Boiler build (lots of pics)

[DrewBrews]

I decided to build a boiler using a Youngs bucket and two 2.2kW kettle elements.

I bought a 27 (30 ish) litre bucket with a plastic tap.

I bought 2 homebase value kettles for £5 each (plus I had a 15% off voucher) and dismantled them.



To stop the elements switching off during the boil I disabled the thermal switches. The top switch simply flicks the main switch off (as if you switched it off yourself) I removed this completely. I was about to remove the the other one (which is a safety cut out) but I noticed that it presses a small rod into the plastic body of the element and breaks the live connection therfore it was only necessary to remove this little rod. (see pic below)




Next I needed to make holes. With aid of a 4cm Q-Max cutter kindly lent to me by Tequilla6 I made perfect 4cm holes

I needed some plastic washers because the the Youngs bucket is thinner than the body of the kettle.

I fitted and tested one element first to check that it wouldn't leak.

It didn't!




I fitted the other one.


I decided to leave the little neon bulbs on so that's obvious when each element is on,




Time for a real test: Boil 25 litres, outdoors (for safety), on probably the coldest day of the year.


The water came out of the tap at 9 degrees C


The big ceremonial switch on.



The whole thing (with snow).





The power meter read about 0.5kW before I switched it on, so it's about 4.3kW.


No leaks so far.


I monitored the temps as it came to boil.

0mins 9C
10mins 32C
20mins 49C
30mins 69C
40mins 85C
50mins 96C

Total time to boil 53 mins (quite slow but the air temp was below 0C)

Boil for an hour on both elements to give it a real test.


Lost about 6 litres over the hour


I'm pretty pleased with it and I think the boil time will be much faster when starting with warm wort from the mash tun (and it a slightly less chilly environment)

BTW, I did use RCDs on the the extension leads and pluged them into different sockets.

[EoinMag]

Now wrap it in some insulation and you'll drop your time to boil seriously.

Nice job.

[WishboneBrewery]

Looking good

[flytact]

Great stuff. Thanks for the effort.

[DrewBrews]

Now wrap it in some insulation and you'll drop your time to boil seriously.

Yes, excellent suggestion. I have acctually already looked at some insulation in homebase but it was a bit pricey and came in rolls which are way too big.

Any suggestions on reasonably priced insulating material?

Drew.

[EoinMag]

Now wrap it in some insulation and you'll drop your time to boil seriously.

Yes, excellent suggestion. I have acctually already looked at some insulation in homebase but it was a bit pricey and came in rolls which are way too big.

Any suggestions on reasonably priced insulating material?

Drew.

As it happens

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27131&start=15#p316311

Or there are some others in that thread which might be cheaper ideas, the thread discusses boiler insulation.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27131&start=15

That thermawrap may look a tad expensive, but I've wrapped my boiler in it and have also wrapped my pot/mini mash tun in it, which is basically an old pressure cooker I use for steeping and mini mash purposes. Does a fine job, so the one roll of it is actually good value.

[tubthumper]

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/76477/Bui ... 400mm-x-5m
1 0f theese goes round a 25ltr bucket about 6 or 7 times
so should be ok
they do a longer roll and a wider roll too
worked for me on my mash tun so should also work on a boiler too

[kevthebootboy]

im suprised that tap didnt leak! my HLT tun is pretty much the same as your boiler but i had to replace that plastic tap with a ball valve because it started leaking (not every time but sometimes ) when the temp got to about 65-70 'C

just something to keep an eye on i suppose, nice work though mate

[Andy]

Yup, only use taps rated for boiling temps. You don't want a tap popping out and a stream of 100 degree wort spewing over you.

[Deebee]

Hi,

I am in the throws of making a mango Chutney bin boiler.

At long last i managed to cut out the holes and fitted the rubber sealing washers.

I have looked at the elements and have found that they too have 2 small metal disks and a small white springloaded rod which i assume to be the auto cut off.

I have a coule of questions for those that have done this before.

1 Do i need to remove the 2 discs so that the element comes on when i plug it into the mains?

2 How do i do this?

3 If i only need to remove the rods then how do i do this?

4 I was also wondering whether it would be an idea to have an on/off switch in the lead somewhere so that i don't need to go near the licve element to turn it on.

If someone can help that would be great.
Thanks

[DrewBrews]

1 Do i need to remove the 2 discs so that the element comes on when i plug it into the mains?

Assuming your elements are the same as mine the top disk operates a leaver which pushes a rod to switch the element off (this is the same lever you'd press to manually switch the kettle on and off). I wanted to preserve the switch so I removed only the disk and not the rod.

The lower disk looked harder to remove so in this case I removed the rod.

It is possible that you could get away with out removing anything but I really didn't want to have my boiler cut-out as soon as it got to the boil.

2 How do i do this?

On my elements the top disk could slide out with little force. I didn't remove the bottle one it can still "flip" but won't operate anything.

3 If i only need to remove the rods then how do i do this?

I removed the rod under the lower disk by bending the disk forward far enough for the rod to fall out.

4 I was also wondering whether it would be an idea to have an on/off switch in the lead somewhere so that i don't need to go near the licve element to turn it on.

Three things here.
1. If you aren't confident working with mains voltages you should consider getting some help from someone who is. (I only say that coz I don't want to feel responsible for any accidents) Having said that the biggest danger is probably litres of boiling wort.

2. You should be using an RCD http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device for safety.

3. A switch is not a bad idea but if you are thinking of wiring it in yourself make sure it's rated for the current.

[beer today]

great info, have bought a value kettle today from Argos, fitted as above -identical element- drilled out boiler with a 38mm bit- couldn't find a 40mm one anywhere, I now wonder if 40mm would be too big?
Tested and heats up fine, no leaks, used the seal from the kettle- ready for a Jennings Cumberland brew tomorrow.
great post
ta

[DrewBrews]

great info, have bought a value kettle today from Argos, fitted as above -identical element- drilled out boiler with a 38mm bit- couldn't find a 40mm one anywhere, I now wonder if 40mm would be too big?
Tested and heats up fine, no leaks, used the seal from the kettle- ready for a Jennings Cumberland brew tomorrow.
great post
ta

Glad to hear it worked out. How about some pics of your finished boiler?

Regarding the size of the hole, I think hole saws tend to cut a slightly bigger hole so 38mm would probably be perfect. The 40mm Q-max cutters I was lent cut really neat perfect holes which seemed to fit the elements perfectly with no room to spare.

[Deebee]

I drilled mine with a flat bit. It was hard going though for some reason.
The washers were a snug fit and a leak test showed no leaks.
I have the ball valve to fit but am not sure as to how low this should be. Test boil still sending. Great thread though. Thanks for your help.

[jimw86]

Does anybody know how I would fit a russell hobbs K2 element? Im sure I have seen someone using them on here, the type with just 2 terminals coming off the element?