Electric Kettle. I. Introduction

Transcription

1 Electric Kettle

2 Electric Kettle I. Introduction When I first became interested in Homebrewing several years ago I struggled with the idea of how I was going to boil my wort. As with most homebrewers I promised myself that when I finally did jump into homebrewing that I was going to make the best beer possible. After reading as much as possible I concluded from the experts that a full five-gallon boil would yield the best results. The problem was there was no way my wife was going to let me do this on our kitchen stove. Searching out alternatives and just plain dumb luck I found a used Bruheat Mashing Boiler Pail at a garage sale. I asked the owner what it was and he told me that it was used to boil wort for making beer. He said that his brother had been in England in the Air Force and had bought it and when he returned to the United States had given it to him. He stated that he had never used it because it required a 220 outlet and didn t want the hassle of messing with electricity. I offered him twenty dollars and bought it. (See Picture Below) Doing research on how the Bruheat worked I realized that: It was powered by 220 volts with maximum amperage of 15 amps watt heating element. The electricity cycles through a Simmerstat switch that controls the power to the heater element. Further research on just what was a Simmerstat revealed that a Simmerstat switch is another name for an infinite switch. It a type of switch that allows for variable power output. It utilizes a bi-metallic strip conductive connection across a terminal that disconnects with increased temperature. As electricity passes through the bimetal connection, it will heat and deform, breaking the connection and turning off the power. After a short time, the bimetal will cool and reconnect. Therefore, infinite switches vary the average power delivered to a device by oscillating quickly between on and off states. This makes them ideal for situations that are not sensitive to such changes, such as the resistive heating elements. After researching I realized that this might be the answer to my to quest for a five gallon boil. I knew that I would be brewing in a corner of my basement and knew that I would need to make changes to my house electrical system for this to work properly.

3 II. Setup Obviously I was going to need a power source. My corner of the basement was already set up with a 220-volt outlet. Talking to the electrician that wired my house and explaining to him my needs he recommended a Ground Fault GFCI Plug-in Circuit Breaker, 15 amp to replace the 30 amp breaker that was currently installed. He said that this type of breaker was the best of both worlds for my purposes serving as a breaker with the 15 Amps that I needed and with a built in GFCI for protection. This Circuit Breaker below, (Square D SQD HOM215GFI Circuit Breaker) was used, and had been reconditioned. Square D SQD HOM215GFI Circuit Breaker A web site that I found for this circuit breaker that I have in my panel is: In doing further research I have found a vendor who sells rebuilt 220 GFI Circuit breakers. They have a web site on ebay and a Siemens ITE QF215 GFI circuit breaker 2pole 15amp NEW is selling for $ The next step was the outlet. The electrician then installed the receptacle (shown below) and attached the plug (shown below) to the wire from the electric kettle. Leviton Commercial Grade Single Receptacle Ace Hardware #: Manf#: ISP UPC#: Manf: LEVITON MFG. Price: $6.20 Cooper Wiring Industrial 3 Wire Grounding Plug Ace Hardware #: Manf#: 5666N-BAG UPC#: Manf: COOPER WIRING Checkout Price: $11.33 The electrician s total bill to include parts and labor came to $ dollars. I saved a little by purchasing the receptacle and plug myself.

