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I had the proper bushing welded into my keg and bought a 1500W hot water heating element. I also have a 1500W rated dimmer switch. Now it's time to do the wiring. I have two questions, what amp wire should I use ,is 13amp okay or should I use 15amp or higher,, and are there any grounding issues.
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what amp is ur element gonna draw? if ur using 120V residential outlets, then it will need to be 1500W/120V = 12.5A or higher rated wire. that is what i would recommend...
does the element have a prong or place to wire in a ground? if so, it wouldnt hurt if the outlet u plan on using has a grounded receptacle.
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i'd deffinitely ground it. that way in the event that something wrong happened and a hot wire was able to touch the keg it would trip a breaker instead of turning your whole operation into an electrical field, shocking you if you touch it. as for wire size, at 120 volts your're looking at 12.5 amps. 14 gauge wire should handle this. most household circuits that are on a 15 amp breaker are fed with 14 gauge wire. hope this helps.
buzzman
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Thanks for the tips. It is a regular1500W/120V unit bought at Home Depot for $8. It doesn't have a screw to hook up the ground wire, so what do I do, just connect the green wire to the keg?
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nah, that is what ur trying to avoid - the system groudning through the keg in the case of a short. ideally the outlet ur using would have a grounded receptacle and the cord would have a grounding plug. if thats the case, find a way to connect the ground wire near where u usually would if a grounding screw/connection were provided ,maybe drill ur own hole and put in a screw,.
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Since the element doesn't provide any way to ground, I was thinking I would just cut off the green wire and plug it ,ie:two prong, into a GFCI outlet. What do you think?
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well, i imagine it would work. as long as u were/are able to be pretty watchful and careful while using it. like buzzman said, if it shorts to the keg it wouldnt be good. to be honest, the reflux still i built used an 1100W hotplate and it had no ground, just two prong ,hot/neutral, plug on it. but i didnt modify it at all... maybe if someone has done something similar with a heating element they could share their fix for this situation............?
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hi, do you see any possible way that a connection could short to the stainless steel keg? what if by some exremely rare chance, and i do mean rare, that while cooking your hooch, there is a bad spot in the element ,factory defect,. your mash will more than likely become somewhat of a conductor. now i work with stuff like heating elements and electrical crap such as this everyday. i've never seen the outside of an element break down to the point that it caused a hazard. but, i'm sure it could happen. ,just my 2 cents worth, if i could i would drill and tap the side of the bushing you had welded in, of course if you have enough hanging out to do so, and connect my ground wire there with a screw. this way if something happened and you got current going from your element to the keg, you would trip a breaker. hope this helps.
buzzman
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Buzzman: There is no way that the hot wires could touch the keg, they are attached to screws with nothing hanging out then eletrical taped. Since the bushing is welded to the keg, wouldn't that be the same as attaching the ground wire to the keg? That was my first inclination but Robert warned me away from that. I looked at the Turbo Stomper system on-line and they are using the same element and just using a two prong plug. Not being an eletrician I'm really confused on this stuff. Thanks to all for your input.
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it's really probably a matter of what you feel comfortable with. if i were doing it for myself, i wouldn't worry with it. as long as i'm satisfied that my wires cannot touch the keg. if you do decide to hook up a ground to the keg it will just be there for extra insurance. as i said i've never seen an element break down to the point that it could cause an issue. like always, there's still that one in a million chance. i just wanted to let you know the safest way of doing it, because i don't want to see anyone get hurt. that's why this forum is here. so if'n you have a question about something you can get help before it's too late. i wish you luck with whatever decision you make. like i said i wouldn't for myself ,primarily 'cause i know a little bit about how electricity works,. but if i was at work i'd be forced to ground it. that's just the rules where i work. good luck.
buzzman
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Thanks Buzzman, I really appreciate you and Robert taking time to give me feedback on this. I'm a long time beer maker but this is my first time doing this stuff. I have a lot to learn. This forum is great!
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