Immersion element or Burco element - preference?

[Kev888]

For electric brew kettles in the past I've used both incoloy immersion cylinder elements (with the thermostat bypassed):

and bottom mounting burco elements


Both types have always worked very well for me and I struggle for a preference. So I wondered, Ignoring the cost and practicalities of installing them, if people had the choice of having either type in their boil kettle, which would you choose?

Cheers
Kev

[sbond10]

Just to point out most immersion elements tend to 3kw (all the ones I've seen ) so might need more than 13 amp ?

[Kev888]

Yeah, a lot of the immersion heaters are rated at 3kw @ 240v so only 12.5A, but some these days claim to be 3kw @ 230v - if thats 'actually' true (and not just a nominal voltage rating) it could indeed be slightly more than 13A if used at typical mains voltages. Whereas the Burco elements are available in 2.4kw and 3kw @ 240v so one could choose to be a bit kinder to the socket by selecting the lower rating.

Cheers
Kev

[sbond10]

I was only saying really cause someone mentioned using 2 x 2.4kw elements to me but I don't wanna take it above 13a as I only have one socket fuse for downstairs. So didn't want you overloading

[Fil]

why are you limiting your options to just those two?

there are U, pigtail, recycled budget kettle elements to mention just a few.. my own preference is for mrlards 100% stainless steel low watt density brewing elements. but they have gone up in price since i got mine..

the downside for the immersion elements afaik is the cost of tooling up to cut the larger holes and possible sealing issues with a large hole in a tightly curved pot.

Burco elements- cost again is a factor as they dont come cheap what with being a branded spare, and for less than a tenner you can get a far east ebay bargain 3kw circular bottom entry element similar to the burco jobs, which need a hole similar to that of a standard kettle element (iirc 38.5mm).

[Andy]

Immersion all day long. Reliable, easy to get hold of, can fit multiple elements in a boiler, easy to wire up and cheap

[bigdave]

I've just fiteed 2 of the pig tail type elements. They're rated at 2.5kw and cost about a tenner each from amazon.

[Kev888]

Thanks chaps!

sbond you're right to be cautious IMO - two elements together is quite a lot of power going on for quite a long time, so if you've other stuff also sharing the same downstairs ring main it can be possible to overload it. Although, 2x 2.4kw elements would be about 20Amps, and most (not all) ring mains are rated for 'about' 30A so it 'may' just depend how much other stuff you need to have running on the ring at the same time as using both elements. EDIT: the other thing is that even if you can share a ring, its best not to share a double socket as they don't have to be designed for simultaneous full load on both outlets.

Fil & Bigdave, yeah I agree there are many other suitable choices and I've used quite a few of them in the past, the poll is really just to collect opinions between my two favourites. I'm wanting to use longer/lower-watt-density styles, and of those it is quite hard to find any others that are as proven long-term. There was a brief period when immersion heaters started having cut-outs fitted on one of the element stalks, but 'AFAIK' these are now part of the thermostat (that would be bypassed anyway).

Andy, thanks for the verdict! Yes immersion elements are certainly hard to beat in those aspects. I believe that I 'could' also fit two of the burco elements in, but even then there would be less room for hop stoppers.

Cheers
kev

[barneey]

I voted for the burco over a traditional "large" diameter element (they can be a little bit of a pain to seal sometimes).

However the ones that MrLard sells are of a smaller diameter, fully stainless + you can buy them with a backnut shroud. Those IMHO are the best type to buy.

[Kev888]

Thanks for that - neck and neck now then!

I like the low profile nature of the burco elements - both for doing smaller batches (or switching on sooner during the sparge) and in case BIAB should ever be on the cards. In theory they are also one of the few (budget) elements out there which are expected both to boil and to be used for extended periods, though in practice the immersion elements (and many others) have no problem at all so I don't think there is actually any difference in the element design (cut-outs & thermostats excepting).

I'll look again at Mr Lards smaller diameter immersions - I've seen them before (online) and they certainly look good, but on the other hand I've fitted the larger/normal ones several times and I like the idea of their standard fitting and wide availability for future spares and upgrades.

cheers
kev

[barneey]

Having the smaller diameter does mean that the hole could be easily enlarged at a latter date should the need arise.

My preference,

HLT = burco
Boiler = pigtail/kettle or immersion but that will depend on the type of hop stopper being used. If BIAB or a hop spider the burco wins again. If choosing my preferred stainless braid ring with mesh filter the pigtail/kettle - immersion wins.

[Kev888]

Ah, interesting, thanks.

I hadn't got as far as the HLT... what is it about the burco element that you like for that application, just the flexibility for how little liquor it can heat?

Cheers
kev