hot pod vs hot rod

[mendozer]

I've been wanting to e-brew for a long time, even had a detailed thread on building a panel, but that never happened due to finances. However, in the last year I've been away some incredible things have happened.

Bobby has the Hot Pod for quickly screwing and unscrewing elements to welded or weldless fitting on a pot making it secure and also portable for element installation. Then he made the Hot Rod, a totally portable unit from pot to pot!

Still dragon came out with a simple DIY controller for under $50. I was confused on how to wire myself a panel since I'm not an electrician and understanding what was needed with SSVR and relays and blah blah blah.

My question, for those of you who have used it, is if I'm ready to jump in now (which seems at a lower cost) would you recommend the hot rod portable setup or the welded hot pods?

I have a three vessel setup now so I would want to heat my HLT and BK, but not necessarily at the same time. I have in the past heated both with burners, but it's not totally necessary.

Think the $100 investment for the stilldragon controller and the hot rod would suffice? Just move element from HLT to BK after the sparge?

 

[Bobby_M]

I guess it would appropriate for me to chime in, but I hope others do as well. The hot rod saves you from buying a second element and a second temperature probe (should you choose to use a PID based controller). Even if you started with the Still dragon power controller, you can later upgrade to a PID based controller that offers a few benefits such as set and forget target temp and the ability to set a temp alarm.

The other option with similar effect is install an element in one pot with the hot pod and use it for both HLT and Boil just by collecting the wort runoff into a different vessel temporarily (or by stockpiling the sparge water in an unheated vessel).

I've done several batches using both methods and I can't say I have any preference.

 

[Fatman_Brew]

The Hot Rod in my opinion is an outstanding product. If I were getting my feet wet, that is where I would start. I bought one after a few years of using modified pots and using weldless element fittings. Now I wish I didn't have these holes in pots that could have other uses.

 

[mendozer]

the only thing I can foresee as a speed bump with the hot rod is while it'll work fine for moving between HLT and BK, when I want to distill, I can't as I have a keg. That would require a hot pod for sure. You can't unclamp the element easily from the hot rod right since it's wired in right?

 

[Fatman_Brew]

I use my Hot Rod in a keg. No issues there in moving to another vessel. The element is wired to the housing so you cannot separate and move element, so that would suggest using the pod if you needed that.

 

[Bobby_M]

I see what he's saying in that for distilling, the keg is not open on the top so the element would have to install through the side. If one were crafty with a welder, you could weld a 2" TC short weld ferrule to the front adapter of the hotrod so that the whole assembly could be TC clamped into the side of a vessel.

 

[mendozer]

After some thought I think ill do the hot pods and just remove and relocate one to the distilling keg if I ever get into that.