Lidl Boiler

[crafty john]

I will have a fiddle with mine later when I get back to try and bypass the cutoff switch or see if the thermostat can be tweaked. - before that I will see if mine boils.

OK Mate nice one

[beerwallah]

I got one of these on Thursday too. I got 27 liters from 20 deg C to boiling in about 90 mins. Then it cut out.

I opened it up last night to take a look at bypassing the thermostat - I think it should be easy enough to do once I work out what all the wires are doing.

Something (probably the thermostat? - haven't done much else than take a brief peek yet) is attached to a spring which presses against the bottom of the pot and uses what looks like thermal paste. That is probably the source of the somewhat acrid smoke others who have bought this boiler may have experienced on first use.

I'll try and post pics if I get the chance, but I'm a bit tight on time this week.

[befuggled]

Mine cuts out at 94C.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE IT APART TO TWEAK IT!

It is easy to damage the element. The crimps fall apart and you will need specialists tools to put them back on.
The SS band is a pita to put back.

Please do not even try to take it apart if you are not experienced with electrical goods - if you accidently pull off the earths, you could easily kill yourself.

As Beerwallah says, the temperature sensor is held against the underside of the pot by a spring with a generous glob of white thermal compound.
This sensor pneumatically controls the thermostat via a thin metal tube. The thermostat contains a "bellows" which in turn controls the electrical switch.
There is a collar around the spindle of the thermostat which will have been sealed in place, mine has red "paint" on it.

There is an additional thermal cutout which might be resettable or one time.

I need to put mine back together, tweak it and try it out again, I will post the results soon.

[befuggled]

While I am waiting for it to heat up, I should point out that this thermostatic control is an on/off switch, it is not a "simmerstat".
So the element will be on or off and you will not be able to chose "rolling boil" or "gentle boil" (or indeed "boil over...")
It might only be suitable as a HLT, not as a boiler.

[crafty john]

While I am waiting for it to heat up, I should point out that this thermostatic control is an on/off switch, it is not a "simmerstat".
So the element will be on or off and you will not be able to chose "rolling boil" or "gentle boil" (or indeed "boil over...")
It might only be suitable as a HLT, not as a boiler.

Thanks for the info, it looks like my step up to AG is going to cost a bit more than I hoped, I now need to find the cheapest and safest way to make a boiler, the mash tun won't be a problem as even I could make one, I will use my Lidl pasteuriser as a HLT I have been checking the temp control against my thermometer for mash and sparge temps and it is a few degrees out , it seems to only go up by 5 degrees at a time and is roughly 7 degrees below what it is says on the dial but thats not a problem. What is the cheapest way to make a boiler

The wife said to say thanks for saving my life, when I told her I wanted to modify it she wasn't too happy about the idea.

Thanks again

[befuggled]

Well, it's boiling now CJ.

Pry off knob with a blunt flat knife.
Turn collar, just visible inside plastic housing, 45 degrees anti-clock with long nose pliers or similar.

Just tried it with 10L, the on/off thing is irrelevant - the boil is "gentle" at full chat.
This is not surprising as it is much the same as putting a 27l pot onto a 1800 watt radiant ring of a cooker.
As the element is not submerged in the liquid, there is obviously more wasted heat.

It should make beer, but you will not get great hop isomerisation.
25l leaves 4cm at the top.

And as Boingy said some way back - it will do as a backup for my Rice Cooker Sous Vide! (and rims mash tun...)

[beerwallah]

Mine cuts out at 94C.
Please do not even try to take it apart if you are not experienced with electrical goods - if you accidently pull off the earths, you could easily kill yourself.

Quite right mate, should probably have put that disclaimer on my post there. Goes without saying that if you don't know what your doing with electricity then don't do it.

-C

[sladeywadey]

well unfortunately mine is going back due to an electrical fault. Filled it up with water and set the thermostat to 80 (ie sparge temp). after 50 mins of running it got to 70C and then tripped the main house circuit breaker - all electrics off. I reset the circuit breaker a number of times whilst the boiler was plugged in but each time the circuit broke. Only after unplugging the boiler was I able to get the house electricity back on. Bummer.

Unlucky me.

[daveyk]

Well, it's boiling now CJ.

Pry off knob with a blunt flat knife.
Turn collar, just visible inside plastic housing, 45 degrees anti-clock with long nose pliers or similar.

Cool, but what exactly is this doing? fooling the dial so the temp is higher than it says?

[FiercelyFuzzy]

Looks like this boiler wasn't the steal I thought it was. I've not even took mine out the box. I think I'll take it back tomorrow.
My modded Burco works fine as a boiler; it's just so vigorous it loses about 30% volume due to evaporation!

[shargrea]

Pry off knob with a blunt flat knife.
Turn collar, just visible inside plastic housing, 45 degrees anti-clock with long nose pliers or similar.

The collar on mine won't move. how much force should it take?

[HighHops]

well unfortunately mine is going back due to an electrical fault. Filled it up with water and set the thermostat to 80 (ie sparge temp). after 50 mins of running it got to 70C and then tripped the main house circuit breaker - all electrics off. I reset the circuit breaker a number of times whilst the boiler was plugged in but each time the circuit broke. Only after unplugging the boiler was I able to get the house electricity back on. Bummer.

Unlucky me.

Mine heated up to 95C but no boil, so as suggested I pulled the knob off with a knife, but couldn't see a collar, so turned it past the max with a pair of pliers. Now it gives a rolling boil and does not turn off. However now if i turn the setpoint down to say 80C when the thermostat clicks in to turn the power off it trips the house breaker. I can not reset the breaker unless the boiler is off at the wall, or the temperature set point is higher than the measured temp.

Would appreciate a fix if anyone knows why it is going to earth when the thermostat clicks in. It worked (sort of) before I started playing with it. Think I might take it to bits.

[davidmpye]

I am looking at getting one as an HLT - is the consensus still that they are OK for that use?

It seems they are a bit dodgy for use as a boiler - fortunately, my Burco is doing just grand for that

[daveyk]

Looks like this boiler wasn't the steal I thought it was. I've not even took mine out the box. I think I'll take it back tomorrow.
My modded Burco works fine as a boiler; it's just so vigorous it loses about 30% volume due to evaporation!

Hmmmm..... my thoughts exactly.

[daveyk]

Looks like this boiler wasn't the steal I thought it was. I've not even took mine out the box. I think I'll take it back tomorrow.
My modded Burco works fine as a boiler; it's just so vigorous it loses about 30% volume due to evaporation!

Hmmmm..... my thoughts exactly.

The deed is done! Boiler returned to Lidl.... thanks to their great returns policy

Oh well back to sitting on the fence.... got a couple of small (10l) extract brews to get on will do these in the large pan on the hob and see where this takes me.... I know it is only a matter of time before I need a decent boiler but at least i have £40 in the boiler fund already which means the extra to a proper boiler won't seem such a lot of money.