5,500 watt Moonshine Still Controller Electric Heating Elements Tri Clamp Box
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
You've seen the rest now it's time to check out the best. This is our "Next Generation Single" digital moonshine still controller package v16.3 and we built it from the ground up with the home distiller and brewer in mind. This package was designed, machined, and assembled right here in the USA by us, Hi Proof Products and we are the only company authorized to sell it. This commercial-grade controller is built to be used with our included stainless steel ULWD 5500 watt ripple heater package. All of our heaters use a third wire ground for your safety in mind.
OPERATION:
The on/off switch controls all power to the unit so there is no need to unplug the system once you have finished with a run. We also built-in a female twist lock receptacle to make connecting or disconnecting the heater a breeze. The two buttons vary output power from zero to one-hundred percent to the heating element itself. There is a illuminated digital readout so you'll always know the power level you're pushing to the element and all your settings will be very easy to duplicate on all subsequent moonshine still runs.
This controller coupled with our included 5500 watt ULWD ripple heater is capable of heating any 20-25 gallon kettle/boiler to operating temperature in a very short amount of time, please see the chart below.
- Estimated heat up time using our 5500 watt controller/heater package
- 8 gallon in 20 minutes
- 13 gallon in 35 minutes
- 15 gallon keg in 40 minutes
- 26 gallon in 1 hour and 10 minutes
- SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS:Commercial grade 30-amp 2-pole on/off switch
- LED red power indicator.
- Solid-state electronics, there are no contacts or SSRs to ever wear out.
- Internally fan-cooled so you never have to worry about overheating or being burnt by a exposed hot heat-sink
- Illuminated variable digital power 0 to 100 percent lets you know at a glance how much power is being sent to the element. No old school fragile analog meters or exposed open potentiometers used here!
- Commercial grade 30-amp female twist lock connector built-in to the controller makes it easy to disconnect your heating element from controller.
- Electronics are equipped to handle 80-amps and considering the controller will draw only 25-amps at peak it has power to spare subsequently it is sure to last many more years
- Marine-grade interconnecting wiring with 100-plus strand count
- Crimp connectors are also soldered as well as crimped before heat-shrink is applied
- ULWD stainless steel ripple heating element is mounted in a commercial grade enclosure with strain relief, 10 feet of flexible wire, twist-lock plug, and 2" tri-clamp ferrule mounting. All of our heaters use a third wire ground for your safety in mind.
- Easy on your heater, does not cause thermal shock. (see notes below)
- Furnished with easy to understand operating instructions, in English.
- Controller comes with a 12-month warranty.
OTHER CONTROLLERS ARE NOT YOUR BEST BET DON'T BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN
There are more than a few companies out there still offering controllers that use old-school technology. These controllers rapidly switch power on and off in an attempt to maintain power levels to the heater. A heating element in most cases is made of wire. If you use a mechanical relay to turn on your heater it will cycle on and off within 30 seconds or longer. The heater will expand and contract, getting more and more brittle each time. This is called thermal shock. Temperature overshoots may also occur. Relays are also known to arc and will burn out on a regular basis.
Recently I had conversation with a chap who purchased a package column, boiler, and a 5500 watt controller from a well known company I have included his email below. Normally a package is not in your best interest as some sellers use inferior low quality products that they don’t actually make themselves as a way for the company to pad their bottom line. I guess they figure if someone else makes the controller there is no liability on their end. In any case the homeowner was in the process of distilling when he noticed smoke coming from the controller box. He was extremely lucky that he was home, and vigilant as things may have gone from bad to worse quickly had he not shut the power down when he did.
The controller was sent to us for inspection. The homeowner got a good scare and wasn’t interested in repairing the melted controller he just wanted us to see what’s out there being offered at a bargain price.
We opened the case & documented our findings with pictures. SEE BELOW Keep in mind that the entire controller was assembled within a very thin plastic case without any louvers, vents, or fans to keep things from overheating. There isn’t even a on/off switch once you plug it in it’s powered up. A solid state relay was used in the construction and mated to a aluminum heat sink but there was no place for the built-up heat to go, it was trapped within the plastic box. The heat-sink itself wasn’t even bolted to the case it was just banging around inside waiting to the right opportunity to come in contact with the bare contacts on the backside of the amp-meter and 220 volts. None of the electric connectors were soldered but rather just crimped, loose and without the use of heat-shrink tube to keep things from shorting together.
So the moral of this story is that you can indeed save yourself some money and purchase a sub-standard controller if you like to gamble. Whatever you do save you’ll eventually need to spend the money to remodel your home after the ensuing fire, smoke, and water damage to follow. The maker of this controller wasn’t very proud as they didn’t even put their name on it, does that surprise you? We know who builds these so if you would like to know send us a text and we will give you a name.
BTW: The homeowner did go on to purchase one of our 5500 watt Next Generation Controllers and couldn’t say enough good things about it and how well it worked.
Homeowners letter and controller pictures attached below:
On Mon, Jul 15, 2019 at 7:22 AM Chris N** wrote
Mike,
Thank you very much for responding on a Saturday to my email. I actually had a run ready and scheduled for Sunday so I needed everything up and running. The heater was the last piece. BTW- The Hi Proof heater was an absolute joy to operate. We easily heated 25 gallons to temperature and then were able to dial it back to an ideal few hour run. It worked perfectly!
My original heater was ordered as part of a kit from Hillbilly Stills back in November 2018. The majority of my order was delivered around March or April if I remember correctly. There were additional pieces that were missing and showed up as I called in asking about them. I finally received the heater assembly around the end of June.
I know that they don't build these heaters themselves. I first noticed the inferior build and component quality when I opened it up to replace the power cord with a 4-prong plug. The rattling coming from inside the control box were also a give away. The electrical connections were only finger tight. I did contact Matt and let him know that I didn't think this heater was built to the same quality as the still and that I was disappointed, but there was little he could do.
My inaugural run was on 7/6 and started with a leak at the heater coming through the element connection into the wiring junction box. I found that element nut was loose. After draining the kettle and fixing that leak we tried again. Then I noticed no boiling sounds coming from the element. The temperature was rising only maybe 2 degrees every 20 to 30 minutes. Out of frustration I just cranked the dial to maximum power. That's when there was a burning electrical smell and smoke coming from the dial gauge. The gauge remained stuck at max but I did start hearing the element heating up. The amp control dial seemed to be changing the temperature based the sound of the element, however, I didn't really have any markers to the adjustments I was making. I saw the totally melted gauge after I disassembled the unit. I sent pictures to Hillbilly Stills last Monday but I have not yet heard back.
Again, The Hi-Proof heater worked perfectly this weekend. Thank you for you help, supplying a great product and exceeding my expectations. Feel free to give me a call if you would like to discuss further.
Chris N**
Thanks Mike. I just placed the order. I added a note to see if the plug can be changed to a standard dryer outlet because that is what I have wired. I also wanted to let you know I read the review regarding the controller from Hilly Billy Stills. I received the same control described in the review and experienced the same issues along the way with the rest of the still. Glad to know I found a replacement. Hope to hear from you soon and excited to try out the controller!!
Jason