4 III. Test Run I completely tore the bucket apart and put it back together again. I bought new seals for the element and the tap. After filling it with water and convinced that there were no leaks I decided to plug it in. Not trusting the electrician handy work or mine I turned the breaker off and plugged the Bruheat Mashing Boiler Pail in with the power setting to 3 on a 1 6 scale. I then flipped the breaker on and the water began to heat up. I had five gallons of tap water in the bucket with a starting temperature of 60 degrees. After watching it for 15 minutes I took the waters temperature and it had risen to 115 degrees. I could see bubbles around the element and could also hear the Simmerstat cycling on and off so I was convinced that it was working. I then turned the setting to # 5 and within 45 minutes of initially plugging it in I had water greater than 200 degrees. To make a long story short I used my Bruheat Mashing Boiler Pail over the next two years and never had any problems with it. I routinely performed cleaning of the element and occasionally changed the O- Rings. Overall I was very satisfied and made what I thought was excellent extract based beer. I would recommend the Bruheat Mashing Boiler Pail to anyone whom routinely brewed extract beer. IV. A Better Mouse Trap Two years ago in the never ending quest to make better beer I started investigating brewing beer using the Mini-Mash technique. I thought that this was something that I would like to try with eventually moving into All-Grain. I realized that my current system would be adequate but just barely. The drawback was that I only had one pot to heat both the water and the wort. It would be doable but would be time consuming and cumbersome. I then decided to try and buy another Bruheat Mashing Boiler Pail. I found a Home Brew Supply shop in England who said that they would sell me one for $ dollars but I would have to pay shipping. I then started to do research on making my own electric kettle. I scoured HomeBrew Forum web sites and quickly realized that it could be done. The biggest question I had was how to control the heating elements? The different methods were intriguing but appeared to be way to complex for my skill level. I then turned my attention to the controlling unit (Simmerstat) that I had in my in my original setup. The problem was that there was plenty of information out their but this type of controlling device is used almost exclusively overseas. I was fortunate enough to find Ogden Manufacturing Company (see address below) who made the Simmerstat that I eventually used. Ogden Manufacturing Company 103 Gamma Drive, Pittsburgh, PA Web Site: Simmerstat Regulator or Cycling Timer TYPE TYJ Product Description "Simmerstat" regulators provide a range of control from zero to full heat by opening and closing a snap-action switch in the circuit at short, definite time intervals, convenient for cookers and hot plates, grills, glue pots, drying ovens and similar applications. The control knob has a scale marking in five divisions from "off" to "full". Ratings: 15 amps-200/250vac or 15 amps-100/125vac. I decided to jump in with both feet. I was going to try to make my own Electric Kettle for brewing my beer. What follows is what I hope to be step by step instructions on how to build your own Electric Kettle. I have been using mine, with some modifications, for the last two years and I am extremely pleased with it. I know that there are better mouse traps out there that you could use for boiling water and wort but I like my set up because of the simplicity of it. It is consistent, controllable, bring 6 gallons of water to boiling in 30 minutes and brews good beer. Because I am so pleased with the results from my Electric Kettle and have begged borrowed and stolen from my peers in the homebrewing world I would like to show you how I made the kettle that I use today.

5 V. Equipment List **A more detailed list is attached with quantities and prices are on attached page** Description Masterbuilt Aluminum Kettle 30 qt. Water Heater Element, Voltage Rating 240 Volts, Power Rating 3000 Watts, Style Screw In, Insert Length 9 Inches, Low Watt Density Model Vendor / Web Site Sports Authority Grainger O-Ring, Silicone, AS568A Dash #322, Red Color, ID 1 1/4, Width 3/16 In, Quantity #10 Stainless Steel - Special Half -Coupling - 1" Simmerstat Regulator or Cycling Timer Ratings: 15 amps-200/250vac or 15 amps-100/125vac. Indicator, Panel Mount, Green Neon, Oil Tight, 250 VAC, 0.38" MH, 22 AWG, 4.4" Leads Indicator, Panel Mount, Red Neon, Oil Tight, 250 VAC, 0.38" MH, 22 AWG, 4.4" Leads Aluminum Project Enclosure Dimensions: 5.25 x 3.0 x 2.125" Grainger Grainger Carlin Automation Phone (309) , ask for Jolene PO Box th Street Rock Island, IL Allied Electronics &MPN=6013M5&R= &SEARCH= &DESC=6013M5 Allied Electronics &MPN=6011M1&R= &SEARCH= &DESC=6011M1 Radio Shack Brewmometer - Weldless Thermometer Northern Brewer Receptacle 3 Pole/3 Wire, 15 AMP 250v Ace Hardware Plug, 3 Pole/ 3 Wire, 15 Amp Volt Ace Hardware 6 ft - 14 / 3 Electrical Cord Ace Hardware Teflon Tape Size: 10/24, 1 inch Bronze Screw & Nuts Ace Hardware Ace Hardware #10 Bronze Lock Washer & Washers Ace Hardware #61 O-Ring 5/32 OD x 1/16 ID Ace Hardware Ring Terminals (8-10 Gauge) (8 per Pk) Ace Hardware 3/8" Electrical Clamp Connector Ace Hardware VI. Tools Needed 1. Drill 2. Tape Measure 3. Screwdriver (Phillips and Straight) 4. Metal Hole Saw (1 ¾ inch and 1 ¼ inch) 5. 3 drill bits, Size (3/16), (3/8), (1/2) 6. Needle Nose Pliers or Vice Grips (Clamping Type) 7. Wire stripper. Not necessary but handy.

