Safety Sticky

[muddog]

Now that we have our own forum, thank you, this is great . I feel that the top sticky should be safety. We're talking about electricity , it can kill you.
I have seen questions on other forums from people who can't put batteries in a flashlight in the right direction asking how to wire a 240V element, let's not do that here.
Safety is the top priority with electric distilling . Proper knowledge of AC wiring is necessary ,do not attempt without at least the know how of AC circuits work . Remember it can kill you. It can also burn down your house and do you really want explain that to your insurance company ? Please, don't be discouraged, you can build a great system, I 'll never use gas again. I can go from a hard boil to a simmer with the push of a button and do it the same every time. Be careful, do your research.
With that in mind , I would like to start this my top safety rules . Mind you I say rules, because that exactly what they are. The first few are required to meet most local building codes. The rest are for your safety.

Use proper size wire for the circuit: Too big is ok, too small, not an option.
Grounding : Be sure your circuit is grounded. I have a 6' , 1/2 " copper rod in the ground with #4 wire into my breaker box.
Ground fault interrupter : This is a must have . It can save your life. ( 1st pic )
Learn the basics of AC wiring : It's pretty simple, 240 volt:, 2 hots (120 volts each) 1 ground. 120 volts: 1 hot(120 volts) , 1 neutral, 1 ground
Ground your boiler and heating element : Your boiler and element must be well grounded to your circuit . (2nd pic ). 3rd pic: Testing ground on boiler.
Cover your heating element : (pic 2) You do not want to have 240 volts exposed. No way ,no how. Don't do it. Cover it.
Fuse circuits : It's better to blow a fuse than to burn wiring. Use proper size fuse for circuit. In my control box, the PIDS and the element circuits are fused.
I'd rather blow a 50 cent fuse than a $50.00 PID.
No leaks allowed :Electricity and water don't mix well. You can get away with it with gas, with electric, it's a no-no. Make sure everything is well sealed. Watch for leaks .

[Brendan]

Good job Muddog

It's always a good recommendation for anyone building something electrical without the appropriate knowledge, to get someone qualified to wire it up for you and check your work before commissioning.

[googe]

Nice one mate, very true about there being a sticky at the top about safety!!.

[bellybuster]

Nice one, might be worth noting that in most places now it is seldom seen to not have the additional neutral wire in a 240 run.

See this one would be perfect to leave up for adjustment for a week then edit out everything and lock.

[IrishEnigma]

Never work on live circuits. Always check with a meter or some kind of voltage tester before you work on it. I've had beakers go bad that were stuck on.