The Beer Borg

Have you thought about switching to 5 gallon full-boil batches and have concerns about your kitchen stove’s inability to boil large volumes of liquid? Well, I’ve got a solution for you – it’s called a HEATSTICK! It’s really easy to build, and costs under $50. It works together with your kitchen stove to easily boil 7-8 gallons of wort!

Here’s a list of parts:

1. 120V screw-in water heater element. I bought a 1500 watt element at Lowes – this requires 14 gauge wires, and can run on any 15A GFCI outlet. If you want a bit more power, Home Depot has a 2000 watt element, but you will need 12 gauge wires, and a 20A GFCI outlet.
2. 14 gauge extension cord (12 gauge if using 2000W element) – I bought a 25-foot one.
3. 15″ long X 1 1/2″ I.D. L-shape chrome drain pipe with slip coupler.
4. 1 1/2″ to 1 1/4″ chrome slip reducer
5. 6″ long X 1 1/2″ I.D. plastic drain pipe with slip coupler.
6. 1″ PVC end plug.
7. J-B Weld Epoxy.
8. Acetone (to thin out J-B Weld to make it pourable).

How to:

Here are all the parts (I already cut the end off the extension cord and drilled a hole in the end plug). Note: discard the slip coupler that comes with the drain pipe, use the reducer instead. Leave the rubber seal on the heating element:

Strip 12″ or so of outer insulation from the extension cord, and thread all the parts on like so:

Screw the black and white wires to the heating element, and thread the green (ground) wire back out the drain pipe. Here it is almost assembled (make sure to tighten the slip coupler over the heating element really well):

Mix up the whole package of J-B Weld Epoxy, and add a tablespoon or so of acetone to thin it to pouring consistency, then pour into the drain pipe. Make sure it goes all the way to the bottom and seals all contacts. Set it somewhere with the element pointing down (place something underneath as a bit of J-B Weld may drip) and leave for 48-72 hours to fully cure.

After J-B Weld cures, it’s time for the final assembly:
Fan the little wires in the green ground wire, and wedge it between the edge of chrome pipe and the plastic pipe as you push it on. Screw the slip coupler on, and glue the end plug on (I didn’t – just used some painter’s tape to secure the plug on the end).

And voila! You have just built a heatstick! To use

A few warnings:

– ALWAYS USE A GFCI OUTLET! DO NOT USE A HEATSTICK IF IT TRIPS THE GFCI!
– DO NOT PLUG THE HEATSTICK IN UNLESS SUBMERGED IN LIQUID!
– UNPLUG THE HEATSTICK BEFORE REMOVING FROM LIQUID!

You can use the heatstick to supplement your electric or gas stove, or by itself with smaller batches (when using with gas burners- MAKE SURE YOU DON’T BURN THE CORD!!!).