Screw this! (propane)

[acfixer69]

Never heard of an electronics component that wouldn't run on both 50Hz and 60Hz...

Have you ever heard about LC-circuit (AKA resonant circuit)?

...Potentiometers don't care about Hz.

There is no potentiometer. It's a digital controller. Microprocessor detects a zero crossing event and sends signal to triac to open after delays wich depends on power level set. Unfortunately delays are precalculated for 50HZ
It's not a big problem to write a firmware such a way that controller will work for 50Hz and for 60HZ. But chinese developers just didn't bother about it.

Thanks Sam

I want this type of controller to work for me I'll look at the cycles hz Kiss....My ass ....Cool
Thanks again.

AC

[White_Lightning_Rod]

Thanks for the follow up Sam I appreciated your education on the subject. Hopefully they will update for 60hz and I'll gladly order another when they do since my controller box is already set up to accept this one as well as the analog version as well.

[BentJar]

Got my SSR in and wired up, cooked yesterday and man that things works sweet.

[BentJar]

I have the controller box built and wired up and this thing works great. I ran 10 gal. of uncle jessies today for a test
and cant be more pleased.
Here's a picture of the control box and the results.

[Jimbo]

Love the old clock face. Thats sweet! Nice work Bentjar, and congrats on the run. Once you go Blacktric youll never go back.

[Red Rim]

Here is my finish product finally. Not as cool as a clock face or high tech as a digital read out, but it sure heats things up in a hurry. Worked on some AG mash this weekend and this saved me hours of heating up water.

[BentJar]

Jimbo there's no way im going back to gas with all the work and $$$$ that went into making this happen. I love the control you have with this thing and how quick it reacts to an adjustment.
The main reason for doing this was I got tired of lugging heavy ass tanks out to the shed after paying out the nose to have them filled.
Going electric was also a great challenge for me as new skills had to be learned and being sorta ignorant around major electrical work, it was a mountain to climb. There's no way I could have done this without the information and help found here at HD.
Jimbo's threads and others map the way for anyone who is fed up with the propane burner and by God is going to do something about it.

Hats off to those who blazed the trail before us.

.

[Jimbo]

Looks nice Bentjar, where did you find that insulation you have the keg wrapped in? Thats the one bit still missing from my setup.

[Bushman]

Looks nice Bentjar, where did you find that insulation you have the keg wrapped in? Thats the one bit still missing from my setup.

Not to answer for Bentjar but it is available at Lowe's, I wrapped both my column and keg with it and you can buy matching tape for it that without looking is hard to see.

[Halfbaked]

Reflectix http://www.homedepot.com/b/Reflectix/N-5yc1vZ19n" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow Avail in 2 R values. Lowes and Homedepot are double the cost as the Air Conditioning supply houses here. They make a Duct Tape that works well with it also. I read in another fourm that a guy took 30 minutes off his heat up time with it. I like it.

[Red Rim]

The insulation would be nice, just to keep me from screaming like a little girl, every time I go to squeeze the last drop of liquid from the bottom. OUCH!!!

[BigSwede]

It's painful to cover pretty metal with insulation, but it sure pays off, doesn't it? That looks like as neat a job as I've seen here. Nice job, and I hope to replicate it.

[BentJar]

Thanks guys, Lowe's it was...there is a big old beach towel under that top section , then I put on the wooden top.

[Red Rim]

There are so many things I like in this picture. Looks like a Chevy radiator with a fan in the window, the little brown beer fridge in the background and the meticulously organized nut and bolt collection. Not to mention the beautiful still and the collection of full jars. It's like a where's waldo of home distilling. All we are missing is the old clock controller.

Oh yeah and the awesome wooden yachtsman valve controller!

[BentJar]

Thanks RedRim for that compliment on my stilling site. Bout the only place I can show it off is here on this site. Im too skeered of getting caught and don't let but a select few see it.

Stilling has come a long way from my kin folk stilling on the banks of the Lumbee river.

Down there at the landing is where the slaves were marched into the river and drowned back in 1864. They say you can still here the children screaming at night when the wind blows thru the willows. True story

[T-Pee]

Thanks RedRim for that compliment on my stilling site. Bout the only place I can show it off is here on this site. Im too skeered of getting caught and don't let but a select few see it.

23,000+ to be close.

tp (and his damned details)

[T-Pee]

Regarding electric vs propane and the chances of scorching.

Is there a better chance of scorching with an element if you don't wait for the solids to completely clear? I wouldn't think it would be as much of an issue with propane due to essentially indirect heating vs an element in direct contact with the wash.

tp

[Red Rim]

I seem to recall a thread a while back dealing with scourching on an element,(perhaps you should research it ).
Any way the controller works awesome and has cut my warm up time from 1 1/2 to half an hour. So nice. The only drawback I have is I am running two 5500 watt elements through one 50 amp breaker. The draw on these elements is 45 amps or so and considering you should not run more than 80% through a breaker I am screwed. However, I have an old house and my breaker panels are old school Federal Pacific. Those damn things never blow! I suppose new breakers are in my future.

T-pee, as I recall that is exactly why you allow the solids to settle. Just flickin you a little sh-t!

[T-Pee]

Wise guy. Speakin' of flickin'...

tp (and his first knuckle)

[Red Rim]

Wise guy. Speakin' of flickin'...

tp (and his first knuckle)

There is always a wise guy.... I learned from the best !!!!

[Red Rim]

Come back and fight you ninney. Come back and fight and I will bite your bloody knee caps off!

(A little Monty python?)

[Jimbo]

You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine. Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left, what are you gonna do, bleed on me?!

Tis but a scratch.

[Red Rim]

sorry to take this off topic again!

[Jimbo]

Bailiff, WHACK HIS PEEPEE!!!

7 pages of chatter that started with T-Pee lamenting stewing in his juices standing over a turkey fryer in his broiling hot garage, and making a statement to all that he's going electric. No question, just a statement. I think we're fine with an occasional Python quote or 2 in this thread.

[T-Pee]

Like I'm going to bitch about someone going OT??

Tbh, I haven't made the transition yet. I'm still weighing the pros and cons.
If I go with e-power, I spend a buncha coin and have to really let the wash clear before running to avoid scorching on the element. In my present situation, I'd also have to run an open loop dump cooling system with no recirc option but I can run in the house and keep cool due to the lack of propane fumes.

If I stay with my present propane solution, I spend no $$ except for propane, I can run before the wash completely clears due to indirect heating and I can operate a recirc cooling system using the neat portable swamp cooler that I unearthed at the recycle station. I also get to boil my ass off in the summer and freeze in the winter out in the garage.

Hmm. Maybe give myself the option to go either way depending on mood and ambient conditions.

tp

[Jimbo]

Be careful, or we'll make a mod out of you! That'l teach ya.

[T-Pee]

Be careful, or we'll make a mod out of you! That'l teach ya.

Phht. Been there, done that elsewhere. You can't threaten me with that one.

tp

[Jimbo]

What if you wake up one day and your name is in red....

[T-Pee]

Shoot me. You might come to regret it.

tp

[Jimbo]

LOL.

Edit: regret it? Na, misery loves company.