6 VII. Construction 1. Kettle Holes for Element (See Page 1 of Diagram) Element Mounting Hole a. Mounting hole for Water Heater Element is (1 ¼ inch diameter) b. Placement of element mounting hole is optional. I placed mine ¼ diameter of pot from Turkey tap. (See above) c. 2 ½ inches from bottom of pot using a 1-¼ inch hole saw drill a 1 ¼ inch diameter hole. I drilled a small pilot hole to keep the hole saw from jumping. 2. Aluminum Project Enclosure Box Preparation (See Page 2 & 3 of Diagrams) Open End Piece or Back Panel a. Disassemble the project box. You will note two pieces. The open end will be the piece that will eventually mount to the Kettle. b. Measure 1 ¾ inches from bottom of this piece and mark. Measure 1-½ inches from the side and mark. c. You should now have the spot where you will now drill the hole for the element housing d. Using the 1 ¾ inch hole saw, drill a 1 ¾ inch diameter hole in the back panel. The hole will allow the element housing to sit inside the enclosure box. e. Measure ½ inch down from the top of the back panel. Mark. Measure ½ inch up from the bottom of back panel. Mark. Measure 1 ½ inch to center of panel and mark both measurements from above. f. Using a 3/16-inch drill bit drill the two holes. You now have the mounting holes that will mount the back panel to the kettle. g. Take this piece and center it over the hole that you drilled in the kettle. Centering it as much as possible both horizontally and vertically mark on the kettle the holes that you just drilled in the back panel. h. Using the 3/16-inch drill bit drill the holes into the kettle. i. On the holes drilled take a file and file off metal shards that may be left from drilling these holes.

7 3. Mounting Element and Back Panel to Kettle (See Page 3 & 4 of Diagrams) a. Take the Water Heater Element and wrap teflon tape around threads. b. Apply the Silicone 1 1/4 O-Ring across the threads of the element resting the O-ring on housing of the element. c. Put element through the drilled hole of kettle and then put other O-Ring across threads on inside of kettle. d. Screw on the Stainless Steel - Special Half -Coupling - 1" to the element threads on inside of kettle. Screw on till snug. e. Take two - 10/24, 1 inch Bronze Screws and wrap teflon tape around the threads. f. Place a washer on both screws and insert through holes drilled in mounting panel. Place lock washer, washer and nut on screw protruding from backside and tighten. g. Once tightened, in this order, place nut, lock washer, washer and Silicon O-Ring 5/32 OD x 1/16 from protruding screws on the back panel. h. Mount panel on kettle. On screw protruding inside of kettle in this order put on screw Silicon O-Ring, washer, lock washer and nut to both screws protruding into the kettle. i. On the bottom part of the back panel, tighten the two nuts till snug against the kettle. Do not over tighten or the seal will become deformed. j. On the top tighten bolts until finger tight. You will have to loosen this screw later for the ground wire attachment. k. You should now have the back panel mounted to the kettle with the element housing protruding into the back panel. 4. Mounting Simmerstat on Front Panel (See Page 5 of Diagrams) a. Take the front panel and measure ¾ inch down from top of panel. Mark b. Measure 1-½ inches to middle of panel. Mark. c. Drill mounting hole using 3/8-inch drill bit. d. Secure Simmerstat to panel with lock nut. 5. Mounting Indicator Lights (See Page 5 & 6 of Diagrams) a. On back panel measure from front to back 1 ½ inch. Mark. Then ½ inch from side. Mark. Do this on the other side. b. Drill the two holes that are marked using 3/8-inch drill bit. c. Take indicator lights and feed through hole and tighten using nuts that came with lights. 6. Mounting of the Electrical Cord Clamp (See Page 5 & 6 of Diagrams) a. When drilling this hole you can go on either side of the front panel. I chose the side were the cord would run to the back and into the outlet. So looking at your kettle with the tap facing you and depending on which side you mount the box on you would want the cord running towards the back. b. On side of front panel measure from bottom up 3 ½ inches. Mark. From side measure 1 inch. Mark c. Using a ½ inch drill bit drill your hole. d. Attach your 3/8" Electrical Clamp Connector and tighten. e. Strip back your 14-3 electrical cord so that you have three inches of white, green and black. Cut these pieces and set aside. Then strip back the cord again so that you have three inches of white, black and green showing f. Feed this through the connector and tighten where casing enters the clamp. g. You should now have three inches of three wires securely mounted in the front panel.

