coffe addict wrote:The only benefit of two element is they can be run off separate circuits, so 2x2400w on most houses with out paying for bigger cables and sockets. Also the parts for building a controller are cheaper on lower wattage.
If you have bigger circuits/controller already or are happy to call a sparkie...
Ok, that makes sense. A lot of the 32a stuff is getting cheaper however. Not sure if I am allowed to post links to businesses, there are Australian stores online that sell the Clipsal-style 32a parts at a reasonable price e.g. less than $50 for an IP66 32a single phase outlet. You've also got the benefit of the IP rating as well.
The only parts in my setup that needed a higher amp rating were the contactors (mechanical relays) feeding the power and element switches and the wiring to the elements and control box. I've got PID control (in manual power output % mode) if I want to distill and the PID itself doesn't need to be rated at 32a as it doesn't draw that many amps.
If you look at the wiring diagrams here
http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum ... hp?t=25393 you can see what parts are required with higher amperage and which ones aren't. I realise this is a brewing setup and there's a heap of other things here such as volt and amp meters, timers, etc. but the same principles apply for distilling with an electric element--uprated components for those parts of a circuit that draw high amps