I've been wrestling with making a brewing stand and have finally decided on a single level with electric heating in the boil pot (heatsticks) and HLT (built-in element). I have both 120v GFCI and a single phase 240 volt circuit available. The MLT and HLT are both 10 gallon Rubbermaid coolers, the boil pot is an 8 gallon Morebeer pot. The pump is a Little Giant 3-MD-HC. All of that stuff is paid for already - so I want to use it to make 5 gallon batches and just batch sparge. I want to use QD's and maybe just two silicon hoses, a simple wood (brutus style) stand with four swivel 5" casters with wheel locks (got the casters already). All of that stuff was (relatively) easy - just spent a lot of time reading threads here and elsewhere on the Web`.
Electrical components worry me because I really don't know what I'm doing. I "think" that I could use a 1500 watt 120 volt SS element heater up thru the bottom of the HLT, since all it really has to do is maintain temp in already hot water that was pumped over from the boil pot. Does that sound reasonable? Maybe control it with a thermocouple shoved into a "Bargain Fittings" sight gauge "T"?
Then heat the boil kettle with one or two (if necessary) 4500 or 5500 watt 240 volt heatsticks on a simple on/off switch - or maybe just plug in the heatstick when I want heat? Is this all pretty reasonable or am I forgetting something really basic? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Electrical components worry me because I really don't know what I'm doing. I "think" that I could use a 1500 watt 120 volt SS element heater up thru the bottom of the HLT, since all it really has to do is maintain temp in already hot water that was pumped over from the boil pot. Does that sound reasonable? Maybe control it with a thermocouple shoved into a "Bargain Fittings" sight gauge "T"?
Then heat the boil kettle with one or two (if necessary) 4500 or 5500 watt 240 volt heatsticks on a simple on/off switch - or maybe just plug in the heatstick when I want heat? Is this all pretty reasonable or am I forgetting something really basic? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