8 7. Electrical Hook Up to Simmerstat, Indicator Lights & Kettle (See Page 7 of Diagrams) a. The best way I can describe the wiring of the unit is to follow the wiring for detailed instructions on page 7 of the diagrams. In short I have tried to type this is step by step b. All wires are assumed to have been stripped back ½ inch. c. Following the diagram take your white wire from the cord coming into the panel and a wire from the red indicator light and clamp it into a ring terminal and attach it to the bronze connector that came with the Simmerstat. Attach this connector to L1 on the Simmerstat. d. Following the diagram take your black wire from the cord coming into the panel and the other wire from the red indicator light and clamp it into a ring terminal and attach it to the bronze connector that came with the Simmerstat. Attach this connector to L2 on the Simmerstat. e. Following the diagram take the white wire that you had set aside when attaching the cord to the Front Panel and one wire from the green indicator light and clamp it into a ring terminal and attach it to the bronze connector that came with the Simmerstat. Attach this connector to H1 on the Simmerstat. f. Following the diagram take the black wire that you had set aside when attaching the cord to the Front Panel and other wire from the green indicator light and clamp it into a ring terminal and attach it to the bronze connector that came with the Simmerstat. Attach this connector to H2 on the Simmerstat. g. You should now have a bare white, black and green wire. Attach a ring connector to all three and attach the black and white wires to screws on the water heater element. I don t think it makes any difference what color goes to what screw. h. You should now only have a green wire left. This is your ground. You will attach this to one of the bronze screws that is mounting the back panel to the kettle. I attach mine to the top one. i. On the other end of the electrical cord that comes out of the front panel strip back 1-½ inches and expose the white, black and green wires. j. You are now ready to attach 3 Wire Grounding Plug Slide the housing over these wires. k. The white wire attaches to the silver screw, the black to the gold screw and the green to the ground screw or green screw(?). l. I was unsure of what went where so I took the panel off the 220 outlet and looked at receptacle. This was to make sure that when I plugged it in each prong aligned with the proper color. 8. Brewmometer - Weldless Thermometer Placement a. I placed my thermometer two inches above the tap. b. Follow instructions that came with the thermometer for installation. 9. Test Run a. Ensuring that all connections are secure and is everything that is screwed on is tight. Slide the Front panel onto the back panel and secure with the screws provided. Place dial onto front of Simmerstat with setting on ) b. Place a newspaper under the Kettle. c. Fill with water to above the thermometer. Make sure the tap is closed tightly. d. Let sit for 1 hour and check for leaks. e. If leaks are found tighten the appropriate screws till leak stops. f. If unable to get leak to stop consider a High Heat Food Grade Silicon.

9 10. Fire It Up a. Never run your kettle without water covering your element. Ever!!!! b. Once convinced there are no leaks you can plug your kettle in. c. If your wiring is correct you will notice that the Red Indicator light will come on. This means there is power to your unit. This will stay on all the time. This is good. d. Now turn your dial to 3. You will notice that both the Red and Green Indicator light is on. This means that there is power to the element. e. Stand back and watch. The Simmerstat will now start to cycle. When there is no power to the element the Green light will be off. When the cycle powers the green light will come on. f. The higher or lower the setting will determine the cycle. g. On setting 6 the Simmerstat will not cycle and you will have constant power to the element. h. You can control your boil by your cycle setting. i. One final thought. Are you inpatient? If you are then you are now wondering if this is really working? So how can you tell? Easy, stick your hand in the water and grab the element to see if it is hot. Now that you are saying to yourself that that was really stupid try this. Just look into the kettle and see if you can see any tiny bubbles around the element. Or you can wait 5 15 minutes to see if the temperature goes up on the thermometer. 11. Usage and Maintenance 1. Make sure you season the pot before first usage by boiling water for minutes. 2. I can boil 6.5 gallons of water in minutes. 3. Adjust your settings accordingly to control your boil. 4. And yes you can have boil over using the Electric Kettle. It usually happens to me when I turn the dial to 6 and get side tracked, so keep an eye on your boil. 5. After each usage clean the pot and wipe down the element. 6. Dry the inside of the pot after cleaning and store. 7. I have two years experience with this design and have had no problems. 8. I have not replaced any of my O-Rings because nothing has leaked. 9. Make sure your element stays clean and that the element remains free of touching the other parts on the element. 12. Food For Thought a. Electricity of this magnitude can kill. b. If you are uncomfortable with this design do not try it. c. I make no guarantees that this will work so construct at your own risk. d. I am not responsible if this causes you great bodily harm. e. I will not support the family you leave behind if you kill yourself. f. Do I have your attention? I hope so Here is what I recommend. g. When constructed my electric kettle I dry ran it using 110 outlet. I ran everything the way I have described but with a 110 light fixture plugged into a 110 outlet. h. Wire it the same way but instead of hooking the wires into the element wire it into a light fixture. Same wiring diagram. i. Your Red Indicator light will light up meaning power to the unit and once you turn the dial your green light will come on and hopefully so will the light bulb. j. I recommend this if you are unsure of yourself because it will give you an idea of how the Simmerstat works and will test to ensure that your wiring is correct. k. I know there will be questions and I will try and answer them as best that I can. l. I know I have forgotten something but if your are somewhat handy this project can be done. It took me about four hours to complete once I had all the equipment. m. I am currently on my third generation of this kettle and wouldn t think of brewing beer with anything else. n. Enjoy

10 VIII. Final Product

11 Electric Kettle Equipment Vendor List Item# Description Qty Price Each Total Price Vendor / Web Site Masterbuilt Aluminum Kettle 30 qt. 1 $ Sports Authority 2E301 Water Heater Element, Voltage Rating 240 Volts, Power Rating 3000 Watts, Style Screw In, Insert Length 9 Inches, Low Watt Density Model 1RFG4 O-Ring, Silicone, AS568A Dash #322, Red Color, ID 1 1/4, Width 3/16 In, Quantity #10 1 $ Grainger 1 $ Grainger 6JK49 Stainless Steel - Special Half -Coupling - 1" 1 $ Grainger CH-252 Simmerstat Regulator or Cycling Timer 1 $ Carlin Automation Phone (309) , ask for Jolene Ratings: 15 amps-200/250vac or 15 amps-100/125vac. PO Box th Street Rock Island, IL Indicator, Panel Mount, Green Neon, Oil Tight, 250 VAC, 0.38" MH, 22 AWG, 4.4" Leads Indicator, Panel Mount, Red Neon, Oil Tight, 250 VAC, 0.38" MH, 22 AWG, 4.4" Leads 1 $ Allied Electronics M5&R= &SEARCH= &DESC=6013M5 1 $ Allied Electronics M1&R= &SEARCH= &DESC=6011M1 1 $ Radio Shack Aluminum Project Enclosure Dimensions: 5.25 x 3.0 x 2.125" 7417 Brewmometer - Weldless Thermometer $ Northern Brewer Plug, 3 Pole/ 3 Wire, 15 Amp Volt 1 $ Ace Hardware Ring Terminals (8-10 Gauge) (8 per Pk) 1 $ Ace Hardware 6 ft - 14 / 3 Electrical Cord 1 $ Ace Hardware Teflon Tape 1 $ Ace Hardware Size: 10/24, 1 inch Bronze Screw & Nuts 6 each $ Ace Hardware #10 Bronze Lock Washer & Washers 6 each $ Ace Hardware #61 O-Ring 5/32 OD x 1/16 ID 2 $ Ace Hardware 3/8" Electrical Clamp Connector 1 $ Ace Hardware Receptacle 3 Pole/3 Wire, 15 AMP 250v 1 $ Ace Hardware

