Drilling Stainless Steel for Asda Kettle Elements

[samcal]

Hi,

I have bought myself 2 100 litre stainless steel pots/buckets I have dismantled 3 smart price asda kettles for using in one of the stainless vessels.

Now using my callipers I measured that the hole for the elements on the kettle was 39.5mm so I have bought a 40mm Q Max Cutter. But I had a quick scan through the threads and other people seem to be drilling 38mm holes for the Asda kettle elements.

Any opinions or experience with which hole size for asda elements?

Also for drilling the holes I was going to make a dent with a centre punch then drill a 4mm hole to then drill a 12 mm hole which is big enough for the q-max cutter, does that sound sensible?

Cheers

Sam

[flything]

38mm, you can always widen it with a file.

I sacrificed an old bucket to make sure, 40mm was way too big.

[crowds]

Apparently the Asda's are the same as Tesco's which I fitted two of into a Food Safe Blue barrel thingy the other day and 38mm was a nice snug fit

[samcal]

Thanks for the advice, I have ordered a 37.5mm q max cutter, as you say I can always widen with a file if needed.

I'll post some pics when it is done.

[coatesg]

38mm, you can always widen it with a file

Ditto - I used a 38mm Bosch Cobalt holecutter (the power change ones) when I did my boiler a while back. Keep the revs slow and make sure the stainless doesn't get too hot (or it goes very hard through work hardening which makes it even tougher to cut!). Found getting the pilot to start off was the hardest bit - the holecutter itself did a grand job.

[Blackaddler]

Check out my earlier post on this subject....

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=25193#p277969

Take your time, it's not too difficult.

Good luck.

[Jolum]

Hi Samcal, how did you get on with your 37.5mm Q-Max cutter? Was the hole too small?

The reason I ask is that I have a 40mm Q-Max cutter and was thinking of using it to cut the holes for 2 Asda kettle elements but I've read conflicting advice all over this forum as to the size to use. Chris suggests 40mm, others say different. Is this due to the difference using a hole saw versus a punch? I've noticed that some of the people saying smaller than 40mm are using hole saws rather than Q-Max cutters and I know from past experience that (mainly due to my own cack-handedness ) hole saws tend to leave a slightly 'generous' hole compared to punches (primarily why I opted for Q-Max cutters).

Let me know as I don't want to ruin this SS pot but then again I don't want to shell out another £14 on a cutter when I've got a perfectly good 40mm one sitting here.

Cheers
J

[escapizm]

I've 2 Asda elements in my boiler cut at 38mm in a plastic bucket tho. You could try cutting in a flat bit of plate just to gauge

[befuggled]

I fitted two elements from Argos kettles (£4.75 ea.) into a stainless steel pot yesterday.
They are probably the same as Tesco/Asda etc. I measured the hole at 40mm, so got a Bosch Cobalt the same size.
The first hole was very easy, the second, I hurried, it overheated, work hardened and knackered the hole saw. I then had a battle with several jig saw blades. It worked in the end but I will use a Q-max next time, or get another Bosch and go a lot slower!
I have got a sort of conical grindstone - I think it was originally for sharpening garden shears - and this de-burred and finished of the hole very neatly; I found the stainless a right sod to file even with a new half-round (and that was the non work hardened hole...)

The problem I then found was that the soft silicon sealing ring would not compress sufficiently as the stainless is a lot thinner than the plastic kettle, so I butchered an old FV to make some washers. A smear of silicon sealant and it all went fine. The acid (water) test should be this afternoon.

[Waffty]

I fitted two Backer type kettle elements in a Nordic 50L stock pot, with a 40mm Q-Max cutter. They fit perfect i.e the hole was not too big and not too small

[Jolum]

Thanks for the replies lads.

As I don't have any spare ss plate to practice on (nice idea though) I'm going to just go for it. Will let you know how I got on

Cheers
J

[Jolum]

Ok so I managed to source a bit of stainless steel sheet the same thickness as the NO pot from a mate. After cutting the hole and trying the Asda element in it, my findings: Not only is the 40mm hole too big but the 2 halves of the element housing don't even clamp tightly onto the steel i.e. the width of the steel is so thin that you can visibly see space within the red grommet (that came with the kettle) and the two halves of the housing.
I can imagine that if I cut a smaller diameter hole it will be a snugger fit (as in if I use a 37.5mm Q-Max cutter) but do you guys use some form of washers with these elements on ss pots or does the red rubber grommet surfice? It seems very loose to me.

[Blackaddler]

Yes, you do need a washer or spacer, otherwise it'll leak.

If you still have the old kettle, you can cut one out of the plastic, around the hole where you removed the element.

It's also a good idea to slightly flatten off the surface area around the hole that you've cut in your pot, to make a good mating surface for the element.

[Aleman]

I use an O ring form a pack I bought in BnQ . . . IIRC 1 1/4 waste pipe size . . . or something like that . . . its a bit smaller than the red one, but does the job well.

[Jolum]

Thanks lads. For a minute I thought it was just me

Will order a smaller Q-Max cutter and do a trip to the diy stores for some suitable washers\O-rings.