True, this is a problem. I always unplug the heater prior to removing it from the oil, otherwise it gets very smoky and the exterior of the heating element gets charred with burnt gunk (nasty!).
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Spence [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 10:24 AM To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [biofuel] Re: How to heat a BD processor careful you don't just cook the oil onto the heating element. Steve Spence Subscribe to the Renewable Energy Newsletter & Discussion Boards. Read about Sustainable Technology: http://www.green-trust.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "ehall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 1:20 PM Subject: RE: [biofuel] Re: How to heat a BD processor > It depends on the amount of material you're heating. I work primarily in > 5 gal batches. > There are great heater elements in automatic coffee machines (Mr. > Coffee, Braun...). I find them all the time in the trash. I think people > toss them out when the glass pot breaks. Anyway, the heating element is > what you're after. You'll have to disassemble the coffee maker, the > heating element is a horseshoe shaped gizmo with a tube bonded to it. I > try to reuse the thermister (it's a thermal safety switch) but, > sometimes these are burned out. It'll work without it, just don't leave > it alone for long periods. > Attach the heating element to a 5gal paint stick/stirrer (any > non-conductive stick will do). These little heating elements get very > hot (remember, they're made to boil water), you don't want to mount them > directly to the wood stick, use a stand-off, I use Plumbers tape, it's > metal banding/tape with holes in it, pretty common at Home Depot. Mount > the heating element a few inches up from the bottom of the stick (you > don't want the heater to touch the plastic bucket), wire them up to an > extension cord. They're completely submersible, even the electrical > connection. > The wattage is usually listed somewhere on the coffee maker housing. > For additional circulation, I grind out the middle section of the > U-shaped tube that's bonded to the heating element. This effectively > makes two independent tubes (instead of one continues u-shaped tube). > You don't have to get too carried away with the grinder, just grind away > about half of the tube diameter for about an inch or so. If you grind > into the element, it's ruined. > This really enhances the flow within the bucket. You'll see little > grease jets spewing away. With two of these heating elements (on one > stick) you can get the oil/grease pretty hot. I'm not exactly sure what > the melting temp of a plastic 5g bucket is, I know it's above 100C. I've > melted plastic buckets collecting hot grease straight out of the fryer > but, that's at around 150C so, be careful. > Good luck, > Ed > > > -----Original Message----- > From: girl_mark_fire [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, March 07, 2003 10:26 PM > To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [biofuel] Re: How to heat a BD processor > > Way wrong temperature. > mark > > > --- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, "Greg and April" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > Have you thought about fish aquarium heaters? > > > > Greg H. > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
