4.5kw Element for HLT/Kettle

Hi chaps,

I'm gathering materials to make a 100l three vessel HERMS system. I was to avoid three phases electrics if I can.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D4U26YA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Would this element be something that could just have a three pin plug put on it and plugged into the mains? I know I would need more than on in each pot.

Cheers in advance.

Sorry but no this element is rating at 19.5amps.Your standard plugtop is only rated to 13a output.
4500/230=19.5

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Cheers Gerry,

That sucks, they looked really good. Do you know of any elements that would suit my needs?

Cheers,

Gerryjo said:

Sorry but no this element is rating at 19.5amps.Your standard plugtop is only rated to 13a output.
4500/230=19.5

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Click to expand...

Also, how can you tell it's more than 13a? I couldn't see it listed in the advert.

You don't really want to go over 3KW if you're plugging into a standard socket. I use one of THESE and it works great.

Edit to add: amps=wattage/voltage

gedburg101 said:

Also, how can you tell it's more than 13a? I couldn't see it listed in the advert.

Click to expand...

It's rated at 4.5kw.Look at my original post and you'll see that the wattage is divided by the voltage to give you ampere's.

gedburg101 said:

Also, how can you tell it's more than 13a? I couldn't see it listed in the advert.

Click to expand...

1kw is roughly 4 amps draw, you could probably use a single higher kw heating element from a cooker socket (45 amp) but it would be best to talk to a qualified spark for the exact ratings.

Perhaps two 2.4kw elements might be a better alternative as it would give you the ability to ramp up temp quickly and then switch of one element for rolling boil.

strange-steve said:

You don't really want to go over 3KW if you're plugging into a standard socket. I use one of THESE and it works great.

Edit to add: amps=wattage/voltage

Click to expand...

Its for boiling maybe 70-80l. Think I could get away with two in one pot?

chewie said:

1kw is roughly 4 amps draw, you could probably use a single higher kw heating element from a cooker socket (45 amp) but it would be best to talk to a qualified spark for the exact ratings.

Perhaps two 2.4kw elements might be a better alternative as it would give you the ability to ramp up temp quickly and then switch of one element for rolling boil.

Click to expand...

A lot depends on your wiring of the household/building whether it's older 30+ or newer as copper cable does deteriorate over time as well as what type of insulation the cable has,fuseboard and outlets.
A typical dwelling normally consists of a house ring circuit 30/32 amps total,a kitchen ring 30/32 amps.On top of this you have your cooker 30/45 amp,water heater and usually 2 lighting circuits 5 amp.
If you have a garage,utility room ar Annex attached then you shall have more obviously.
What @strange-steve has linked you too is a 3kw heating element the same type that is fitted to your immersion heater and will be more than capable of giving you a rolling boil and also reduce the risk of overloading your ring main circuit as 2*2.4kw=4.8kw/230v=21 amps plus then someone puts the kettle/iron on whilst your fridge or washing machine is running and then it's a different story.
The fuses are safety rated to protect against fault but this does'nt stop cables from overheating/catching fire etc.
Personally if I was going for that type of setup I would have a dedicated supply run from source so as to accommodate the load.
Around electricity a lot of people take it for granted but don't be fooled by it as I've been working with it for nearly 30 years.:whistle:

Good to know.

I'll get a spark in to give the garage wiring the once over before getting anything.

Cheers guys.

strange-steve said:

You don't really want to go over 3KW if you're plugging into a standard socket. I use one of THESE and it works great.

Edit to add: amps=wattage/voltage

Click to expand...

Hi, this is my first post on the forum. Have just ordered two of the above 3kW elements one for my boiler and one for my HLT. @strange-steve, could you tell me what you do for the earth connection as there would only appear to be two terminals on the element. Also, what did you do for a cover to protect the terminals from spillage etc. Many thanks

The earth is a terminal clamp to the main body.

chewie said:

The earth is a terminal clamp to the main body.

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Bu that do you mean earth is attached to stainless vessel itself?

No, there will be a terminal that is attached to the main body of the immersion heater which has the effect of earthing the entire pot if it's made of metal. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ldd0FJ7jfk[/ame] The first pic in that video gives a birds eye view from the connection end.

Thank you very much indeed. I get it now!

That particular element doesn't have an earth terminal, so you'll need a brass earth tag like this:


To conceal the terminals mount the element through a connection box like one of these:

Or:

Perfect, that's a big help. Thanks very much!

strange-steve said:

You don't really want to go over 3KW if you're plugging into a standard socket. I use one of THESE and it works great.

Edit to add: amps=wattage/voltage

Click to expand...

Putting my boiler together now. Have installed the 3kW element in my 50 litre keg that I'm using now I'm wondering what sort of boil I'm likely to get. I'm worried that the boil may be too vigorous and I'll have no way to turn it down. Any thoughts please? Cheers

Maybe a smaller second element installed that you can switch to once up to boil, maintaining a boil doesn't require a lot of heat once the temp is up. It should also be possible to wire a controller up with a reduced output afaik, I'm sure some of the gizmo wizmo's will post about that soon.

Clarkey104 said:

Putting my boiler together now. Have installed the 3kW element in my 50 litre keg that I'm using now I'm wondering what sort of boil I'm likely to get. I'm worried that the boil may be too vigorous and I'll have no way to turn it down. Any thoughts please? Cheers

Click to expand...

It's difficult to tell how vigorous it'll be, just give it a test run. If you reckon you want some control then an SSR with a potentiometer will work.