Cheap GFCI protection

[fhk]

I have been trying to come up with an electric kettle without spending a fortune. Tell me what you all think of using (2) 2000 watt 120 volt water heater elements plugged into 2 GFCI protected receptacles on separate circuits.
Is 4000 watts enough? 120 volt GFCI receptacles are cheap. 240 volt GFCI breakers are expensive!

 

[P-J]

Just buy a Spa Panel.
Homedepot Midwest-50-Amp-240-Volt-Spa-Panel-with-GFI
$65.97

 

[Wacki]

I just made a portable GFCI from a 50amp Eaton spa panel from lowes. It's only wired for 30a, though. I can't find a link, but I think it was about $59 for the panel.


As far as 2x 2000w elements, what size batches are you making?? Google "electric-heat.xls", that will give you an idea how much wattage/time it takes to heat your batches.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[drewmedic23]

Personally, I tried using 120v for the same reasons and found it to be a big PITA. Wiring the 240 line and breaker is fairly straight forward and the most expensive part is the gfci circuit. Though it is slightly more expensive, it's a one time cost and you won't have to worry about constantly overloading circuits and melting extension cord run all over the place.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I have been using 2 elements at 2000w each on 20 amp 120v GFCI circuits for several years, long before all these fancy electric rigs were documented here. I mainly did it this way because my basement has 5 120v 20 amp circuits. Works well, can easily do 10 gallon batches and have even done a 15 gallon batch w/ patience. No controller, i just run the elements 100%, sometimes shutting one element off if the boil is too vigorous, helps to use large pots

It is embarrassingly ghetto, but it works well so I haven't bothered to change. I do both batch sparging with a cooler MLT, and also BIAB single kettle.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[P-J]

Just buy a Spa Panel.
Homedepot Midwest-50-Amp-240-Volt-Spa-Panel-with-GFI
$65.97

Oh... Oh... I 'Forgot' something.

You wire it like this for a 4 wire 50A (or 30A) feed from your mains panel:
(The mains panel breaker sets the current limit. The spa panel provides the GFCI life saver.)

Or like this for a 3 wire dryer outlet feed:

Hope this helps those interested.

P-J

 

[khidr9]

Per the excel spreadsheet and my experience, 4kw will get you to strike in under 30 and to boil after that in 20 or so. I would just install 20amp 120 outlets if you have 2 20 amp circuits. I don't see how the spa panel helps in that setup. If you're starting from scratch then do a 240v spa panel and a 5.5kw element. But if you already have the 20amp breakers the 120 outlets are cheaper and quicker

 

[fhk]

wilserbrewer,
Doesn't look ghetto to me esp. considering what I am starting with!
I like the fact that the heaters are not permanently mounted in the kettle and you can move them around to different pots.
I have been searching immersion heaters and haven't seen those, are they homemade?

 

[fhk]

khidr9,
Agreed. I don't mind buying good equipment but I want to see first if this is a hobby that I can be reasonably good at and enjoy before I spend the big bucks. I dont really see the point in the spa panel unless you are getting both GFCI and overcurrent protection. Oddly enough, if you want to buy a 30 amp spa panel it seems you are going to spend $100.

 

[wilserbrewer]

wilserbrewer,
Doesn't look ghetto to me esp. considering what I am starting with!
I like the fact that the heaters are not permanently mounted in the kettle and you can move them around to different pots.
I have been searching immersion heaters and haven't seen those, are they homemade?

Well I guess "ghetto" is a relative term, haha. They're called heatsticks...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/heatstick-awesome-142803/
Yes, they are very flexible, I use them in many different size kettles as well as coolers to heat strike and sparge water, then into the boil kettle they go.

I dont really see the point in the spa panel unless you are getting both GFCI and overcurrent protection. Oddly enough, if you want to buy a 30 amp spa panel it seems you are going to spend $100.

The point is that the main provides overcurrent protection and the spa panel provides the GFCI, for an effective an economical solution, as PJ said:

(The mains panel breaker sets the current limit. The spa panel provides the GFCI life saver.)

 

[grathan]

I just bought a used 50amp breaker that won't fit in my box that I am gonna toss.

Not sure if you can use at all.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/171155449500

 

[Rivenin]

I have 2x2000w elements, it works as it should and can get 10 gallons to a boil, but it's not ideal...
I swiitched back to propane until i can get into a place where i can use 240v

 

[kappclark]

ghetto rig in basement when poor conditions outside are 2 1000W immersion bucket heaters, which I use to heat sparge water, then mash in basement wit 2 coolers....still not enough realistic power for a boil, so I goto the porch...

Thinking I may as well go electric biab (I need a new kettle anyway !)..I see a turnkey solution (minus spa panel) from High Gravity but $1,200 is a bit steep for me at this point..