Well that didn't last long.

If it plugs in, post it here.

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EricTheRed
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Well that didn't last long.

Post by EricTheRed »

My little 5 litre copper alembic still normally runs on gas.
A couple of runs ago i bought a good quality hot plate. Solid plate.
I bypassed the thermo switch and connected it to my 4KW power controller.
Worked like a dream for the first run.
Second run a week or two later ie today it gave up shortly after reducing power to 30%

Not sure the little 1500w hot plate elements can deal with running at lower voltages for extended periods of time.

One learns as one goes.
Ta
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NZChris
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by NZChris »

Now that it has cooled down, does it heat up again? How many amps does it draw?
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EricTheRed
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by EricTheRed »

Cooled.
Plugged in.
Pulls nada amps
Going to open and see it is rotten wires
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EricTheRed
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by EricTheRed »

Wiring not burnt.
All connections tight and solid
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NZChris
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by NZChris »

There are hot plates for sale that don't have solid plates. You still have to bypass their simmerstat to run a still on them.
Sporacle
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by Sporacle »

Dumb question, Is it the SCR Eric?
" you can pick your nose and you can pick your friends; but you can't always wipe your friends off on your saddle" sage advice from Kinky Friedman
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EricTheRed
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by EricTheRed »

Sporacle wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 1:42 am Dumb question, Is it the SCR Eric?
No. I plugged the hotplate directly into the wall. Nada
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EricTheRed
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by EricTheRed »

NZChris wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 1:40 am There are hot plates for sale that don't have solid plates. You still have to bypass their simmerstat to run a still on them.
Hard to find here in south africa
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Ben
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by Ben »

You need to ohm out the element and see if it failed. Should be something like 9.6ohms resistance (verify that number, I made some assumptions). If that is good you have a different problem, something else needs bypassed.
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NZChris
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by NZChris »

They are hard to find in NZ too, so I get them out of China.
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Demy
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Re: Well that didn't last long.

Post by Demy »

If you have a multimeter you could check the continuity between the poles of the plate, if the plate is burnt you will have no continuity
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