eHERMS 60qt Concord Build

[stillshinen]

I have a Concord 60 quart pot and a 5500 watt ripple element on order. I plan to install for a HERMs as part of my build. I am wondering if anyone has done this before and have a template on where to put what? I will be bending my own stainless steel coil. I will work through the bending, but i am looking to hear the height of the element lowest coil valve, minimum distance from the bottom... Thanks!

 

[LarMoeCur]

I used 80qt concord kettles and went with element hole 3" from bottom, HERMS holes 4.5" and 11.5". I hand bent my coils. I attempted to get 15" coils and about 7" of height.

60qt concord is 18.5w x 15.5h. 80qt is 18w x 19h. 11.5" top hole puts your pretty close to the top. Remember you have to cover the coils completely for the HERMS to work at it's best. To save you time it's better if you only need to heat up 10 gallons vise 12. I would see if 2" from bottom element hole works. Then go 3" and 10" for your HERMS. What are you using for your element housing? If it's an electrical box 2" up may not work. First thing I would do is get your tubing coiled to were you like it. Then measure it and see how much room you will need. Then mock it up with element and coils. I put wood blocks under my coils to see where I though they should go then held the element where I thought it should go and took measurements. Then I check my TC enclosure to make sure it would fit. Last thing cut the holes.

 

[stillshinen]

Great details. When I get the pot and element I will start measuring and fitting it all together. I may start hand bending the coil this weekend.

 

[LarMoeCur]

Great details. When I get the pot and element I will start measuring and fitting it all together. I may start hand bending the coil this weekend.

I would do that. It was a three day adventure when I bent my coils. I got .035 walled tubing and it was a SOB to coil with out kinking. Day one was hand bending around a keg. I couldn't get the coils to exactly 15" so I did the best I could. Day two I mocked it up the coils and they touched the side of the kettle. Spent the rest of the day making a bending jig. Day three back to coil bending. The jig gave the leverage to bend the coils with out kinking. I should have made the jig to start with!

Really, I should have just bought a 1/2" conduit bender but I'm a cheap SOB.

 

[stillshinen]

LarMoeCur give me an idea what your big looked like?

 

[LarMoeCur]

I cut 3/4 plywood into a half circle. Routered a 1/4"channel. Cut the circle in half. Glued and bolted together. Cut a scrap piece of sheet metal bent into a U shape and bolted to the end. Drilled a hole and threaded in a paint roller handle for leverage. Slide the tubing in the channel, rock ob garage floor, slide and rock, slide and rock. Make the channel deep enough so you don't flatten the tubing.

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[stillshinen]

Nice work.

 

[LarMoeCur]

Nothing pretty. It gave me an extra set of arms. Allowing me to hold the coil and exert enough force to tightly bend with out kinking. Leverage is your friend when it comes to bending metal. Trying to keep the coils tight together is the hardest part. You have to angle the the jig just right. To much angel and it hangs up on the edge of the jig. Not enough and your coils are an inch apart.

I'd mail it to you if wasn't so damn heavy.