My element controller - thoughts?

by **BackyardBrewer** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 4:43 pm

ImageUploadedByTapatalk 21366353551.256710.jpg

My sparky put this together with some bits & pieces and an element & fan from mac...however he said "that a DC fan wouldn't/shouldn't work" and he's put it all in a slick looking box.

As I only need 4800w for heat up and then I can gear down to around 3000w using this am I in danger of any heat issues?

I showed him the diagram of how others have wired these and he said the box is large enough with enough surface and air to act as a heat sink.

Now he's a damn good sparky and i trust his knowledge (plus how slick does his box look?!) but no fan goes counter to how others here run them.

Planning a run tomorrow but thought I'd consult the hive-mind here first.

Thoughts?

by **JayD** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:00 pm

My thoughts are you had a professional put it together and should not second guess him...looks smick... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **Jonno** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:29 pm

You used scrs?

Photos of inside please!

by **BackyardBrewer** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:57 pm

I used nothing, my sparky did everything. Not sure I want to open it up...why?

by **1 2many** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 6:13 pm

Let us see inside the suspense is killing me. :-B

by **MacStill** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 6:15 pm

Jonno wrote:You used scrs?

Photos of inside please!

It's an SSR

by **punchy21** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 7:11 pm

You have a very nice box ;-) you may find that you don't need a fan, I think the more you reduce the voltage, the more the SSR has to 'work' so the more heat is generated. Whether it is enough heat to warrant a fan, you'll soon find out...

by **BackyardBrewer** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 7:34 pm

punchy21 wrote:You have a very nice box ;-) you may find that you don't need a fan, I think the more you reduce the voltage, the more the SSR has to 'work' so the more heat is generated. Whether it is enough heat to warrant a fan, you'll soon find out...

And by finding out does anyone you know like...fry? Or will I just damage elements or the circuit breakers?

by **punchy21** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 7:51 pm

I very much doubt it will come to that but keep an eye on it and if it gets too hot you'll just have to shut it down... I'm sure it will be fine... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **Sam.** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 10:02 pm

Mate if a licensed sparky put it together it should be apples :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Too much to lose if anything fucked up. You might find that a lot of gear is over engineered when it doesn't need to be ;-)

by **Brendan** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 10:12 pm

Nothing to worry about BB...if you find it gets too warm to the point you aren't comfortable with it, you can just buy a 240VAC fan from jaycar for $20-$30 (or a cheaper 12V one with a transformer ie. 12V charger) and get your sparky to wire it in for you. Would only take him 5 mins, and you can drill some holes/slots in the box at the same time.

edit: And a big metal box is a brilliant heat sink :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **BackyardBrewer** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 11:02 pm

Thanks all, yes he's a licensed sparky and much sought after.

He's shrink wrapped my element wires to insulate them and built Mac's guards for me and read all the posts here I've sent him on wire ups.

I love a tradie with good gear and good ideas. He's kind of family (our builder's nephew) so he's "tame" as they say.

I know blond.chap has had a devil of a time getting his ellies wired up from a decent sparky so I'm glad of the service of mine - and he knows EXACTLY what I'm doing. Bugger doesn't drink though so he only accepts money. Sheesh!

by **BackyardBrewer** » Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:57 pm

It's performing superbly. Wound back the element to just 20% and the box is still cool to the touch.

by **ozybottler** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 8:06 pm

hey guys i used a fan speed control works good dont think i needed only 1400w element
ozybottler