[dano14041]

Jeeze, you guys are still using Mr. Fusion?!  How quaint.

Three words:  zero point energy...

I have been trying to get the stargate working again so i could go off world in search of a ZPM, maybe get some unique grains, hops from other planets....

The Lucian Alliance has a type of maize that could be interesting to use in brewing. It is guaranteed to keep the customers coming back. 

[majorvices]

Low watt density elements are a better way to go to prevent scorching, but they can still melt down without liquid around them.

yeah. i never meant to imply that they wouldn;t. but I have accidentally let the liquid fall under them twice for a minute or two with no ill effects. IME you have a larger margin of error with the low density elements.

[dak0415]

I'm not sure what troubles me most, the stargate references or the fact that I understand them.

[a10t2]

Any reason why you guys don't switch to the low density elements? They work much better and the melt down is so much less of a problem! not to mention cleaning is a heck of a lot easier as well.

Short answer: I don't have the checkbook. The long answer involves corporate inertia, the difficulty and expense of getting someone up here to cut/weld on stainless, and the fact that my brewhouse is already going to be out of commission for 1-2 weeks immediately before our busiest weekend. We are getting this one Teflon coated, so hopefully that will help.

It wasn't even dry when it went, actually - just old and abused.

[Slowbrew]

Jeeze, you guys are still using Mr. Fusion?!  How quaint.

Three words:  zero point energy...

I have been trying to get the stargate working again so i could go off world in search of a ZPM, maybe get some unique grains, hops from other planets....

The Lucian Alliance has a type of maize that could be interesting to use in brewing. It is guaranteed to keep the customers coming back. 

I always figured that in true "Stargate" form the team would find an automated facility that had been producing ZPMs for 1MM years and solve all their problems. 

Like going all-grain solved all our problems, right?

Paul

[rabid_dingo]

Ah jeez, that sucks. Thankfully every time I've come "close" to this, I got to the plug before anything happened. Way too easy to have happen though. I've been thinking about installing a pressure sensor linked to a switch for turning the elements off if there's no water in them.

As mentioned by TM above, I think I'd go with a float switch over pressure sensor/switch.

Sorry about the elements TM, but this just goes to show why heating elements are bad, and we should only use one of these:

Do you know the supplier?
Is it cost effective?
What do I do with spend rods?
You think I will pass it by city council?

Spent rods? It's a Mr. FUSION probably just iron pellets...

Bring back SG-U...

[tschmidlin]

Do you know the supplier?
Is it cost effective?
What do I do with spend rods?
You think I will pass it by city council?

Fusion Industries
Very cost effective, it runs on trash.
No spent rods, although you end up with iron which you can sell to China to fuel their growth.  Fusing things heavier than iron requires energy input, so that's no good.
It's an after-market addition, so it's better not to tell the city council.

[phillamb168]

Any reason why you guys don't switch to the low density elements? They work much better and the melt down is so much less of a problem! not to mention cleaning is a heck of a lot easier as well.

Short answer: I don't have the checkbook. The long answer involves corporate inertia, the difficulty and expense of getting someone up here to cut/weld on stainless, and the fact that my brewhouse is already going to be out of commission for 1-2 weeks immediately before our busiest weekend. We are getting this one Teflon coated, so hopefully that will help.

It wasn't even dry when it went, actually - just old and abused.

I forgot that you worked at the Silverton brewery - heard the interview of you with James on BBR. Good stuff. Do they still have the narrow-gauge railroad? My dad took me and my brother on a trip through the west about a decade ago, I'd love to take my family out there and do it again. Amazing, amazing land around there.

[Thirsty_Monk]

Any reason why you guys don't switch to the low density elements? They work much better and the melt down is so much less of a problem! not to mention cleaning is a heck of a lot easier as well.

Short answer: I don't have the checkbook. The long answer involves corporate inertia, the difficulty and expense of getting someone up here to cut/weld on stainless, and the fact that my brewhouse is already going to be out of commission for 1-2 weeks immediately before our busiest weekend. We are getting this one Teflon coated, so hopefully that will help.

It wasn't even dry when it went, actually - just old and abused.

You said Teflon coated.
Any concern when using caustic and lifting the Teflon off?
At least that was a claim for PBW and Teflon dishes.

[SpanishCastleAle]

You said Teflon coated.
Any concern when using caustic and lifting the Teflon off?
At least that was a claim for PBW and Teflon dishes.

Good point.  We have a bunch of teflon encapsulated heaters at work but they are all 'over-the-side' types, so the 'open end' is never submerged.  Ours are used for strong nitric acid solutions.  They don't look like they are bonded to the element, at least not like a teflon-coated pan.  The teflon encapsulated elements look like semi-opaque, white teflon with an almost visible element inside.

For our strong caustic (NaOH) solutions, we just use screw-plug heaters with 304 SS plugs and incoloy elements (that combo covers most applications).

What is the advantage of teflon-encapsulated heaters wrt running the element dry?

Here's a couple of pics of our Electropolishing tank that had orthophosphoric acid in a polypropylene lined tank (actually, it's the melted liner and elements lifted out of the SS tank).  This is what happens when someone forgets to turn it off and the temp controller fails (on a weekend) and there is no over-temp protection.  The polypro liner melted and floated to the top...and just got 'qued.  Those were not teflon-encapsulated but the new ones are.

[phillamb168]

Hey that looks like some of da weaz' BBQ!

[oscarvan]

Whoa, it's a LIFE FORM!

Forgot to put water in the camper water heater one spring after dewinterizing.....7 seconds was all it took to fry the element.

[punatic]

Hey that looks like some of da weaz' BBQ!

   That's a good one Phil!

[weazletoe]

Hey that looks like some of da weaz' BBQ!

LMAO!!