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hot plates

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:17 am
by recon
do any of the mentors use hot plates ?
what do you consider the best choice?
thank you

Re: hot plates

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:55 am
by Dnderhead
most hot plates cycle that is they turn off and on.this is not good when distilling.its something like trying to drive you car when the cruise control kicking in and out.most that try hot plates
disable the thermostat and use a type of controller,use a heavy steel plate or abandon the idea all together.

Re: hot plates

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:01 am
by myles
As stated above most folks that use one disable or overide the temperature control. Most hotplates are only about 1.5kW. Mine is, and I use it just for my reflux still which has a small 30 litre keg for a boiler. I wouldn't use one on a pot still.

You CAN get 3kW hotplates but round here they are expensive. If you are using electric power you need a good reason to use a hotplate instead of an immersion heater. Invariably the immersion heater is a better option, however the hotplate does mean that you don't need to modify your boiler. They have good and bad points.

Re: hot plates

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:11 pm
by rad14701
Let's take a step back before proceeding... Explain the boiler you are questioning heating with a hot plate... Is this a flat bottomed stock pot or a round bottomed keg...???

From an efficiency standpoint a hot plate should have total contact with the vessel it is heating because they are intended for heat transfer via direct contact rather than radiant transfer... But there are newer models which are solely intended for inductive radiant energy transfer...

Consistent heat input is the most important aspect and eliminating cycling is the only way to achieve that goal...

Re: hot plates

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:50 pm
by recon
its a small 7-8 gal flat bottom
With ceramic Raschig Rings as column filling. Our unit comes complete: Pro Series II Column with Condenser and 2 Tri-Clamp connector. 29.5 qt. Kettle with Handles.
i cant insert a picture

Re: hot plates

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 3:55 pm
by Dnderhead
we gave you the info now its your choice..dont come back asking how to"fix it"
in my opinion the fix for a hot plate is to use it to cook your eggs on.

Re: hot plates

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:08 pm
by recon
Dnderhead wrote:we gave you the info now its your choice..dont come back asking how to"fix it"
in my opinion the fix for a hot plate is to use it to cook your eggs on.
what is this response to
i was asked a question about the boiler from
Re: hot plates Postby rad14701 » Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:11 pm
Let's take a step back before proceeding... Explain the boiler you are questioning heating with a hot plate... Is this a flat bottomed stock pot or a round bottomed keg...???
i did not ask you how to fix it or how to disable the thermostat. :evil:
you gave me your opinion in the first reply :thumbdown:

Re: hot plates

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:24 pm
by rad14701
Perhaps I was a bit misleading with my previous post... It was meant more to mean that hot plates, even if the thermostat is bypassed, are not the best choice for a keg... It was prompted more by the reply by myles than by any input from the OP... I was merely tossing the information out there for any novices who may stumble across this topic... Unfortunately, I got interrupted while posting and ended up condensing what would have been a clearer post if I had elaborated further...

Re: hot plates

Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:09 pm
by recon
no rad14701 you were fine
my response was to Dnderhead
first he wrote
Re: hot plates

Postby Dnderhead » Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:55 am
most hot plates cycle that is they turn off and on.this is not good when distilling.its something like trying to drive you car when the cruise control kicking in and out.most that try hot plates
disable the thermostat and use a type of controller,use a heavy steel plate or abandon the idea all together.
that was simple and to the point
then he added
Re: hot plates

Postby Dnderhead » Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:55 pm
we gave you the info now its your choice..dont come back asking how to"fix it"
in my opinion the fix for a hot plate is to use it to cook your eggs on.
my opinion is he said what he needed to say with the first response the next 1 he was just being an ass that is my opinion he did not need to say it again!

Re: hot plates

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:13 am
by Usge
If your pot is from brewhaus (ie., the older tall/thin one) you have the option to use an induction hot plate. They are more expensive than regular hotplates...but they are much faster heatup, and have more control. You can get them up to 1800 (120v) to 3500 (220v) watts. Bottom diameter is about 8.5" so if you have one of the larger pots...this doesn't work well.

Re: hot plates

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:23 pm
by recon
thanks for the help
:clap:

Re: hot plates

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:27 pm
by recon
thanks
I bought a 1800 Wat induction hot plate.and it works great i was a little worried when i read not to put more than 25 lbs. on it :cry: .But i gave it a try and put a 5 gallon wash in the still i filled it rite on the hot plate so i would not drop all the weight on it at one time :thumbup: it work great ran to batches this weekend in it.
thanks for the advice

Re: hot plates

Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:50 am
by Usge
You bet. Glad it worked. :thumbup: