T500 upgrade

[Furynfear]

Hey guys and gals.

Noticed last run that my t500urn is not strong enough for the cold weather. Taking 2 hours to just heat up to temp. Gonna insulate the urn but was also thinking of adding mac stills 2.4kw element. Also what is the element guard for. Also what size is the element so I can make sure it fits.

Has anyone done this upgrade or similar and found better results.

Also has anyone used a simmerstat to control the element power.

[Furynfear]

Change simmerstat to fan resistor or light dimmer. You can get ones rated up to 15-20 amp.

[poompy]

i have found that insulating the boiler and now the column has helped things.
Insulating the boiler knocked off around 15min for the heat up phase (estimation).

I have been thinking of using an element from a cordered kettle ($9) to add to the boiler to reduce heat up time as well. Just been to lazy to do anything about it.

Mind you my heat up has never taken 2hrs. Worst case i reckon 1hr. I run mine inside as well to keep it out of the elements.

I also use a controller that can limit the power goign to the element. This has helped again not for heat up but for better control.

[Furynfear]

Which controller do u use for the element control

[poompy]

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1940&start=40

make sure you get a sparky to wire it up for you. 240v aint something to play with.

[Muppet]

The element guards are water tight and seal the connections from yourself and the atmosphere. Sounds quite strange mine is always running around 45mins after start up :think: maby yours is on its way out? I would think a controller would be needed if you go with the upgraded element. One 2400 element cranks some heat

[Furynfear]

Would someone please post a pick of how they put there box together. Gives me a rough idea of how to put it together. Wiring diagram is great so will be easy to wire.

[Sam.]

Would someone please post a pick of how they put there box together. Gives me a rough idea of how to put it together. Wiring diagram is great so will be easy to wire.

Lots in this section mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[APR]

Hey guys and gals.

Noticed last run that my t500urn is not strong enough for the cold weather. Taking 2 hours to just heat up to temp. Gonna insulate the urn but was also thinking of adding mac stills 2.4kw element. Also what is the element guard for. Also what size is the element so I can make sure it fits.

Hi Furynfear,

Is your boiler an 1800 watt T500 boiler, or is it a 2000 watt copy? The 2000 watt unit I have actually has 2 elements in the one casting wired in parallel, and each element draws around 1000 watt. If one of the elements failed it could take 1 1/2 to 2 hours to boil.

What I would be looking at is one of these elements I link to below as they readily mount in the floor of the boiler, and the 2000 watt unit should be able to use the existing wiring into the base. Actually I would install the 3000 watt unit and upgrade the electrical cable. You would certainly need a power controller to drop down the wattage once the wash is up to temperature.

http://www.uxcell.com/10mm-male-thread- ... 79598.html

http://www.uxcell.com/ac220v-3000w-scre ... 80521.html

[Furynfear]

Hey Apr. I doubt the element has gone. It's normally ok but I was outside, it was raining and cold and non insulated.

Does anyone know the physical size of the elements mac sells. So I can see if they fit in the urn.

[Furynfear]

Apr is them heaters a direct fit. Are they the same as the original apart from wattage

[MacStill]

Does anyone know the physical size of the elements mac sells. So I can see if they fit in the urn.

250mm overall length :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Furynfear]

Hi Furynfear,

Is your boiler an 1800 watt T500 boiler, or is it a 2000 watt copy? The 2000 watt unit I have actually has 2 elements in the one casting wired in parallel, and each element draws around 1000 watt. If one of the elements failed it could take 1 1/2 to 2 hours to boil.

What I would be looking at is one of these elements I link to below as they readily mount in the floor of the boiler, and the 2000 watt unit should be able to use the existing wiring into the base. Actually I would install the 3000 watt unit and upgrade the electrical cable. You would certainly need a power controller to drop down the wattage once the wash is up to temperature.

http://www.uxcell.com/10mm-male-thread- ... 79598.html

http://www.uxcell.com/ac220v-3000w-scre ... 80521.html

Are u 100% sure it fits