On Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:53:01 GMT, Rich Grise wrote:

On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:03:41 -0500, default wrote:

On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:18:50 GMT, Ecnerwal
wrote:

In article ,
default wrote:

The range is old and I use it a lot - cooking and beer making are
hobbies. That last can be hard on ranges.

As it happens, I make beer on mine. Invested in a "canning element" 13
years ago, put a 10 gallon pot on there and boil 8 gallons or so of wort
down to 5, no problems with the range at all in 13 years. Catching the
drips the exhaust fan can't keep up with and cleaning everything to suit
me before I get started is more of a problem. The range, and the range
controls, have had no trouble at all with this...

Well, I'm not looking for reasons why I shouldn't do it, but how to do
it.

A lamp dimmer would work, if you could figure out how to add some
temperature feedback, like a thermocouple or using the element
itself in a bridge, there are lots of possibilities.

But if the lamp dimmer is rated for as much or more power than
the element, then there's no problem, other than temp. control,
as I said.

Have Fun!
Rich


The silly "infinite control" they use for the stove really only
manages to sense the ambient temperature and that is iffy at best.
Bimetallic switch with a little heater by it is all the switch is -
there is no feedback to the range element. At best, it could sense
the temperature inside the enclosure and that might cause it to change
calibration.

There are some stoves that do sense range element heat and regulate
that, but mine doesn't.


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