Home Distiller

There are a lot of heating element controls here. Even on the parent site there is a nice control which Captain Jack built. I would like something with the light and volt/amp digital display which I have seen on here. But there are a ton of wiring diagrams and in limbo on what to use. I have a 13 gal. milk can and looking to use a 5500W heating element, 220v. Can anyone point me in the right direction on what to build. There's builds on here using 110v and then there's builds using 220v. A little confused on which to use. I would like to run 5-10 gal. at a time if this would narrow it down.

You'll want to use 220/240v for your needs. If you went 120v it would work, but using 240v will drastically reduce your heat up times.

Look for Jimbos controller thread. Or crankys simple controller.

Use 220v for sure. I have to say the simple SCR controllers seem to be the ticket. I have the parts for a SSVR but am not sure there is a difference other than complexity.

Check out this simple regulator Antler brought up... http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 85&t=54696

Then... http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 85&t=43456

Then... http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 85&t=50385

You decide.

Tokoroa_Shiner wrote:Look for Jimbos controller thread. Or crankys simple controller.

Build for 220v, whatever you do for that will also work on 120v, and it will be easy to swap between the two if you ever need to. You just need to get a controller and find a way to attach it to the element that works for you.

I'm stuck with 120v right now, so I went with two 220v 5500w elements. They both connect to heavy duty extension cords that are 10ga, so they're beefy enough for either 120v or 220v. One of the cords, I cut into two pieces, and wired the controller inline with the cord - so I have a power-adjustable extension cord to supply power to one of the elements. The other is plugged straight into the wall, either off or on, and this simple setup gives you full control over the full range of power available to the boiler. The controller is made for 220v, but it also works fine on 120v. On 220v, this gives 11,000w of heating available, and about 2,700w on 120v.

If you have access to 220v, you'll just need one element, a fitting to attach it to your keg, a 10ga minimum grounded power cord (the most expensive component, if you want one more than a few feet long, it retails new for $2/ft), and a cheap 10,000w 220v power controller from ebay. There are some newer ones with a sort of built-in case - a metal frame - and there are other older models that are just a bare PCB that you will need to mount in an enclosure or project box yourself. The black and white wires in the power cord go to the element, and the green ground connection should be attached to the keg. I soldered a small copper grounding lug next to each element, directly to the keg, so I can attach the ground wire directly to the keg with a screw, just like how the wires for the elements themselves are connected.

You'll want to put your power meter in the box with the controller, or maybe on the keg next to the elements - it's up to you.

You'll also want a way to waterproof the outside of your heating element - the screws rust easily, and you don't want the terminals of the element exposed. I used two junction box extensions for this. Had to search through a few hardware stores to find them, but they're square (well, octagonal) boxes with easy-to-remove faceplates that cover the open front of the box, and the back of the boxes are open. They're made so you can mount one to the same place you'd mount a faceplate cover, so they're stackable. I just used one for each element, and epoxied them to the keg. JB Weld is good to something like 450 degrees F, and it's on the outside of the boiler - so epoxy is great for this application. This gives you a good looking, easy, safe splash-proof cover for your elements.

I built the CapnJack controller. It's an exact duplicate of his, and I love the way it works. He's got an excellent thread that walks you through building the controller. I highly recommend it.

I use a 13 gal milk can boiler with the 5500 watt low density element that everyone uses.

That's what I'm looking to build. I just happen to see his post on the brewhaus forum. Just waiting for one more item to show up and I should be able to get it together. I will also use a 200k pot so I have better adjustment for my temp. We'll see how it works out. Thanks for your input Underdog.