12 Frontal View of Aluminum Pot Page 1 Kettle Mounting Holes for Size: 10/24, 1 inch Bronze Screw & Nuts 1 1/4 in 1 1/4 in Diameter Hole in: Aluminum Kettle for element 2 1/2 in 1 1/4 in 3 in

13 Frontal View of Back Panel (Attaches To Brew Kettle) Frontal - Aluminum Project Enclosure Box Dimensions: 5 1/4 in x 3 in Page 2 3 in 1 3/4 in 5 1/4 in 1 3/4 diameter hole on back side of box for element. 1/2 in 1 in 1/2 in Water Heater Element, Voltage Rating 240 Volts, Power Rating 3000 Watts, Style Screw In, Low Watt Density Model Kettle Mounting Holes for Size: 10/24, 1 inch Bronze Screw & Nuts 1 3/4 in

14 Side View of Back Panel (Attaches To Brew Kettle) Back Panel Aluminum Project Enclosure Box - Dimensions: 5 1/4 in x 2 1/8 in Page 3 2 1/8 in 3/4 in Indicator Lights, 3/8" Mounting Hole Bronze Washer & Bronze Lock Washer & Bronze Nut Kettle Mounting Holes For: 10/24, 1 inch Bronze Screw & Nuts 1 3/4 diameter hole on back side of box for element O-Ring, Silicone, AS568A Dash #322, Red Color, ID 1 1/4, Width 3/16 In 1/2 in 1 3/4 in 1 3/4 in 5 1/4 in 1/2 in Water Heater Element, Voltage Rating 240 Volts, Power Rating 3000 Watts, Style Screw In, Low Watt Density Model Bronze Washer & Bronze Lock Washer & Bronze Nut

15 Side View of Back Panel (Attaches To Brew Kettle) Back Panel Aluminum Project Enclosure Box - Dimensions: 5 1/4 in x 2 1/8 in Page 4 Indicator Lights, 3/8" Mounting Hole 2 1/8 in 3/4 in Bronze Washer & Bronze Lock Washer & Bronze Nut O-Ring Aluminum Kettle Kettle Mounting Holes For: 10/24, 1 inch Bronze Screw & Nuts 1 3/4 in diameter hole on back side of box for element Water Heater Element, 240 Volts, Power Rating 3000 Watts, Style Screw In, Low Watt Density Model 1/2 in 1 3/4 in 2 1/2 in 1 3/4 in 1 1/4 in 5 1/4 in 1/2 in 1 1/4 in diameter hole in: Aluminum Kettle for element 3.00 in. Bronze Washer & Bronze Lock Washer & Bronze Nut 1.25 in. O-Ring, Silicone, AS568A Dash #322, Red Color, ID 1 1/4, Width 3/16 In O-Ring

16 Frontal View of Front Panel (Attaches to Back Panel) Aluminum Project Enclosure Box - Dimensions: 5 1/4 in x 3 in Page 5 Indicator Lights, 3/8" Mounting Hole 1/2 in 1/2 in 3/8" Mounting Hole For Simmerstat Regulator or Cycling Timer TYPE TYJ15 amps-200/250vac or 15 amps-100/125vac 3/8"Clamp Electrical Connector 6 ft of 14 / 3 Electrical Cord 3 1/2 in 4 1/2 in 5 1/4 in 1 1/2 in 3 in

17 Top View of Back Panel (Front Panel Attaches) Aluminum Project Enclosure Box, Dimensions 3 in x 2 1/8 in Page 6 Bronze Washer & Bronze Lock Washer & Bronze Nut 1/2 in 1/2 in Indicator Lights, 3/8" Mounting Hole 1 1/2 in 2 1/8 in 3 in

18 Simmerstat, Indicator Lights, Kettle Wiring Diagram Page 7 Ground Hot Neutral 220 Outlet Kettle Indicator Lights Simmerstat P L1 L2 H1 H2 Water Heater Element