![]() Heating element installed in the Hot Liquor Tank (for heating up the strike and sparge water): Heating element installed in the Boil Kettle (for boiling the wort): Popping an element is about the last thing you want given that you've likely already milled your grain and have everything ready to go. While nobody means to fire up an element like this, mistakes do happen. Using ULWD elements provides you with a little bit of insurance against these human errors. There is however one very good reason to use ULWD elements over regular elements: They won't break as easily if fired up "dry" (not immersed in water). When a regular element is fired up "dry" the element will pop fairly quickly (usually before you notice your mistake!) as there is no water to dissipate the heat. We haven't come across one concrete example where this has happened, but we feel it's better to be safe than sorry, especially considering that the cost of ULWD elements is minimal compared to 'standard' elements. Is ULWD really required however? In discussions with many other electric brewers who use 'standard' density electric elements, the whole idea of scorching or caramelization seems to be mostly Internet folklore. This particular element uses a zig-zag pattern to make it even longer still, further reducing the amount of heat produced per square inch. These elements are typically folded over on themselves making the effective length twice as long as a regular element. The element is ultra-low watt density (ULWD) which means that the heat produced per square inch along the element is very low which reduces the chance of scorching or caramelizing the boiling wort. One element provides enough heat to bring a typical 10-20 gallon batch to a boil within a reasonable time frame. All Camco elements are UL listed for USA/Canada. We use the Camco #02965 5500W 240VAC ultra low watt density (ULWD) stainless steel RIPP element. ![]() ![]() If boiling more than 20 gallons, consider two 5500W elements. If boiling less than 8 gallons, a 4500W heating element works well. A 5500W heating element is good for boiling around 8-20 gallons, perfect for our setup. Sizing the element correctly is important: You want it large enough to be able to heat water fairly quickly and be able to maintain a good rolling boil in the Boil Kettle. Elements are installed in two of our 20 gallon Blichmann Boilermaker kettles: One in the Boil Kettle (used to boil wort) and another in the Hot Liquor Tank (used to heat strike and sparge water). Electrical heating elements similar to those found in electric hot water tanks are used as heat sources in our brewery.
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