TOPIC:

I'm gonna take the element out of my ( Now defunct ) dishwasher . Repair guy came and tested everything yesterday and said only the motor is gone and I'd be better off buying new .

It's a barrell element , hosing onto the in and out , heats water to about 70 , 5 gallons a minute ( like an electric shower .


Methinks mashing and sparging is going to get real quick .......

What about just buying a normal plastic 25 litre fermentaion bin, and fitting it with 2 x 2Kw kettle elements?

You wouldn't have any thermostat control like the Electrim bin has, but I have heard some people say they bypass that anyway.

Once a full rolling boil has been achieved you could knock off one of the elements.

Anybody attempted this? Would the plastic in a fermentation bin be up to the job, or would it weaken after multiple boils?

If it was viable you would have a boiler for under €50.

The plastic would be OK as it is Polypropylene, just like in the commercial boilers, but they are a bit small.

Think about it. You are trying to end up with 23 litres of wort after the boil. Hot wort expands, taking up more room than cool wort. It also bubbles and foams, so you need a bit of head space. Hops also take up space and you have to start with more wort anyway because a one hour boil causes quite a bit of it to evaporate.

"sbillings":39aromj4 wrote: The plastic would be OK as it is Polypropylene, just like in the commercial boilers, but they are a bit small.

Think about it. You are trying to end up with 23 litres of wort after the boil. Hot wort expands, taking up more room than cool wort. It also bubbles and foams, so you need a bit of head space. Hops also take up space and you have to start with more wort anyway because a one hour boil causes quite a bit of it to evaporate.[/quote:39aromj4]

Fair enough, so the Electrim itself is a bit on the small side then also?

I find it to be a bit small, which is why I boil part of my wort on the stove. I'll probably get one of the big 60 litre jobs, from hop and grape, at some stage.

How about an unused 120 litre wheelie bin?

Could cut the top off to make it a bit more usable.

Good sturdy plastic also