Hotplate thermostat question

Captin Moron · Post by **Captin Moron** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:31 pm

I got a question about bypassing my thermostat on my element.

Its 1000W hotplate with an on off switch and a dial for temp settings. When I use it on high it cuts off and causes the boils to surge and my spirits dont drip equally.

If i bypass the thermal switch will this cause the element to always be on full blast correct? Basically makeing the dial for temp setting inoperative? Is this what I should be doing? Or should I still be able to have some temp controll...

I use an 18 quart stockpot...

Is it going to burn out the element if theres no thermal switch shutting it off ever 30 seconds? Is full blast too much heat for my 18quart?

Ive done allot of searching and there isnt much detailed info about this, im scared of frying my element.

Your experienced explinations would be appretiated.

tks,

C. Moron

Thorin · Post by **Thorin** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:39 pm

i would have gotten a large potmeter and put it in the circut before the element. that'll make it possible to adjust the power going to the element, and thereby controlling the heat.

a potmeter is kinda like a dimmer

Thorin...

TEC · Post by **TEC** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:21 am

CM,

If you give us some details about our brand and model of hotplate we might be able to help out more.

A sloppy rule of thumb is that if the thermostat is cycling a lot on high then the element will not live long if the thermostat is bi-passed.

Making sure you have the best thermal transfer between your element and the boiler and a good thermal diffuser to help dissipate the heat, can reduce or eliminate the cycling on and off you are experiencing.

I'm sure there is more that I have missed.

As you can see there is no one answer without more details.

Captin Moron · Post by **Captin Moron** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:05 am

Its just a cheap one from Walmart (superior) It simply consists of power cord, on/off switch and thermal switch with a dial.

The power cord goes in, one wire connects to the on/off switch, the other wire goes to the element. From the other side of the element there is 2 wires, one goes to the on/off switch, the other goes to the thermal switch, then wire from the thermal switch to the on/off switch.

Thats everything inside.

Theres excelent heat transfer, its a flat bottom stockpot...

I bypassed the thermal switch last night, should I put it back inline to be safe? Like is it gonna burn out the element in one run?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:40 am

What kind of still are you using it for? You may not have any need for power control.

Don't run the hot plate without somthing on it to soak up all the heat is generates (like a pot of wash).

You could test out the element by using it to boil off a few gallons of water. If it can handle that without burning out, it will likely handle your wash.

jbrew9999 · Post by **jbrew9999** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:50 am

That was me. I don't know how I got logged out.

If your hotplate just won't handle the job, it's better to find out while you're just boiling water than when you are in the middle of distilling and have no way to continue.

Captin Moron · Post by **Captin Moron** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:14 am

Im using it for a potstill... It works with the cycleing on off, but Im looking for more efficiancy. I feel when it cycles off its lost boil time. The spirits come out in spurts... wouldnt a constant drip be more efficiant?

Anyway, if you guys dont think its a big deal, I will wire the thermal switch back in and just live with the surging collection...

Captin Moron · Post by **Captin Moron** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:14 am

Im using it for a potstill... It works with the cycleing on off, but Im looking for more efficiancy. I feel when it cycles off its lost boil time. The spirits come out in spurts... wouldnt a constant drip be more efficiant?

Anyway, if you guys dont think its a big deal, I will wire the thermal switch back in and just live with the surging collection...

possum · Post by **possum** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:26 am

I don't mind the surging on my potstill, it dosent hurt anything(I use a kitchen stovetop) for my @5galon unit.

Captin Moron · Post by **Captin Moron** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:12 am

hmm ok...

Do you think 1000w constant heat is too much for a 20 liter potstill?

I guess if it burns out without the thermostat I can return it to walmart for a new one..lol kinda risk free in a way. except my wash would cool while im gone to exchange it, which i doubt would hurt it...

possum · Post by **possum** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:37 am

Captian...You should be ok if you:

1 don't have particles in your wash (filtered, or just sugar wash)

2 have a condenser that can keep up with 1000wats of steam

3 be sure there wont be a boil over , or mash swelling that could push solids up into your lyne arm and condenser, causing a pressure buildup and posible explosion.( see condition 1)

Captin Moron · Post by **Captin Moron** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:45 pm

my condenser is overkill, thats not a problem

I dont do wisky washes (yet) im a rum guy.
so i wont have solids.

