Mid run emergency please help

[eVenom]

My solid state relay just got fried. I thought i had a spare but is the wrong kind because it cant be controlled by a potentiometer

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DF ... AZDOWP300U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Thats the one i had

Is there anything i can do to get a replacement quick or some kind of option for me? This just happened mid run and i dont want to lose this batch

The sites i have found either dont have it in stock or take for ever to deliver like the one on amazon

[eVenom]

The spare that i have is controlled by input voltage. Any way to make that one work?

[ga flatwoods]

You will not lose anything but time if you let it cool down, replace the element after draining the cooled beer, and running it again making a heads cut again. You can even add the product distiled already back to the beer if you desire.
Ga Flatwoods

[bitter]

If you are using a 220V setup, rewiring for 110/120V might get you through. If it was a 5500 w 220V element it will give you about 1375W using 110/120V hard wired

B

[S-Cackalacky]

If you are using a 220V setup, rewiring for 110/120V might get you through. If it was a 5500 w 220V element it will give you about 1375W using 110/120V hard wired

B

Could accomplish this by making an adapter cable - 220V receptacle on one end to plug the controller (or element) into and a 3 prong 110V plug on the other end to connect to a 110V service. Just make sure you wire it up to match the wiring of the controller/element. It should bring the wattage down enough to run full open and get a decent output rate. Or, just temporarily replace your 220V plug with a 110V plug.

[eVenom]

Very good idea on using the 110v instead of the 220 ill go to the hardware store and make that happen

Thanks a lot

[still_stirrin]

My solid state relay just got fried....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DF ... AZDOWP300U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Thats the one i had...

But I've gotta' ask.....why? What caused it to "fry"? Is there a short in your output wiring...is the heater element shorted?

That (extreme budget) SSR is a 40 amp rated IC. It should have been durable enough to manage up to 25 amps easily. Is it really safe to "hotwire" the heat element directly into a 120 volt circuit?

I do understand that those Chinese knockoffs do fail. So I get that. But I would want to check out the rest of the circuit in its entirety before putting an open live circuit online "just to finish a run".


Safety....its not just a word...its a STATEMENT.
ss

[bitter]

My feeling is most the SSR's are under cooled and heat is a huge factor in mean break down time on electronic items. To test mean break down time one the things the manufacturers do is increase temp to make them fail faster then extrapolate from there to give a value for Mean break down time. If the specs list it (sometimes you need to ask manufacture for mean break down time rating for a given product) Its also interesting to compare components Mean Break down times. I wonder how the different modules from different areas fiar in comparison?

Did you have a fan on you SSR heat sink? Id not a fan my extend the life of it longer.

B

[bearriver]

Amazon got me 2 controllers with free 2-day shipping. Look at the new SCR units in the cage.

I spread a run out over 3 separate sessions on 3 separate days because of things that kept popping up. That was a week or two ago, and the run went perfectly fine.

[S-Cackalacky]

My solid state relay just got fried....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DF ... AZDOWP300U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Thats the one i had...

But I've gotta' ask.....why? What caused it to "fry"? Is there a short in your output wiring...is the heater element shorted?

That (extreme budget) SSR is a 40 amp rated IC. It should have been durable enough to manage up to 25 amps easily. Is it really safe to "hotwire" the heat element directly into a 120 volt circuit?

I do understand that those Chinese knockoffs do fail. So I get that. But I would want to check out the rest of the circuit in its entirety before putting an open live circuit online "just to finish a run".


Safety....its not just a word...its a STATEMENT.
ss

Good point. What would be the best way to test?

[eVenom]

I beleive it was a heat issue it did have a heatsink but no fan. I checked the wires and they look fine.

[eVenom]

Amazon got me 2 controllers with free 2-day shipping. Look at the new SCR units in the cage.

I spread a run out over 3 separate sessions on 3 separate days because of things that kept popping up. That was a week or two ago, and the run went perfectly fine.

Do u have a link for this??

[still_stirrin]

I beleive it was a heat issue it did have a heatsink but no fan. I checked the wires and they look fine.

Did you use heat conducting paste between the IC and heatsink? That would help the overheat problem somewhat. But if the heatsink is inside a box, then I definitely believe you need a fan. It doesn't have to be a big one...mine is only 2-1/2" diameter and 30CFM, and runs on 120VAC. I have a switch on it so I can turn it on before I turn on the heat circuit, and turn it off after the heat circuit has cooled down (10-15 minutes) post run.
ss

[sw_reijnders]

I have good experiences with Kyotto SSR's
I have 3 of these SSR's running on 400 volts and 13 amp max controlled by a 4-20mA signal.
but you can also get these controlled by potmeters.

[Bobbywolf]

My solid state relay just got fried....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DF ... AZDOWP300U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Thats the one i had...

But I've gotta' ask.....why? What caused it to "fry"? Is there a short in your output wiring...is the heater element shorted?

That (extreme budget) SSR is a 40 amp rated IC. It should have been durable enough to manage up to 25 amps easily. Is it really safe to "hotwire" the heat element directly into a 120 volt circuit?

I do understand that those Chinese knockoffs do fail. So I get that. But I would want to check out the rest of the circuit in its entirety before putting an open live circuit online "just to finish a run".


Safety....its not just a word...its a STATEMENT.
ss

He wouldn't be doing anything unsafe. Putting 110v direct to the element would bypass any questionable setup and allow the element to heat unimpeded at 1/4 the wattage. My first couple runs were made at full 220v for heatup, then a cheater cord dropped it to 110 for takeoff.

That being said, I now have a fully variable setup, but the 220 then 110v setup will get you through in a pinch, assuming you can flow enough cooling water to fully condense it.

[Antler24]

My solid state relay just got fried....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DF ... AZDOWP300U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Thats the one i had...

But I've gotta' ask.....why? What caused it to "fry"? Is there a short in your output wiring...is the heater element shorted?

That (extreme budget) SSR is a 40 amp rated IC. It should have been durable enough to manage up to 25 amps easily. Is it really safe to "hotwire" the heat element directly into a 120 volt circuit?

I do understand that those Chinese knockoffs do fail. So I get that. But I would want to check out the rest of the circuit in its entirety before putting an open live circuit online "just to finish a run".


Safety....its not just a word...its a STATEMENT.
ss

He wouldn't be doing anything unsafe. Putting 110v direct to the element would bypass any questionable setup and allow the element to heat unimpeded at 1/4 the wattage. My first couple runs were made at full 220v for heatup, then a cheater cord dropped it to 110 for takeoff.

That being said, I now have a fully variable setup, but the 220 then 110v setup will get you through in a pinch, assuming you can flow enough cooling water to fully condense it.

+1

When I got my element and was waiting on the controller I used it hard wired on 240 for strip runs and heat up on the spirit run. When top of the column started gettin too hot too touch I shut it down and wited it over to 120v in a couple minutes to get me through the spirit run. It wasnt ideal but it worked.