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Heating Element

Hello!

Today we joined the Dragon family! We bought our brand new 50L StillDragon still. However, we are unsure of one thing.... the heating element. It’s quite clear we need to buy the Control Kit, but what would your recommendations be regarding the controller and heating element?

Thanks!

Comments

  • 5500w ultra low watt density element. SD controller should be fine.

  • With our

    Element Guard Kit @ StillDragon Europe

    you can use any heating element with a 1" male pipe thread connector. The most popular option is the one from Camco with the ultra low watt density ripple type that can be found on Amazon.com (they ship to Europe and it's suitable for European power supply):

    Camco Elements @ Amazon

    We would recommend using the maximum wattage that your electrical circuitry supports, which would be 5500W each for the Camco ones. The element should be used with a controller like our DIY Controller Kit:

    DIY Controller Kit @ StillDragon Europe

    See here for The StillDragon® DIY Controller Kit Build Instructions:

    The StillDragon Operation Manuals

    See here for the The StillDragon® DIY Element Controller Kit Review:

    The StillDragon® DIY Element Controller Kit Review

    See here for an instructional video on how to assemble the Element Guard Kit:

    Watch @Kid showing how to assemble the Element Guard Kit

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjpjr24QG1k

    StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area

  • What is recommended for the 100 litre milkcan boiler? i.e. what wattage of element? Or should 2 elements be installed in the 100 litre milkcan boiler?

  • @Homebrew said: What is recommended for the 100 litre milkcan boiler? i.e. what wattage of element? Or should 2 elements be installed in the 100 litre milkcan boiler?

    It really depends as on how fast you want to heat up 70 watts per liter heats you up in one hour. Sorry you'll have to extrapolate for faster heat up times.

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • does anyone have any experience with AIICIOO ripple heating elements, available on amazon?

  • Nope. I bought the Denord triclpamp elements from Amazon. As well as some for SD. Some of the chinese triclamp elements are shit, especially the ones that are not stainless. My tank guy used them and they rusted like fuck after only two test runs in a boiler.

  • I also like dernord,I have 4-5 different ones.. the only ones I probably won't buy again are the 5500w ones with the NEMA L6-30P fitting on them, connector not great for the amps, and gets really warm and every time I use it I have to make sure there is dielectric grease, and twist it to keep it from arcing, the female is a high-quality leviton... Dernord tc-barb fittings also better than the no-name Chinese ones...

  • I am surprised that you ever use a plugged connection, this because or possible arcing. To me a screwed and permanent terminal connection would be an absolute requirement.

  • @only1 - I'm guessing you're UK based if you're asking about AIICIOO elements. I went through the same buying decisions but decided I wouldn't risk chinese elements. That means you'll need to import from the US. I went for Camco because I wasn't aware of Denord at the time. I'm happy with Camco, but I remember a post from CothermanDistilling saying Denord are lower watt density and less prone to burning

  • @JayTee, I'm based in Spain, and as I dont pay tax here, its a logistical nightmare to clear imports from outside the EU. I might have to go a round about route getting a Camco to me. Thanks for the responses!

  • edited August 2019

    I got my Camco 02965 5500W elements here: The Electric Brewery (contact is Kal)

    Didn't take long to arrive in the UK.

    I just ordered one of the Dernord ones on this page:

    Immersion Ripple heater | Foldback Brewing Water Tubular Heater Element | with 1 Inch NPSM Thread @ Dernord

    This company handled the payment:

    Ultra Low Watt Density heating element @ Detai

    Looks like it ships direct from China.

  • what is the maximum lenth of the element I can get away with, with a 50l milkcan boiler? I havent ordered the boiler yet, so not sure of the inner dimensions.

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