 Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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"Here are some pics of a 15 gallon beer keg I converted to use electric....
the first is the cutout with the spout
then the items I will use - a 4500 watt heating element (I had it so I'll try it)and a SS half coupling......
the half coupling welded in (and thanks for the Mcmaster info) the element installed and a screw for the ground wire......
and the finished product. More pics when shes up and running. Gonna do a Gerber Wheat Multivitamin wash.. I use one of these with gas, hope this one is just as easy????"
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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"Looks super, Heeler. Great job.
Are you going to switch to 110 V at boil, or use a variac or other?"
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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Sorry you will have to dummy it down...hehehe.. I'm not really sure what that means. I have a router controller that I will put on constant for the heatup and then switch to variable for the spirit run, my plan is to find that just right temp with the variable knob and let er go until I need to adjust the temp up to continue the run. The controller is plugged into 110 - 20amp circut and when I did my cleaning run I did not take it up to a boil but hot enough to make steam. I will boil it with propane. I think it will atomize the ethonal but that remains to be seen. I have been useing one of these with propane and it works fine,.... but that controller sure gets hot, gonna be nervous about fire hazards so no tasteing whilst cooking.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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"As you can see from the dome I can change towers. I have a goose neck with a thumper inline and a reflux thats about 28 inches long before turning 90 degrees. I use whichever is appropriate at the time. Still learning and haveing fun.
mtnwalker2 ..thanks for the gesture."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/22/2005(UTC)
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"router controler works great. I have read that some people will run their element at full power, 220 V until heated. Then switch to 110V 1125 W for the run. You could use the router controller then without it heating so much.
Hope others that do use electric will chime in?"
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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Ok thanks for the tip.....Just had a brain fart.... I'm gonna use the fryer stand anyway cause thats the height of all the workings so far.... I think I will help the electric with the gas until she's up to speed and then turn off the gas??? Sounds like alot of trouble but it's gonna be sitting there anyway. And it will heat quicker ta-boot.
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 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/12/2010(UTC)
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"have you done anymore on you, on your unit.
thinking about making one.
thank you fish lips:):):)"
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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"I'm thinking I might start a mash next week, time permitting. Not sure if it will be corn or Gerber Multi-vitamin wheat. Gotta make sure my mash is really clear cause of the heating element. This will be the first with this still so I'm kinda curious and wanting to givera try. I've only used gas up till now and have never burned a wash so we'll take her slow and easy and see what happens. Thanks for the intrest and I'll let you know.
Oh and if I can build one anybody can..."
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
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Hey Fish Lips,
Is your name a reference to M*A*S*H? Great double meaning.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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This is the finished product -- and electric is all they say it is. In the first photo all the workings are ready to put it to the test. The next its all set up and readt to light it off. And the last shes up and running and producing 180 proof hooch.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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"In those photos you can see the router controler that is hanging off the side of the boiler. I thought it would be safer and that metal acts like a heatsink, it helps disapate some of the heat from the controller. The cooler in the background is the condenser water with the pond pump in it. What you cant see is the ice maker off to the side for easy refills.
This setup only pulls 89 volts whilst in the cooking mode -- 79 - 82degreesC
Thats only about 9 or 10 amps so thats pretty darn safe on any outlet. The fryer stand you see is from previous keg setup and the hieght was still there so useing the stand was a no brainer. All in all she works like a charm."
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
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That's a nice looking set up. Can you actually keep the condensator water cool using that volume of H2O?
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" Originally Posted by: div4gold  That's a nice looking set up. Can you actually keep the condensator water cool using that volume of H2O? You betcha cause I have an ice maker right there. The ice water in the cooler heats up some what and melts the ice --- i just drain some of the water and add ice back to it. It works very well. I read that someone uses a 55 gallon barrel for this and that just can't be as easy or user friendly as this little guy. Now if you dont have an icemaker -- well that could be a prob. --- if you know you are gonna cook in the morn - get 3 or 5 bags of ice and keep them in a cooler and add as needed. The little pond pump works like a champ. And as far as making one - if you can weld SS and operate a grinder, its pretty simple. But hell I'll sell you this one if you want it??? Thanks for all the input guys."
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 Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
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You said you had the heating element laying around..... you don't happen to know the brand or have a part number by chance do you? I can't seem to find an element with NPT threads like you have. All the ones I've come across are NPSM, which will not fit the McMaster SS couplings.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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" Originally Posted by: Spraybomb You said you had the heating element laying around..... you don't happen to know the brand or have a part number by chance do you? I can't seem to find an element with NPT threads like you have. All the ones I've come across are NPSM, which will not fit the McMaster SS couplings. Let me start my saying.. I didn't look for any special thread - just a 1 inch [COLOR=""Red""]half coupling[/COLOR] form McMasters in SS. I asked the person on the phone --will it fit a water heating element and they confirmed it would. Now from there I went to Lowes and bought a new 4500 watt heating element, the one I had was kinda gritty looking and I thought for my new cooker I wanted new. I know a 4500w element at 110volts will not produce 4500 watts, but it did make approx. 1180 on full heatup. Then whilst it was in the cooking mode and produceing the goods it only used 90 volts and about 9 or 10 amps. Sorry for the babble - heres what you want. the element: 240 - 4500watts Camco part#02342 Cheapest Lowes element (24$ i think)"
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC)
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" Originally Posted by: Spraybomb You said you had the heating element laying around..... you don't happen to know the brand or have a part number by chance do you? I can't seem to find an element with NPT threads like you have. All the ones I've come across are NPSM, which will not fit the McMaster SS couplings. Again I didn't look for any specail thread.. NPT or NPSM???? I'd say order the coupling and with it in your hand - go to the store and open the package and screw it in --- no what i mean. The store wont know or care and that way you are sure its the right thread. Hope this helps, let us know how she turns out."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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Another note on this setup... I only do 5 gallon mashes, so boilover is never a prob. This boiler is 15 gallons but that would be very full and a VERY long cookout. with 5 gallons in there -- there's no boilover and no pucking in the thumper. All in all, this is an easy running unit and costs very little ro run. I have found it's harder to hide than to operate. Everybody that comes by wants to know why they didn't get inveted to the kegger we had. Then they say OHHHH. - I WANT SOME.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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Got any pics of your outfit with the thumper?
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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You bet,....... I'm, prolly gonna do a sweetfeed mash this week so when I get close and it's setup I'll post em. I will want your opinion and approval or dissapproval of the setup and the workings as they are. Gonna use the gooseneck tower and thumper to get all the mollasses flavor I can. My plan is to keep some of the hearts of the run for ageing on oak but that still remains to be seen. I've done swt fd mash before and it was not good but I think I've learned enough to giver another go. Now my opinion is slow and easy when cooking and try another type of feed. Better starting products results in better ending products.
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
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"I built a keg still a while ago but instead of cutting out the top I put a drain plug into the very bottom of it to aid in washing it out. I run it as a fractioning reflux still with a 3000 watt 220 element which I cut down to 110 after it is heated up (about an hour for 50 litres) and have been getting 190 proof product out of it. I do this in two steps, first the stripping run (without the reflux) to get it to about 140 proof and then when I have enough shine at 140 I do the final run.
peter"
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