[Yob]

btw, when I visited, none of the SS fittings had rust, pretty good quality as from everywhere else.

No actual rust on the fittings in store but I did notice the score on the inside of it, this is what started to rust under operational conditions.

When I was last in the store there were several more with the 'score' on the inside near the barb base but many more were smooth... possible a dud batch or something, dunno

Wasnt an issue for me personally as he willingly replaced it at the mere mention of the problem.

Yob

 

[Parks]

Would there be interest in a version of elements that used Incolloy 800 elements with your choice of wattage from 2000 to 3600 watt and beyond in a mirror polished stainless housing?

The housing is built around 2" triclamp ferrulles, so would require a ferrule to be welded to the keg.

These are housings that are for the rims tube i'll be offering is all, but i could see they would work brilliantly on all boilers.

Not weldless is all.



View attachment 53719

If you can get the 2 1/2" ferrule (I think) then they will fit perfectly an upside-down 50L stainless vessel as weldless. Only thing would be the length and how far it stuck upright into the vessel.

 

[Wimmig]

Considering all the consistancy in issues (with the wire harness melting) you would guess the only logical thing to do by local laws is issue a voluntary recall on the product and suspend sales. The entire design needs to be gone over, and beefed up. Just build the harness a few grades higher with 300% headroom and stop them failing.

You would assume the seller would fix this up without issue.

Though, if you think the product has a genuine fault and needs something done about it there is always....

http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1023609

What is a major problem?
Major problems include:

An issue that would have stopped a reasonable person from buying the product or service if theyd known about it.
A product that:
is unsafe
is significantly different from the sample or description
doesnt do what you said it would, or what the consumer asked for and cant be easily fixed.
A service that:
is substantially unfit for its common purpose and cant be fixed easily within a reasonable time
does not meet the specific purpose the consumer asked for and cant be fixed easily within a reasonable time
creates an unsafe situation.

 

[keifer33]

In regards to Frothies link a 2400w screw in with inocoloy coating delivered was around $90 (to WA which was around $15) plus a nut of ebay for around $6 and a box an wiring would work out to be about 3 times more than the keg king but im guessing its going to be you get what you pay for instance.

 

[QldKev]

Considering all the consistancy in issues (with the wire harness melting) you would guess the only logical thing to do by local laws is issue a voluntary recall on the product and suspend sales. The entire design needs to be gone over, and beefed up. Just build the harness a few grades higher with 300% headroom and stop them failing.

You would assume the seller would fix this up without issue.

Though, if you think the product has a genuine fault and needs something done about it there is always....

http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1023609

I don't think mine would need a recall as such, it's more a nuisance factor.

With the people who have had the wires melting I surprised no one has reported it, as I think that is what would be an un-safe product.
http://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/in...AnUnsafeProduct

 

[sponge]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/350528123745?ss...984.m1439.l2649

I bought myself one of these for the HLT. Probably shouldve gone SS, but oh well. Should hopefully be fine considering as though its for water heating


Sponge

 

[QldKev]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/350528123745?ss...984.m1439.l2649

I bought myself one of these for the HLT. Probably shouldve gone SS, but oh well. Should hopefully be fine considering as though its for water heating


Sponge

For the HLT I think you will not have any issues, they sit in HWS for years without playing up.

It's more the wort that is acid, that s/s would be better

Good price too

 

[sponge]

Yea I assumed as much. Have that for the HLT, and a kettle element for the HX, with a 3 ring burner for the kettle.

All seems to go pretty well (although the HX isnt set up just yet). Don't plan on going electric for the kettle anytime soon, although I do have an immersion element that I throw in to assist with the wort coming to the boil faster, then turn it off once its boiling and turn the outside ring off the burner to maintain a nice rolling boil.

Glory days.


Sponge

 

[QldKev]

Since a lot of guys are using the urns for boiling, how much are the crown/birko elements?

 

[punkin]

If you can get the 2 1/2" ferrule (I think) then they will fit perfectly an upside-down 50L stainless vessel as weldless. Only thing would be the length and how far it stuck upright into the vessel.

These are 2" triclamp which is the same as a keg top, so yes, they will clamp straight to an up side down keg. That will have the element pointing upwards, though i believe they can be bent if nessecary.

 

[fergi]

Would there be interest in a version of elements that used Incolloy 800 elements with your choice of wattage from 2000 to 3600 watt and beyond in a mirror polished stainless housing?

The housing is built around 2" triclamp ferrulles, so would require a ferrule to be welded to the keg.

These are housings that are for the rims tube i'll be offering is all, but i could see they would work brilliantly on all boilers.

Not weldless is all.



View attachment 53719

I would be interested in an element that will last, what sort of price would we be looking at for the whole setup, i know it wont be cheap but if its a quality fitting that will last 5 years or so i would be interested ,

fergi

 

[seemax]

Have being using one for about 15 brews with no issues. Element has no sign of rust .. I give it a quick scrub after each brew with sodium perc.

I agree the wire size is too small for constant use at 9A. Typically minimum size is 2.5mm^2. The wires get warm and soft, but still touchable by hand ... fair way off melt point. Not to say it wont happen at the join to the element though.

Cheapo extension cords , rated at 10A are using the same wire size... so they both probably meet AS3000 (don't have a copy handy though) ... if you're keen to find out spend the $130 or ask your friendly sparky for a look.

What type of QA do you expect for the price? A visual inspection for rust would be a good start

 

[punkin]

I would be interested in an element that will last, what sort of price would we be looking at for the whole setup, i know it wont be cheap but if its a quality fitting that will last 5 years or so i would be interested ,

fergi

This would ship as a kit. I'm not an electrician and i would reccomend an electrician wires the three wires. Everything would ship together including all the parts for the wires, two triclamps and the element. It may or may not include a short piece of lead and a standard plug.

With a 2400w Incolloy element i would expect the price to be around the $100-130. Depending on wether i can source the elements cheaper, the price may come down

The kit without the element would also be available if you wanted to source your own cheapo ebay element. It fits all 1" bsp or npt screw in elements. B)


NotasPriceyAsYou'dThinkPunkin

 

[sponge]

A little OT...

We go for 1.5mm wire for 240V at work as a minimum, although we normally use 2.5mm for 240V devices.

I'm sure the 0.5/0.75mm wire meets the 3000 standards or they couldn't be sold in Australia.


Sponge

 

[fergi]

This would ship as a kit. I'm not an electrician and i would reccomend an electrician wires the three wires. Everything would ship together including all the parts for the wires, two triclamps and the element. It may or may not include a short piece of lead and a standard plug.

With a 2400w Incolloy element i would expect the price to be around the $100-130. Depending on wether i can source the elements cheaper, the price may come down

The kit without the element would also be available if you wanted to source your own cheapo ebay element. It fits all 1" bsp or npt screw in elements. B)


NotasPriceyAsYou'dThinkPunkin

i would be looking at the complete kit, saves looking for other bits n pieces, that price is definitely in the ball park for a good quality setup.like the clamps idea too.
fergi

 

[NickB]

True, but I would imagine (again, don't have my AS3000 on hand) that for 10A 1.5mm would be to spec, but for extended use at boiling temps, I would imagine not so much.

Cheers