Boiler headache...

[silverfish]

Hopefully self-explanatory.

sorry to open an old thread but i have been given a burco C30STHF that needs a) a new element b) a new thermostat c) both and come to think of it a base cover..........otherwise its in mint condition.

AGGHHH nI haven't got spring on the reset rod!!!!! Actually the reset rod doesn't look like the one pictured

I've been searching for a wiring diagram ( useless to me ) but now i've found a picture. which for me is worth a thousand diagrams, self explanatory but would it be possible to see a picture of the wiring on the element cut outs?
i've been looking at mine and the loop circuit on the cut outs doesn't look right, I would say that the previous owner has tried to bypass the thermostat or cut outs but having botched it rewired wrongly?

It appears that the feeds should run +/- to one end of the element and the other should go to the thermostat, then the power should run in a ring through the cut outs to the oposite end of the element?

[Kev888]

Hi,

Just another opinion - if the boiler is otherwise sound then in my own view it could be a shame to give up on such a nice stainless tank, especially it it means having to make another boiler anyway. I'm only changing due to capacity.

I have an old burco (pics of it in this thread) and got a new element from here - though it wasn't identical (think there are lots of variations) it worked well enough. My old element just had a plastic nut that I unscrewed by hand, and I used some big mole-grips to tighten the new one which was metal - it didn't seem to need tightening with any great pressure. The fiber washer around the element seemed to shrink when it dried, which made the nut looser - in fact the boiler leaked when I first bought it (from a second hand shop) because the washer had been dry for so long.

My old thing has a simmerstat and doesn't cut out if the control is turned to full boil - its a true boiler rather than an urn or something but I've no idea if thats still unusual. If it hadn't just worked then I'm sure a bypass switch would also have worked in my case, if I'd needed it. Or wiring direct to the element would be no worse than most people would get with a home made affair so i don't see that trying a new element would be any worse than that, even if you had to give up on your thermostat/controller and start from scratch its essentially a metal tank with a pre-made element hole.

Cheers
kev

[silverfish]

Cheers Kev, thanks for the link but mines the later model with an enclosed element, still it is a nice shiney tank
I've sorted out the base plate and reset spring, but its still blowing the trip, I suppose the next step would be to replace the element as I've bypassed the thermostat without any further improvement.

[Kev888]

Cheers Kev, thanks for the link but mines the later model with an enclosed element, still it is a nice shiney tank
I've sorted out the base plate and reset spring, but its still blowing the trip, I suppose the next step would be to replace the element as I've bypassed the thermostat without any further improvement.

Yeah, I thought it sounded that way but thought I'd chip in in case it helped any. Good luck with it anyway though, I'm sure its worth saving rather than starting again in plastic or something like that.

Cheers,
kev

[Greenmasher]

Still having the problem with the boiler. Tried a couple of brews and it didn't work, lots of emptying, swishing the wort etc before I got it to boil properly. Strange thing is that it boils really well with just water. Haven't brewed for ages as am still not sure. The new Burcos don't boil. My old Burco is as pictured here. I agree that getting a plastic one when I've still got a good stainless tank is not good. Does anyone know how to stop the thermostat? (it appears to be inside the little black box - but I am not an electrician). I don't want to spend £25.00 on a new element and have the same problem. I'm thinking I might have to just get a plastic 2 element boiler instead. This is more money, but at least I'll have a boiler. Any thoughts?

[grmills]

In my picture above the thermostat control is in the grey box, the bypass switch is in the black box.

The simplest way to bypass the thermostat for a boiler function (by which I mean not going to want to use the thermostat at any stage of the brew process) is to pull the sensor tube out from where it's clipped to the underside of the tank. Parcel it up in a bit of old cotton/tape to provide a heat shield and it should never trouble you again. Tape it to the indicator light wires to stop it dropping over any of the contacts and causing a spark.

[Yettiman]

Great post, very clean info, thank you

I followed this thread to bypass the thermostat with a switch and the other thread here on the forum

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bypas ... rbn6mgM%3A

To by pass the simmerstat.

By doing both, I have a bolier that I can adjust the temp of with the thermostat for mashing, then flip the switch to go into full boil mode.

Perfect, thank you all so much