BBL_Brewer
Well-Known Member
Thinking about going electric. Couldn't find any good answers with the search function.
How long do heating elements last in an electric brew rig?
- Thread starter BBL_Brewer
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From experience, if you dry fire a high density element, they last about three seconds:cross:. With regular use, they last a loooong time AFAIK. Unless of course your brewing daily. Element life is not a concern for what they cost and what you will save on propane or NG IMO.
Exactly! If you dry fire it, it might last about a blink of an eye. Otherwise, it'd be like any other electric element. I think electric hot water heaters last for 10 years or more, and it should be similar I'd think.
BeerguyNC61
Well-Known Member
Dry firing has so many connotations! 
milldoggy
Well-Known Member
I dry fired my camco ULWD for 30 secs. It still works. Had to scrub the heck out of it. I have 11 batches(1 year) on mine and still running great.
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BBL_Brewer
Well-Known Member
I was just curious. I don't own anything that uses one except my furnace igniter. It operates dry of course and only lasts about 3-4 years. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the switch just so I can brew big batches in the summer. I don't mind brewing with NG in the winter at all. In fact, I love the heat on brew day because I'm stingy and keet the thermostat turned down. So really, I'll only gain 1 or 2 more brews a year out of this and it will save me having to do a handful of 5 gallon batches. I know, waaa right. With summer creeping in at a record pace it's heavy on my mind again. Last year I brewed my last batch in May. Here it is March and I'm about to get shut down.
I had a complete ssr/heating element failure once so I can't tell if one affected the other. My hlt element is 3 yrs old with 20+ batches and my BK is a camco ripp 4500 and it's been used now for about 15 and it's still cranking away. Everyone's right that if you run power to the element while dry it will almost definitely destroy the element and your brew day
bullinachinashop
Well-Known Member
Why do you stop brewing in the summer?
I was gonna ask the same thing. If you have all the stuff to brew I figure you have an AC or could get a small cheap window unit and would do just fine. The power you migh use is pretty negligable and the temp can be set to around 65 and your good. If you have a very small brew area or man cave it will only run the compressor accasionally. I have a small window unit and a reptile heating pad that work perfectly in an 8X8X8 blue board room. I taped it all together and put the AC on the floor so the walls are supporting no weight and it has worked flawlessly. I think I paid 49 bucks for the little AC from sears. Give it a try.
Bob
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BBL_Brewer
Well-Known Member
I don't stop brewing, I just stop brewing 1 bbl batches. I brew in the basement and ventillation is a problem for me when I brew in the summer and have to crank up my jet burners full blast for 30-45 minutes at a time. And trust me, a small AC unit wouldn't put a dent in it. In the winter, there is enough temperature difference between outside and in that I can simply open two windows on opposide sides of the basement and it stays nice, cozy, comfortable and plenty of fresh air to breathe. In the summer, that doesn't work at all. I'm at a point where I don't want to spend much more money on my brew rig. I just can't justify it. If I have to install ventillation or some other engineering control then I would rather spend that money on going electric.
