UK keg boilers - self build

[Myles]

I am renewing this topic because I was thinking last night about forthcoming projects.

One of which is to turn one of my kegs into a boiler (HLT) for my beer / mashing process. In the past I have just heated the water in a keg over a propane burner.

However there has been so much activity in the T500 / small boiler sections recently I was thinking about the issue of the keg boilers.

Yes you can get element ports welded on, and yes you can do DIY element fixes as mentioned previously, but there is an alternative that does not get mentioned very often.

You can either build an electric hob, or mount electric cooker rings directly into the skirt of a keg. With a bit of insulation under the rings this does make an electric keg a much easier (although not quite as efficient) option than the immersion heater version.

You can get the cooker rings new from online stores, or if you are so inclined you can acquire used ones.

For a 100 litre keg you can fit three 7" x 1.8 kW rings for a total of 5.4kW
For the 50 and 30 litre kegs (same size lower chimb) you can fit three 6" x 1.1 kW rings for a total of 3.3 kW.

Add some rockwool insulation and you are good to go. There is even enough space available for a central keg drain.

As I said this is not as energy efficient as the use of an electric immersion heater, but it is a lot easier for the self builder with minimal tooling available.

[Mash]

I like your thinking. Much easier to control and less chance of scorching.

However I do fear for you ring main 5.7kw in too much.

[Myles]

It is OK on 4 mm CSA cable, especially if it is just pinned on, and not under plaster.
Even better on a cooker circuit though.

[Easydrinker]

An interesting idea Myles, not that I wish to use one personally, I am happy with my boiler, but I can see it being far easier to clean than an element in a keg.
Even easier if the top of the keg is removed completely.

Robert.

[Myles]

Its just a keg varient of an electric hot water boiler with a concealed element. Much better if you add the sort of controllers we tend to use.

Standard hob controllers just switch on/off with a timer, so the hob or boiler, cycles between full on and off.

Even the simplest controlers that folks might build are more sophisticated, and truly variable, than that. If you wish to get even more complicated, then that seems to get easier every day.