Adding an extra element to a burco boiler?

[DaveV]

Hi,

Dare say that this has been answered in various threads elsewhere.. If necessary, just point me to the most relevant recent one.
I have a 30L Burco cygnet boiler fitted with a 3kw heater element. I would like to add an extra element so I can cut down the time to get to boil. I would then plan to shut it off and maintain a rolling boil wih the 3kw heater. It does that job fine, just takes a while to get to there initially.. What is the
-1. the easiest
-2. the cheapest
-3. the safest (including here, avoiding damage to my boiler).
way of doing this?

I appreciate the answers to the above will not necessarily be the same..

DaveV

[alix101]

you can buy elements used for camping etc .. you just hang them into the water and bring it to the boil , one of these might work to help bring your burco to the boil .

[Skittlebrau]

Can you recommend one, alix101?

[alix101]

I can't recommend anything because I've not tried it but this was the type of thing I was thinking 350555468499 thats the ebay listing.

[micromaniac]

be carefull if you add or hang another element cus your 3kw burco is near the top end to run off a ring main . when mine is on ..and i run it thru a 32oowatt extension leed the cable is getting warm any added power use would blow the fuse .in plug or fuse box . there may be a sparky on here who can explain this better to you

[themadhippy]

3kw burco is near the top end to run off a ring main

3Kw is not even half of the capacity of the ring,the limiting factor as to what each outlet can deliver is the 13A fuse in each plug,however its not recommended to draw over 20A from a double socket,best option if you can is run each element of a separate ring ,or 1 of the ring and 1 of the cooker outlet as that's on its own circuit.

[boingy]

I can answer question 3 for you: Don't modify your Burco and be happy with 3kW.
I realise that is not the answer you wanted to hear...

[micromaniac]

3kw burco is near the top end to run off a ring main

3Kw is not even half of the capacity of the ring,the limiting factor as to what each outlet can deliver is the 13A fuse in each plug,however its not recommended to draw over 20A from a double socket,best option if you can is run each element of a separate ring ,or 1 of the ring and 1 of the cooker outlet as that's on its own circuit.

told you a sparky could explain it better... is my extension lead getting slighty warm cus it,s near it,s maximum of 3200 watts then ?

[alix101]

3kw burco is near the top end to run off a ring main

3Kw is not even half of the capacity of the ring,the limiting factor as to what each outlet can deliver is the 13A fuse in each plug,however its not recommended to draw over 20A from a double socket,best option if you can is run each element of a separate ring ,or 1 of the ring and 1 of the cooker outlet as that's on its own circuit.

told you a sparky could explain it better... is my extension lead getting slighty warm cus it,s near it,s maximum of 3200 watts then ?

Yes the fuse in your plug is only 13A although your ring main is fused at 32 A and is fine I'm surprised you have never blown it, if your using an extension reel make sure you fully uncoil it or it might bust into flames.
3200w/ 230 v = 13.9 A

[DaveV]

What a great forum!
Many thanks for very useful advice everybody. Safety is paramount to me, as I am sure it is to everybody else. However, as I am, by chance, doing my boil in the garage off a dedicated 25A circuit breaker with a 30mA protection device on the socket, it may be ok to at at least try adding another element, as presumably the worst that will happen is it will trip out ? I will look to upgrade my cabling as a priority first though.
However, it really isn't that big a deal at the end of the day. i am pretty happy with my brew set up for the most important part: producing half way drinkable beer. Waiting an extra half an hour is not that important, so I may well end up folowing Boingy's advice here. It is only for those days where you are trying to cram a brew in amongst everything else you want to do....

DaveV

[themadhippy]

is my extension lead getting slighty warm cus it,s near it,s maximum of 3200 watts then

simple answer,yep.more complex answer the cable has a resistance,and theres a current through it, and some german schoolteacher discovered that W=I^2 R.

[Bribie]

I use one of these 2.2 kw immersion heaters running off a different circuit, to supplement my 2.4kw urn.



It's great for:

Bringing strike water to temperature quicker
Ramping the temperature between steps in a step mash
Getting to the boil quicker

Remove, wash and it's out of the way. There's a hook so you can hang it over the side of the boiler. I paid about 45 gbp - I expect electrical "trade" shops would be able to track them down in the UK.

[orlando]

Hope I'm not insulting your intelligence here, can I assume you switch on the moment the element is covered? I do this and as I try to fly sparge as slowly as possible I often find my boiler is starting the boil even before I've finished, even on brew lengths up to 30 + litres in the boiler.

[roonikins]

i just fitted an old kettle element to mine about 4" above the original element.i've got a 15amp blue plug on the original 3kw element and just a 13amp plug on the 2.5kw.
and it works a treat in fact i prefer to use the new element for the boil well worth the effort of doing

[DaveV]

Orlando: No,I do not feel my intelligence is being insulted! My burco doubles as my hot liquor tank and my boiler. Unless anybody can come up with a diffferent suggestion, I have to wait for all my water for my sparging to have run out until I can load it with wort.
Obvious solution is therefore to get a separate, larger unit for my boil. Then I can both increase my brew length AND get things cracking quicker (particularly if I get something big and shiny that sits on a large gas ring). I will, then , of course have to push up the size of the hot liquor tank and mash tun. Simples .
However, not sure this logic will fly when it comes to discussing the financial implications with my wife .
Worth dreaming though..

DaveV