Boiler headache...

[Greenmasher]

I have been using an old Burco 27ltr boiler for full mash for about 4 years. Recently, although it boils water fine, I keep getting the 15min 'ping' when trying to boil the wort. I have tried to clean the element, but it is heavily encrusted, and quite bent.
Basically I paid next to nothing for the boiler, so don't mind investing now. I am considering several options:

1. Replace the element in the old Burco - I've got a feeling the thermostat is okay, as it boils water fine. Trouble is, I don't want to waste £20 - £30 if this doesn't work. If I choose this option, I haven't found a wrench big enough to take the huge centre nut off the old element - any advice on what I need to use?
2. Get a new concealed element boiler - I know the new 30ltr Burco can 'cut out' when boiling. In fact I phoned Burco today and was told they only reach 97oc - this has been discussed on this forum before. But does anyone have this boiler? Does it reach a rolling boil? Do I need to remove the thermostat? Is it worth it? I do live in a hard water area, so would really prefer a concealed element.
3. Get a plastic boiler - I know they work, especially with two elements. I just prefer stainless steel, as it is more robust, and the 3kw element really gets to work quick. Also, I'm concerned that after a short amount of time, the element might pack up again with the hard water.

Your advice is appreciated.

[crookedeyeboy]

Ive just lost a Burco, probably similar to yours, to pitting in the inside so it started leaking water over the electrics!

Ive bought a plastic boiler and its great no probs, although I wish I had the DIY skills to make my own, I dont really trust my wiring to make one with kettle elements..

[grmills]

2. Get a new concealed element boiler - I know the new 30ltr Burco can 'cut out' when boiling. In fact I phoned Burco today and was told they only reach 97oc - this has been discussed on this forum before. But does anyone have this boiler? Does it reach a rolling boil? Do I need to remove the thermostat? Is it worth it? I do live in a hard water area, so would really prefer a concealed element.

Mine doesn't reach a rolling boil on the thermostat but it's a simple job to fit a bypass switch. It's all spade connectors so straightforward to do.

[Greenmasher]

Thanks for this. If I fitted a bypass switch, would I still be able to use the thermostat to get a constant sparging temperature? How would I fit a bypass switch?

[grmills]

f I fitted a bypass switch, would I still be able to use the thermostat to get a constant sparging temperature?

Yes, the bypass switch bypasses the thermostat when closed (ie switched on), but when open the current goes via the thermostat as per the original configuration.

How would I fit a bypass switch?

Buy a couple of piggy-back spade connectors (http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=42729, blue ones fit). The wires from the switch are crimped on and fitted to the thermostat. The original spade connectors to the thermostat push onto the piggy-back lugs. Use a heavy duty switch.

Can send a pic if you need one.

[Greenmasher]

A picture would be great. The Burco C30STHF - 30 ltr is the one I'm looking at getting. Thanks for the advice!

[grmills]

Hopefully self-explanatory.

[farmhousekeg]

I've had a 2 element H&G 10 gallon boiler for almost a year and I'm delighted with it - boils quickly on 2 elements and then I switch onto one for the main boil time. Very robust plastic - will last a long long time. We have relatively hard water but I just wipe the elements with a kitchen pad straight after each brew and they are still as clean as the day I bought them - just don't allow scale to build up and you will be fine. I love the 10 gallon capacity though I only ever brew 5 gallon lengths. Preboil I have about 31 litres in there and there is never any concern about boil overs as there's so much head space in the boiler. Having a 10 gallon boiler also means that I could go for longer brewlengths if I had an MT that would cope!

If I was doing this again I might consider buying the H&G plastic bucket with a tap fitted and then doing a DIY job with cheap kettle elements (since having the boiler I made my own HLT with a kettle element) but on the other hand its a very nice piece of kit and worth the money. I have had 21 brews through it in a year so that's worked out at about £4 per brew to cover 100% of the investment in one year. Since it'll easily last 5 or 10 years, the cost is actually tiny when you work it out "per brew" over the life of the kit.

The only thing about this boiler is that you will need to modify the dreadful hop strainer but that's very easy - see this thread

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19921 Or you could ask them to sell it to you without the strainer and make your own from a few bits of copper pipe!

Cheers...........

[Northern Brewer]

I have recently had to modify my trusty Burco after a replacement thermostat refused to let me boil. You can temporarily overcome the problem by rewiring the internals to bypass the thermostat, which is how I saved my brew. Be sure that whatever switch you use can handle the current. I successfully used one of these...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0104364933

Described on ebay as a VAX ON/OFF SWITCH 4 TAG UNIVERSAL TOGGLE TYPE 10AMP

[GeordieBrewer]

For anyone who can follow circuit diagrams, I rewired my 30L Burco as follows :



Moving the indicator to the element side is really handy, as now it lights up only when the element is heating. Also, I reused the double crimp connectors I took off the cutouts, so didn't need to do any re-crimping, or soldering (I'm not the best with a soldering iron )

To sort the thermostat I moved the probe from the base, and relocated it to the side, bolting it to one of the lugs supporting the base plate with a modified PC blanking plate - the thermo works a treat now, and does a nice rolling boil at anything over 4.

AGAIN, I'D BACK UP WHAT EVERYONE SAYS ABOUT ONLY MODDING A BOILER IF YOU'RE HAPPY WORKING WITH ELECTRICITY. Power and Water don't mix well! I periodically remove the base to inspect the wiring, no problems so far, but I don't think these things have been designed to boil for long periods, and the plug and lead can get a little warm!

[hepburn82]

i have a 27 litre burco too. Only used it a couple of times but seems to get to the boil no problem with brewing 5 gal batches. I've got either a 2.7 or a 3 kilowatt element (can't remember which off hand).

What product(s) would people recommend to clean these things. My element looked a little caramelised after the last brew

Also the taps not the best. i'm might try to replace it with something better. Will do a search and see...

Great forum by the way!

Great forum by the way

[Evoflash]

"To sort the thermostat I moved the probe from the base, and relocated it to the side, bolting it to one of the lugs supporting the base plate with a modified PC blanking plate - the thermo works a treat now, and does a nice rolling boil at anything over 4."

Would this not be sufficient to fool the boiler into a continuous boil?

[garwatts]

What product(s) would people recommend to clean these things. My element looked a little caramelised after the last brew

Cover the elements with water add a couple of teaspoons of citric acid, leave to soak and they should come up as good as new

[GeordieBrewer]

"To sort the thermostat I moved the probe from the base, and relocated it to the side, bolting it to one of the lugs supporting the base plate with a modified PC blanking plate - the thermo works a treat now, and does a nice rolling boil at anything over 4."

Would this not be sufficient to fool the boiler into a continuous boil?

Hi, Evo, it certainly fools the thermostat, but the two cutouts are seperate to the thermo, and would cut out first if not bypassed = one is resettable, underneath via the red button, and the other is fixed. Either way, I didn't fancy lifting a boiler full of 25 litres of boiling wort to hit the reset, so disabled them both

Saying that, despite having good electrical knowledge, I do occasionally get twitchy - these boilers weren't designed to do a continous boil for anything up to 2 hours, so I periodically inspect the wiring to make sure the element looks ok, and the insulation hasn't degraded

[Evoflash]

Yes, sounds like a potential nightmare! Thanks.

I think I'll probably do my boiling outside to be honest just in case there are any problems!

Looking forward to using my new boiler sometime in the next few weeks.