Element Guard Kit compatible with Camco 5500W Wavy Element?

SBB

Will the wavy Camco 5500watt limelife element fit through this kit? Concerned that the bends in the element will not allow it to be installed in the 2" triclamp guard kit. Would like to find out for sure before ordering one.

Cambo

Yes. That is the same element i have in mine. It gets tight at a few of the bends, but gave me no troubles.

Smaug

@Cambo said: Yes. That is the same element i have in mine. It gets tight at a few of the bends, but gave me no troubles.

Prolly just gotta showit who is the boss of it.

EdInNH

I have two of these 5500W elements in element holders. One went in easily the other I needed to work at a bit to ease it in place.

SBB

Cool beans, thanks!

Grudaire

I wish I had discovered SD before I bought some from brewers hardware as theirs will not work with the wavy elements. Many brewers report using SD's with wavy elements without issue.

BenStiller

I have also sucessfully installed a wavy Camco 5.5kw element in a SD element guard. It did take me 20-30 min and scratched the element a bit but I do not consider myself particularly competent with these kind a things.

Grudaire

You can also do what I did when I didn't buy the SD, put aside the wavy ULWD I had already bought and buy the straight ones. Easy to get in and out and I have never had issue with scorching...just gotta scrub it after every brew.

Moonshine

For reference someone please post a picture of such a wavy element.

NineInchNails

This is a Camco 5500W 240V Ripple Fold Back Ultra Low Watt Density element. I had no problem inserting it into the Still Dragon Element Guard Kit. It's an excellent kit! Usually with a product you can find a weak link. Well I see NO weak link with this.

I replaced the plastic gland fitting with a metal one from Lowes:

punkin

Looks really good NIN. Did you cut a short section from the gasket to line up with the weep hole?

captainshooch

I also removed the wing nut from the end cap clamp and replaced it with a lock nut so I do not accidentally undo the wrong one if I want to pull the elemnt assembly off the boiler.

NineInchNails

@punkin said: Looks really good NIN. Did you cut a short section from the gasket to line up with the weep hole?

Yup, sure did. At first I didn't intend on cutting it, but after a closer look it was clearly the right thing to do. The missing segment of gasket leaves a wide area for any liquid to freely exit. Plus the web page for the Element Guard Kit does a good job at showing a segment removed from the gasket.

A Shotgun condenser might be next on my list. $135 for a 2" long ... even if I had the materials for free it would probably cost as much, if not more, just to have the TIG welding done locally. I'm a big fan of SD stuff. Keep up the great work!

Smaug

Not to mention how much it would cost here in the US for the polished finish. To build a single unit from scratch would be 7 or 8 hundred bux or better in my area.

NineInchNails

Id have to 2nd that. I was just out in the garage trying to pretty up a 6" cap I bought 2nd hand, used & abused by dairy farmers. It turned out ok, but nowhere near what I would consider as "polished'.