Can you control voltage of element?

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Jocky
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Can you control voltage of element?

Post by Jocky » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:08 pm

Looking at my new brewery build and I'm keen to make things as slick as possible to reduce brew day length.

For a lot of experimental batches I'll be down at 12-15 litres brew length (although I'll build for a capacity of 30). I'd imagine that a 2.7-3kW element at full power is going to get to the boil quickly, but will be wasting energy once it hits the boil.

Is there a way I can control the voltage of the element to avoid this?
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thepatchworkdoll
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Re: Can you control voltage of element?

Post by thepatchworkdoll » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:49 pm

Hi Jocky
Have a look on ebay under voltage controllers. Theres loads of controllers.
Regards
Patch
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-220V-3800W ... 43cb070064

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Jocky
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Re: Can you control voltage of element?

Post by Jocky » Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:24 pm

Ok.

Is using an element at less than full power going to shorten its life at all? Does anyone else do this?

If not I may use electric for the HLT and propane for the boiler.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

jaroporter
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Re: Can you control voltage of element?

Post by jaroporter » Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:58 pm

alright. might be worth researching pulse width modulation (PWM) control. there's examples on the net where people have used it to control boiler elements. something i'll definitely consider if/when i change my current setup
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thepatchworkdoll
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Re: Can you control voltage of element?

Post by thepatchworkdoll » Thu Jul 24, 2014 10:13 pm

Hey Jocky
Its not a problem Ive been using my ebay controller on the element for over 4 years.
Regards
Patch

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jmc
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Re: Can you control voltage of element?

Post by jmc » Fri Jul 25, 2014 12:52 am

thepatchworkdoll wrote:Hey Jocky
Its not a problem Ive been using my ebay controller on the element for over 4 years.
Regards
Patch
Glad your setup is working Ok.
What controller did you use and what is max watt of your element?

Jocky- Many power controllers are for max 10A so only OK for smaller elements. Electrical noise can be an issue too.

Many articles on this if you search on Jim's.

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thepatchworkdoll
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Re: Can you control voltage of element?

Post by thepatchworkdoll » Fri Jul 25, 2014 7:32 am

Hi Jocky
I got a 10 kilowatt controller and a 3.5 kilowatt element from ebay. As Ive already sais over 4 years now all is fine. Hope this helps.
regards
Patch

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