Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

I am wondering if I wanted to go electric down the track can you use American elements here in Australia.
I have access to a couple of these (they come in a shorter length) I'm assuming they are American 3 phase.
My question is that is it possible to have this type of setup at home and how much trouble is involved in hooking it up.
I have read that some of the guys here are sparkys and may know. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I wouldn't recommend connecting a 110V device (american single phase voltage) to 230V supply here without the appropriate step down transformer because the insulation from the bitey bit inside the element won't be designed to take that. Whatever element you get make sure it is rated to connect to the 230V we get out of the wall here.

In regards to 3-phase anything, if you don't have 3-phase connected to your house already expect to pay large sums of money to energex (or whoever owns the network for those not in QLD) to run the other phases into your house from the power pole and then money to a sparky to continue those to your shed.

I think you will find it easier to get and raise fewer eyebrows if you went with 15a sockets. If you had two 15a sockets you could run 7200w (two 3600w elements for heatup would be fast enough on your boiler i reakon) then once at temp turn one element off and dial the other down to desired voltage. You could prob just use one 3600w (15a) and one 2400w :handgestures-thumbupleft:

There is a time to boiling calculator in the beginers section. Have a play with that and see how many watts you are happy with..

Apart from the huge industrial elements that run on three phase I think you'll find that the us elements are 240v like the two camco elements I just bought. 5500w 240v heaps of power!

United States do have 220 V outlets may be 3 phase do not know and elements can be 220 V so would be safe to use those in Australia if wired correctly
If you need 3 phase can buy a converter but expensive but could be cheaper then installing 3 phase..

coffe addict wrote:Apart from the huge industrial elements that run on three phase I think you'll find that the us elements are 240v like the two camco elements I just bought. 5500w 240v heaps of power!

Are you saying them ones could be classed as huge industrial elements?

Surprisingly enough some blokes are running them from sheds on there property's in the US.

I was only toying with the idea because I was offered a couple shorter ones some months back, I like the idea of gunning on the naked flame myself.
Will give the idea a miss. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

The one in the pic is fucking heaps bigger than anything I would consider hobby level and I am guessing would have to be 3 phase

Sam. wrote:The one in the pic is fucking heaps bigger than anything I would consider hobby level and I am guessing would have to be 3 phase

Yer I'm hearing ya, them hillbillies over there are a bit different. I have got to know several lads over the course of my build and a couple run 120 gallon cans and one even bigger. Your guess would be as good as mine what you would do with that much whiskey, but I guarantee you could drink it all. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Even if they are only half filling them....

Rather than getting one massive element it would be better to get multiple smaller ones.
Wasnt a member here doing just that?
I think it was 4x 2400w on a pro boiler...

CHR... you are keen on gas... do the numbers... LPG is hideously priced and the amount you would use on your size boiler, using natural gas, will never come close to electric.Then you need pipes and valves...etc. Elements from China (Flea bay for example) which are the ones we pretty much get here anyway, are ridiculously cheap and reasonable quality. No rooting around with USA configurations, no fire hazard (gas) just plain obvious. Your heat up times will be exactly the same with elec as with gas, pretty much... then you can back off with a controller when needed.

Plus... the unit becomes somewhat more portable... ie... no gas lines or bottles to shift around if ever the need arises... Elements..internal...simple.

Gas or fire is old skool like ya still,and I understand ya choice that way for authenticity,but electric may turn out ta be more practical and safer but then all have risks,a couple of 3600wt element and gaurds from FSD and a power control for one element will cover all bases and give ya more options.Get a couple of 2inch end caps as well then those can be fitted if running gas or for storeage and transport.cheers hillzabilly :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Kenster wrote:Plus... the unit becomes somewhat more portable... ie... no gas lines or bottles to shift around if ever the need arises... Elements..internal...simple.

I would disagree, you can run a water line as far as you like within reason, you can only run an extension cord so far before the power drop is too much and won't power your elements properly.

You could get full hillbilly and use a windmill on a bore for your cooling :teasing-neener:

Sam. wrote:You could get full hillbilly and use a windmill on a bore for your cooling :teasing-neener:

Now that I'd like to see! :))

Psykamaholik wrote:

Sam. wrote:You could get full hillbilly and use a windmill on a bore for your cooling :teasing-neener:

Now that I'd like to see! :))

You know how out of place a windmill would look in my neighbourhood :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

copperhead road wrote:

Sam. wrote:I guarantee you could drink it all. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Even if they are only half filling them....

No thanks, maybe just a hearts jar for me

*sorry, this is not Sam'e quote

Dig Brinker wrote:

copperhead road wrote:

Sam. wrote:I guarantee you could drink it all. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Even if they are only half filling them....

No thanks, maybe just a hearts jar for me

*sorry, this is not Sam'e quote

Sorry it's a typo it's should say "I guarantee you could not drink it all"

Even if they are only half filling them.... is in reference to the size of the boilers some blokes are running at home :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Sam, i didnt mean that he could move his rig into the next neighbourhood, just somewhere else close by if he had to temporarily shift it. My main thrust was the movement of gas lines/bottles which would need to be pretty well plumbed i guess... just clarifying, thats all. Water lines v extension cords... obvious.