yet more on removing safety cut outs...

[gurtpint]

Hello fellow brewers. I've been having boiler trouble with my 40L Buffalo with the two last brews I've made and I'm getting ready to remove the safety cut out. Here's what was happening on Saturday: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=18560

I'm not very technical or hands-on type, and I'm very inexperienced with electrics so I'm feeling slightly uneasy about getting rid of the cutout. Have been utilizing the "search" function on this forum to learn a bit more from other people's experiences and coming across these type of warnings has done little good to putting my mind at rest:

by pjbiker:

If you do switch it on with no liquid in it however, it will melt your boiler and itself until it cuts off its own supply so be warned.

Seems like worst case scenarios include fires, melting things, getting electrocuted, puffs of smoke and potentially rolls of thunder in tandem with swarms of locusts... Is there anything else I should expect or pay special attention to? Never turn on the thing with no water/wort in, right? With no cut out, will I still have to crank the thermo switch to eleven to achieve a rolling boil? Cheers!

 

[gurtpint]

Anyone?

 

[Vossy1]

Hi G,

I couldn't find anything on THBF, so did a quick yahoo search and I think your problem has been covered on Jims HBF, have a look here :thumb:

Hope that helps and if you post say Vossy1 sent you :grin:

V

 

[Aleman]

Jims has a few posts on Buffalo Boiler problems. This one details bypassing the cut out

If you do switch it on with no liquid in it however, it will melt your boiler and itself until it cuts off its own supply so be warned.

Of course the melting bit only really applies to plastic boilers . . . Stainless boilers glow a nice cherry red









































then they go BANG!!!

:twisted:

 

[Vossy1]

You'll have to get up earlier than that :lol:

 

[gurtpint]

Thanks Vossy + Aleman. I had already peeked at that post at Jims and found it to be a pretty god tutorial... The way to go, I suppose.

On more thing - after the safety cutout has been bypassed or sent to oblivion, can one still control the temp/boil with the thermo dial? One of the things I've liked about my Buffalo is the ease with which you can get the water to mash/sparge temps by just setting the dial and then kicking back until the fella is ready. But if no cut out = no/less control, I guess I'm willing to take that as long as I can depend on the damn thing when it comes to getting a decent boil...

 

[Aleman]

If you bypass the boil dry cut out, there should be no issue with the thermostat, that will still work . . . unless you bypass both though

 

[gurtpint]

Jims has a few posts on Buffalo Boiler problems. This one details bypassing the cut out

If you do switch it on with no liquid in it however, it will melt your boiler and itself until it cuts off its own supply so be warned.

Of course the melting bit only really applies to plastic boilers . . . Stainless boilers glow a nice cherry red









































then they go BANG!!!

:twisted:

Jesus Aleman, you really know how to put a man's mind at ease... My mate came round, the cutout was bypassed, taped (I used ordinary duct tape - perhaps I should get something more heatproof?) and the wires were secured with a cable tie. Just did a test boil with about 15 liters of water and got a nice rolling boil with no problems. Kept boiling for 10 mins with nothing going pear-shaped (or cherry red) so I suppose it might be safe to assume that I'm in the clear for the time being.

I think by next one will be a stout for those cold winter nights. :

 

[YogiB]

Havin' just barrelled my first AG, I've been thinkin' about this "cut off" trait with this boiler.
Some said they managed rolling boils without cutouts whilst others seem to have struggled!
I'm also reluctant to delve into the gubbings and tinker with the wires as I'm no electrician!
:?
I'll see if I experience it again with AG#2 and then.................? :wha: