e-Vaporator

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Originally Posted by Cedar Eater

...I know more than enough to get myself in big trouble.

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The wiring is pretty straight forward. The challenge I had was with the introduction of the PID controller. I've never used or seen one so there was a bit of research to be done. I learned a bunch from the biodiesel and the home brewing communities. If your spa has a plug, or can be wired for one, using that circuit should be just right. I use a clothes dryer receptacle and hot swap the plugs as needed. Insulating the pot should be a big help. I'll be doing that next year.

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Originally Posted by VTmaplehobby

Where can I get the aforementioned "fairy dust"

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Fairy dust is not generally available at retail. One must simply... believe.

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Originally Posted by Fyreaway

I would love to market these things but I'm already having more fun with the crowd sourcing of ideas and improvements. Posting on this forum makes the concept more available to more people who are more inclined to offer suggestions for improvement. Perhaps somebody will seize on the idea and make something available commercially and I'll have a wee giggle when I see one in a catalog. As a tiny little hobby producer it's more about finding ways to make the fun more available to more people. I can imagine an electric evaporator being used on an apartment balcony.

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Ok, just wondering. I could be in Cortland in less than an hour if you move on to 3.0 or 4.0 models and want to sell any of the earlier ones..or would it just be upgrades to what you have now?

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Originally Posted by saphound

...or would it just be upgrades to what you have now?

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I'll most likely use the same kettle next year. I've got some improvements that I can make without getting into fabrication of a new boiler. Metal work is all foreign to me so I'm a bit limited in how much I can change. If I could make this out of wood it would be changed weekly.

I was just thinking about your hotel pan with the twin 120 elements. Did you ever try it with just one of them plugged in? Hotel pans are cheap. What do the elements cost roughly, and the PID controller?

Some stats on my stainless steel sink. It's 16 X 21 X 7 inches, minus something, maybe 10 - 20 % for rounded corners (which are easy to clean). So if I did my calculations correctly, it holds between 8 and 10 gallons and has a surface area of approximately 2 sqft. That could actually be a very nice kettle.

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Originally Posted by saphound

I was just thinking about your hotel pan with the twin 120 elements

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The twin 120s; sounds like a NASCAR event or a fishing boat! I did try using just one and was disappointed in the result. It made heat and got the pot steaming but I never got a real good boil. The biggest problem with a 120v heater is you're limited (mostly) to 1500 watts. Running two you'll get a good boil but the nuisance of running two power cords and making sure they're on separate circuits can be a challenge. The heating elements can be found for about $30. This is where some online shopping will be helpful. Finding an all stainless element locally is a bit tough. I found the best place for suggestions and help was at one of many home brewing forums. I think I have about $100 in the controller box. The project box houses the PID, the solid state relay, and the heat sink. There's also the electrical connectors so I think $100 all in is pretty close. I waited too long before jumping into the control issue. Had I known how much easier it made the whole process I would have spent the money much sooner. I guess my advice to someone wanting to try this out is to go as cheap as possible for the first try. Get some stuff at the hardware store and boil some water to see what happens. If it feels good and seems to work for you don't be afraid to spend a bit o' cash to make it all stainless and easily controlled.

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Originally Posted by Cedar Eater

Some stats on my stainless steel sink...

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I like the sink idea more all the time. One thing I like about my franken-boiler is that I see very little difference in evap rate based on depth of sap. I usually run it full to the top just to give myself a bit of cushion in case I accidentally take a nap while I'm boiling. (I admit it. It has happened.) The other reason for running the sap at the top is my pretend scientific knowledge. Apparently the transition from liquid to gas takes place right at the surface of the liquid. If I keep a fan blowing the steam away I keep fresh dry air at that interface. Don't know if that's really the reason but I notice a bit faster evap with fan running. Another thing to ponder; I notice very little temperature difference of the sap within the boiler. Sometimes I just like to mess around with things. The PID can be set to display temperature in tenths of degrees. I have to use that setting to see any difference in the temp of the sap. There has to be a limit to how much fluid a single element can heat and how far from the element that heat conducts. Surface area will be a huge factor in evap rate and finding that sweet spot ( so to speak) will be a challenge for someone more smarter than me.

Excuse my ignorance of all things electric, but why do you need to run each of the 120's on separate circuits? You'd blow the breaker? And did you ever get a pic of frankin-boiler in action? I'd love to see the boil if you have one.

P = IE or I = P/E or E = P/I

P - power measured in watts
I - current measured in amps
E - voltage measured in volts

If you are using 120 volts and a 1500 watt element I = P/E --- I= 1500/120 --- I = 12.5 amps --- 2 elements would be 25 amps

120 volt circuits use either 14/2 wire that is rated for 15 amps or 12/2 wire that is rated for 20 amps both of which are too small to handle the 25 amp load.