need help designing boiler

[guerrila distilla]

hi guys, i'm thinking of making my own boiler. i'd like to use stainless steel as it's cheaper and easier to work with than copper. i'm a competent welder so fabricating a simple boiler won't be a problem. i plan to leave the usual path of a round boiler and make a rectangular boiler. a couple of reasons for this is the ease of fabrication and it's easier to weld on the flanges for the column and heat elements. i will mount the boiler on some 1" stainless box section legs. here's a basic diagram of what i'm looking for:-

boiler 1.jpg (6.83 KiB) Viewed 2016 times

the problem i'm having is on the mathematical side, i cant remember how to calculate the dimensions the boiler would need to be to hold 30 litres (a little bigger than i need as all my fermenters are all 25l but i want to allow for foaming).

could someone a little more mathematically inclined give me an idea of the dimensions for a rectangular boiler which will hold 30 litres. also, would 304 stainless be good enough for a boiler or would i have to use 316 grade? i was wondering if anyone knows where i can get hold of a 2000 watt heat element and flange, preferably a bolt on flange so i can remove it for cleaning, but a weld on flange would do. finally, i have no idea about triac controllers. could somebody point to what i need to buy and how to wire it up to the element. i usually use gas but due to the price of gas over here, i'd like to go electric.

jeez, sorry for all the questions, i checked out the forum but couldn't find the info i need. i'd be greatful for the help as i'm kind of useless when it comes

[squidd]

Hi Guerilla,

You have options, measurements wise, for your boiler.

For instance, 31 long x 31 wide x 31 high will give you a capacity of 29.8 liters. (all measurements in centimeters)
Or, 55 long x 55 wide x 10 high will give you 30.25 liters.

So just multiply Length x Width x Height to give 30,000.

Pint's triac controller kit will more than fit your requirements.

Don't know about your other questions.

HTH
squidd

[punkin]

Just google up your cubic conversion question and you'll get 50,000 web based widgets that will do it for you....

For a 25l ferment you should be aiming for a 35-40l boiler i think.

Elements can be obtained from electrical wholesalers.

Screw in types are best, you just weld on a socket, and screw em in.









GoogleRemembersEverythingYou'veForgottenPunkin

[guerrila distilla]

thanks for the help guys, i checked out the online calculators, and it seems a 30x30x30 cm boiler will indeed hold nearly 30 litres. i'm still having a hard time believing that such a small boiler could hold 30 litres. but, who am i to argue with mathematics

i was wondering if anybody else here uses a square/rectangular boiler and how well did they work?

[chunkystyles]

I would recommend that you avoid 90 degree angles if you can. It makes cleaning a lot easier. I posted a picture of my boiler that was made by my dad almost a year ago. It's really awesome. I know it's round, though. But there are a few things that I really like about it. No 90 degree angles and it has a really large opening. These two things make it really easy to clean.

The mouth on this is 8 inch diameter.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq22 ... C01127.jpg


Here's a shot from the inside looking at the bottom of the boiler.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq22 ... C01129.jpg

[snuffy]

This would be awesome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodecahedron" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Here's a famous one:


They called it Trinity....

[violentblue]

The mouth on this is 8 inch diameter.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq22 ... C01127.jpg

now that truely is a beautifull piece of work.
was planning on building a 30 gallon unit in stainless based on Pintoshine's designs, I'm starting to think that 30 gallons might be a bit large for me, considering I already have too much booze with my 15 gallon keg.


I can see the application for having square boiler. it would definatly lend itself well for the installation of multiple elements.