Element guard question

[davecuds]

Howdy,
I've just finished up my element guard but thought better run it by you guys. I was using a piece of PVC before which I earthed via a ss screw onto the element nut. This time I thought I could just solder the earth wire directly onto the inside of the element casing. Can anyone see any problems with this?

[davecuds]

Some pics.

[Smbjk]

Dude that is 1 crazy element. I would first try and clean up the contacts then attach the earth using a small bolt and nut that way to is hard to come loose and become un earthed. However im no sparky but that is what I did and when everything is assembled it will be earthed but first give the element a good clean or get a new one it looks a little dangerous :scared-eek:

[davecuds]

I guess it was looking a little rough. Here it is with a little clean. Its only a few months old but to be fair i have been flogging the shit out of it. There terminals had to be modified due to a seized bolt but the crimps fit on there really well. I need to yank them pretty hard to get them off. The earth wired is soldered on there pretty well so im confident it will hold. I can go back to the nut and bolt i guess.

I have 2 more elements being delivered but it'll be another 2 weeks so i'd like get a few more runs in the meantime.

[pulsetech]

I would feel a lot better if you used fully insulated terminals. That way if one does pull off its less likely to short out. You can get them from bunnings / masters / autobarn and plenty of other places. Or you could heat shrink over the top of them. Jaycar sells hear shrink with glue inside that would give your some more security.

[pulsetech]

After looking at your picture again I bet if you rotated both terminals they would touch. Bad news

[punchy21]

I would feel a lot better if you used fully insulated terminals. That way if one does pull off its less likely to short out. You can get them from bunnings / masters / autobarn and plenty of other places. Or you could heat shrink over the top of them. Jaycar sells hear shrink with glue inside that would give your some more security.

:text-+1:

[sp0rk]

Looks like you've burned some of the epoxy out of the end of the element
You may or may not have problems with moisture ingress, make sure you keep it nice and dry in there

[stretch69]

That thing is crazy, it looks like something from that moonshiners show :-)

[davecuds]

Yeah I'll be a good boy and wait for my new elements, do em right

[Andy]

davecuds i found an element in worse condition than yours 8-} :teasing-tease: :laughing-rolling:

[davecuds]

:scared-eek:
Oh shit! what happened to that?

[sp0rk]

Looks like calcium and organics buildup
then possibly overheating due to all the gunk on there
used to get a fair few spa heaters come back to the heating element manufacturer I used to work for looking just like that

[Yummyrum]

NO ,you can't solder the earth wire on .It looks to me as if you intend to solder the cover onto the cap that the earth is soldered onto ..There is no way you can guarantee that the earth will not sweat back off ..Simply fuckin dangerous and illegal wiring practices



Don't do it ...it must be connected via a nut and bolt with star washers and an eye terminal .The earth wire connection must be longer that the other connections.
This will ensure that if the power cord is pulled on , ( because sure enough someone at some stage will trip over the cord) the earth is the last terminal that could be ripped off ..giving the best chance of survival for anyone that comes in contact with the boiler

Dave , hats off for asking :handgestures-thumbupleft: ...hopefully you have put something out there that other might read ...and saved someone down the track

[davecuds]

Cheers Yummy,
yeah mate, i normally rush in and do things but i got to that point and thought it'd be better to check first. Im sure im not the only one who has thought of/done it.

Will fix that tomorrow

[APR]

Will fix that tomorrow

G'Day Davecuds, where you have soldered on the copper housing around the terminal area you need to evaluate under what conditions the assembly method could fail. As an example, what would happen if the element were to by chance be run or boil dry, and the temperature were to get higher than the solder melting point.

[davecuds]

Another good point APR. Following Yummy's advice Ill put a longer earth wire in attached to a circular crimp with nut and bolt and a star washer. The terminal crimps are now the cylindrical ones and fully insulated and i managed to solder them to the termials with a soldering iron, then wrapped each individually with electrical tape. Will only use it one or two more times then my new babies will arrive.

[CyBaThUg]

hey guys a quick question, i have one of the old style copper fsd element guards I dont think they r sold here anymore but its takin me a long bloody time to sort my shit out and now im just putting it on my keg and im having a problem remembering what side the o ring sits on. So directly against the guard and bsb join or against the element inside against the guard. Either way its still leaks but once screwed on without the guard it seals. i have the guard only drilled to a size where it screws on the element should i drill it a little bigger cuz maybe im unable to screw it tight enough to get a seal when the element is screwed in :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

[MacStill]

Whack the seal in here mate, you could also use a little thread tape on the element :handgestures-thumbupleft:

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[CyBaThUg]

hey mac i know i sound stupid lol but think i figured out where i was going wrong that 50 mm cap does that sit over the bsb join cuz i had it on the face of the bsb join