Do you think im going to have a problem makeing cuts with that much steam?

Sorry about all the questions, im new to the hobby, experience wise. I read 100x more than I still lol.

possum · Post by **possum** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 7:36 am

For your stripping run, there shouldnt be a problem( no cuts anyway).

Foreshots are foreshots in the spirit run, and will always be first, but if you collect in multiple containers, there shouldn't be trouble...but experience tells me that it is always good to have options available. You may want a slower heat source for the spirit runs...can you use a kitchen stove without attracting suspicion? Experience and experimentation with your rig will give you the lowdown better than our conjecture.

Spirits often boil faster than expected (certianly faster than water).

Captin Moron · Post by **Captin Moron** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 8:20 am

yah I could set the rig up in the kitchen for the spirit run. The only obstical being my wife lol.

Thanks for the advice. Im gonna play around with it and experiment myself. I suppose it will eventually all come together.

Spioritmaker · Post by **Spioritmaker** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:19 pm

Hello Cap'n, I have a teeny lil 4-liter (1-gallon) converted pressure cooker still that I started out with and still use to do small quantity runs on occasion! I also use a "Walmart" Special (1100watts maximun) hot plate with the same set up as yours. Sure it surges as it cycles, but in my case it's a very short cycle. I also use it with my larger 16-liter
(4-gallon) ss "Stock pot" still, it just takes forever to get it uo tp running temp, but works fine otherwise. One alternative for me is to bring it up to temp on the kitchen stove and then CAREFULLY move the pot to my "hobby-house" (shed) where I finish the run on the hot plate.
Hey, it works for me! I have read that a lot of people use internal heating elements that range anywhere from 1500-watts to 3500-watts, in 5-gallon stills. Most are probably reflux types, but thats still a lot of energy to manage in a small vessel. Most (indeed probably all) electric range (kitchen stoves) surface burners used in the USA, can operate at a maximun of 1500 watts, anyway. I would think that your little "Walmart" special will work fine just as it came from the store.
Lotsa luck,
Spiritmaker

Post by **Tater** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:20 pm

could allways just set a pice of cast iron or a large cast iron skillet on hotplate set boiler on it cast will hold heat so it doesnt vary as much.Guess plate steel would work as well

Spiritmaker · Post by **Spiritmaker** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 5:28 pm

Hey "tater", that's a good suggestion, thanks. I'll try that with my setup as one thing is certain, the heatsink will keep my lil pot "cooking" till th hot plate cycles again so it'll be as there was no interruption at all.
Thanks again (I didn't think this through before and I know darn well it works too!) Imadummy2
Spiritmaker

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 9:57 pm

Put some thermal grease between the plate and your pot for better heat transfer, like they use on heat sinks.

Captin Moron · Post by **Captin Moron** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:15 am

tater wrote:could allways just set a pice of cast iron or a large cast iron skillet on hotplate set boiler on it cast will hold heat so it doesnt vary as much.Guess plate steel would work as well

thats a great simple idea! thanks

Hilltop · Post by **Hilltop** » Sun Jul 23, 2017 12:08 pm

Most step up to a 1500 watt plate. I run a 1300 electric skillet that I took a metabo slicing blade and removed the sides of. I suggest nothing under 1200 watts, 800 watts won't cut it, I tried one of this way back on 4 gallon washes and I am thinking of going the water heater element route when I build the 32 gallon stockpot.

You need to be able to make strip runs faster and if a thumper is used the more power the better. " You can always turn it down right!"

You could try two heat sources in a bind, I once cooked off two batches on a 750 watt hotplate, with my soldering torch as backup. Not recommended, spend some money and get a better hotplate with more power,

I once saw these strip heaters on pipe in the winter in a refinery, they just wrapped it around the pipe and plugged it in. Those would work but I have no idea where you get them.

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