Electric keg build

[madmattie]

I'm using this post to keep track of my electric keg build.

I soldered a half-coupling onto a keg using bellybuster's method. I'm using http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/heating-elements" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow as a reference.

First I bought a deep 1 gang "weatherproof" electrical box with 1/2" holes, some 10/3 cord and a "cord grip", watertight strain relief connector.

Turns out...

1 gang is too small to fidget with...
1/2" holes are too small to push the 10/3 cord through...
the cord grip can't fit over the 10/3 cord...
After measuring, it looked like I could go with the normal depth (i.e. not deep) box...

On the next day of Christmas I returned everything and bought a 2 gang, "weatherproof" electrical box with 3/4" holes, a 2 pack of 3/4" strain relief connectors, some 3/4" heat shrink tubing.

I went with a 2 1/4" hole saw to make the hole in the back of the electrical box. The hole saw I got had this "holder" (I don't know what they're called)

Hole Saw Bit

Turns out my dinky, portable DeWalt drill can't hold the hole saw holder, so tada:

New Drill

Now for the actual cutting... I have hardly any tools or experience with tools. So, here's my first attempt at drilling the hole:

First Attempt

Yep, duh - nothing for the guide bit to guide on... My wife said I couldn't drill a hole through the table, so I went for a walk around the block and found this:

Wood for the guide bit

Still.. how to secure the box to the wood? Then it hit me: use the same magnificent tool I used in my first build:

Second Attempt

Who needs clamps.. ?

[madmattie]

Of course that didn't work, so...

Add a bit more padding to secure things

To get this to work, I stood over top of it with the cinder block in between my legs and just dealt with the drill throwing my arm into my leg. Took a few tries until it caught it's groove, and then...

Success!

A bit off center, but whatever, fits fine:

Ain't broken, don't..

I wired it all up just to see how things would fit

Wired

In the end it will look like this:

My goal

[madmattie]

The next piece to the puzzle is to JB Weld box to the keg.

And that's where I stopped 'cause I have questions. It doesn't look like there's that much surface area for the epoxy to latch too...

From the right...

From the left...

From SW...

The electric brewery guys are doing this with a stock pot, so they have the luxury of using a lock nut on the inside - no can do with a keg.

Another thing they did was to JB weld a metal cover on the back:
http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/heati ... nts?page=5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Doing that might give me a nicer surface to JB weld to the keg, but still doesn't seem like it would be enough.

I would love to hear some other ideas out there.

Thanks!

[Monkeyman88]

No JB weld.
Drop the nut in the keg and use gravity to help you get it where it needs to be.

[Snackson]

The next piece to the puzzle is to JB Weld box to the keg.

Another thing they did was to JB weld a metal cover on the back:
http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/heati ... nts?page=5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Doing that might give me a nicer surface to JB weld to the keg, but still doesn't seem like it would be enough.

I would love to hear some other ideas out there.

Thanks!

The cover that is JB welded to the back has a hole punched in it just big enough to fit element through and the gasket goes between that cover plate and your coupler. I think it's a 1.25" hole done with a knockout punch. Tightening the element up holds it right in place.

[LWTCS]

You could have used a box extender. Could have saved the effort of cutting the back of that box.

Then just few tack welds.

If you want the box to conform to the roundness of the keg then get the deeper version and scribe it in to conform.

[LWTCS]

Does your 10-3 service cord have 3 conductors or 4?

You will only need a total of three conductors, though with 4 it makes a nice accommodation for a (120 volt) fan. Most modern dwellings here in the US do now have the 4 conductor female receptacles now. Are you installing a dedicated outlet or are you planning on using the dryer outlet?

If just 3 conductors, the 300 volt service cord will fit the PG-19 gland perfectly. If using the 600 volt, you should be able to discard the rubber band on your gland.

[Old Gray Dog]

Mad, not clear to me from your photo. Please be sure to connect that ground conductor to the ground nut on the junction box and then make sure you have ground continuity with the kettle through the ground prong at the plug.

[madmattie]

Thanks for the replies.

Old Gray - it's grounded, just hard to see in the picture. One question though is JB Weld conductive? If JB Weld is the only thing holding the box to the keg...

Monkey - I'm beyond that option as I've already soldered a half-coupling to the keg:

Keg Nip

LWTCS - good tip, too late now ... also I opted for the weatherproof stuff 'cause I thought that would be better for liquids and all... My 10/3 cord has 3 connectors. This cord will go to my controller which I still need to build. The controller will go into a 230V/30A dryer outlet with 3 terminals... I know a 4-outlet would be better, but my electrician has assured me the 230 is in good shape. I was thinking about wiring the controller for 4 and then using an adapter into the outlet to support the future, brother.

Snackson - Yeah. that's what the electric brewery is doing... That's one of the things I'm considering.. but I'm not sure it'll help with the point of contact.

My current go-to solution is to beat the hell out of the box with a hammer to get some curvature around the hole... Would be interested in better ideas...

[Old Gray Dog]

Mad, dont know if JB is conductive. If you dont get continuity between the kettle and the ground you should add a ground conductor wire screwed to the kettle base and the ground post at the junction box. A safety thing. Continuity is an easy thing to check with a really cheap multi meter. Forgive me if I'm saying what you already know, just don't know your electrical knowledge.

[LWTCS]

If your dryer receptacle is set up to accommodate 4 conductors / contacts, you can simply eliminate the contactor dedicated for the "white" wire on your male plug if you see my meaning?

The 30 amp male "replacement" plugs from Home Depot allow you to not have to install the contactor that is dedicated for the "white" wire typically found on the 4 conductor female receptacle.

Not sure I said that clearly enough.

[madmattie]

I decided to look for other options for sealing the electrical box to the keg.

Following Hookline's response at http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4989, I looked around for some silicone sealant.

I called a few local hardware stores and I asked about high temp silicone sealant that works on metal. The response was "why do you need that when you could use X?" over and over and over again. Following Hookline's lead, I said I was looking to seal metal gutters. I looked up a few brands online and found GE Silicone II Metal. None of the local stores carried it.

I went into one store and happened to stumble upon this:

Fireplace Sealant

Perfect. High temp, silicone.

This black caulk gave me a nice thick bead all the way around my box.

Sealant

Lastly, I wanted to make sure I had a good ground contact. I drilled a hole through the bottom of my box to pass a wire to the keg skirt.

Through the box and into the skirt.