I had an incident with the element in my brewing kettle where it went on without water. I discovered it reasonably quickly but by that point it was glowing bright orange and the straight stick shape distorted to form more of a V shape. I was able to bend it back to more or less the correct shape. The surface of the element is now discoloured to a brown with some black flecks.
It is working ok again now but is it ok/safe to use still? Any likely food safety issues do you think?
Thank you!!
Should be fine. I did the same and continued to use the element without any effect on the beer. I would just scrub it with a scouring pad.
To prevent this from happening again you can install a float switch to interrupt the control signal to the SSR when there’s no water in the kettle. It’s one less thing to worry about on brew day. You can just turn on the element and it will start heating when the water reaches the minimum level.
Thank you Elco. Making mistakes is a great way to learn!!
What size hole does the single float switch require in the kettle wall? I have a 21mm hole punch but the picture looks like that would be too big. Also, is there a housing that goes over the thread on the outside of the kettle or are the wires sealed in?
