Installing a 750 W element in a 35 L DigiBoil tap port

[axl617]

Hey everyone, new distiller here.

I’m looking at installing a separate 750 W heating element through the tap opening of a 35 L DigiBoil so I can control the power going into a PolyPhoenix Air Still head more precisely.

This is the element I’m considering:

https://www.dernord.com/products/240v-7 ... nch-thread

Has anyone fitted this element, or something similar, through the DigiBoil tap hole?

I’m trying to work out whether the ½-inch thread fits the existing opening, what locknut, washers and gasket are needed to mount and seal it, whether the 295 mm element clears the opposite side of the boiler, what people use to enclose and connect the bare leads, and which 240 V power controller provides smooth control down to around 550–600 W.

I’d also be interested to know whether this setup has caused any leaking, scorching or dry-firing issues.

The plan is to use the original 2,400 W DigiBoil elements for heat-up, switch both off, and then run only the separate controlled element during distillation.

[howard]

[quote="axl617"]Hey everyone, new distiller here.

I’m looking at installing a separate 750 W heating element through the tap opening of a 35 L DigiBoil so I can control the power going into a PolyPhoenix Air Still head more precisely.

This is the element I’m considering:

https://www.dernord.com/products/240v-7 ... nch-thread

Has anyone fitted this element, or something similar, through the DigiBoil tap hole?

I’m trying to work out whether the ½-inch thread fits the existing opening, what locknut, washers and gasket are needed to mount and seal it, whether the 295 mm element clears the opposite side of the boiler, what people use to enclose and connect the bare leads, and which 240 V power controller provides smooth control down to around 550–600 W.

a few folk, including myself, have re-wired the original 1900w element so i can switch it through a power controller.
that is on a brewzilla but i assume it's very similar setup on a digiboil.
some folk even plug their digiboil/brewzilla directly into a voltage controller to control the power.
also,i have a brewzill & a digiboil, and i wouldn't really like to lose the tap TBH.

i have never used an airstill or seen that polypheonix head before today, but will 750w be enough to run that still?
my 2" column requires about 1200w for a spirit run.

the 5-star shop on this board sells a power controller

[TheRealMrMessy]

Yeah pretty much as howard says, just grab a power/voltage controller. Turn both the elements on and adjust with the controller.

Edit: I've got a brewzilla, and you can control them various ways - but the newer ones like mine don't like voltage controllers as they have that capability built in. The digiboil is just a switch for each element - no smarts involved. Flick em both on and control as though a single.

Second edit... that still head on a 35L? How do you even attach it? :think: edit 3!!!! never mind, saw how. Not for me, but good luck!

[axl617]

a few folk, including myself, have re-wired the original 1900w element so i can switch it through a power controller.
that is on a brewzilla but i assume it's very similar setup on a digiboil.
some folk even plug their digiboil/brewzilla directly into a voltage controller to control the power.
also,i have a brewzill & a digiboil, and i wouldn't really like to lose the tap TBH.

i have never used an airstill or seen that polypheonix head before today, but will 750w be enough to run that still?
my 2" column requires about 1200w for a spirit run.

the 5-star shop on this board sells a power controller

The PolyPhoenix air head is only rated to around 600 W (maybe it can handle a bit more), so 750 W is probably gonna be the sweet spot accounting for all the attachments and heat loss. My problem is really that the DigiBoil only gives me 500 W, 1900 W or 2400 W, with nothing in between. It also shuts out if you lower the voltage by more than 10-30%, so it's impossible to even get it down to 1,000w.

I could rewire the 1900 W element through a controller, but I was looking at the separate 750 W element because it seemed like a simpler way to get that narrow adjustment range without touching the DigiBoil internals. I'm not really experienced with electrical parts, and I have seen someone successfully add a 750 W element on here via the tap hole, but they weren't specific with what they used.

The BrewZilla 4.1 would be perfect, but it costs about four times as much and I’d mostly be paying for brewing features I don’t need.

[TheRealMrMessy]

Mmm... okay always thought the digiboil was just a couple power switches, but it does have a protection circuit for boiling dry etc. Kinda lame that you can't control it but hey, protection circuits have their place.

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=14419
Might be the solutions you are looking for here.

[The Stig]

The 35L digiboil works perfectly fine with the power controllers .
The plastic in that still is what I will never agree with

[TheRealMrMessy]

Onya Stig. Seemed like it should??? :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[axl617]

The 35L digiboil works perfectly fine with the power controllers .
The plastic in that still is what I will never agree with

How do you mean? Would I be able to reduce the 1900w to 750w?

[axl617]

Mmm... okay always thought the digiboil was just a couple power switches, but it does have a protection circuit for boiling dry etc. Kinda lame that you can't control it but hey, protection circuits have their place.

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=14419
Might be the solutions you are looking for here.

That's exactly the thread that inspired me to post this. But the guy in that one hasn't posted here in over a year, so I don't think I'd get a follow up.