How to wire still heat controllers

Variable AMPs Heat Controller Wiring Instruction

The still heat controllers come with potentiometers which allow distillers to manually adjust the output power of the elements from 0-100% to control the heat of the still, it's also known as a temperature controller and is widely used in alcohol distillation&brewing processes where there are different temperature requirements at different stages.

 

Note: When determining the size of the cords and circuit breaker for the controller, always remember that it is fine to pick a larger wire (in physical size) than the recommended one. However, never choose a wire size that is physically smaller than the recommended size. (Note that wire size ratings are inversely proportional to the physical size of the wire. For example, 10 gauge wire is physically larger than 14 gauge wire.)

 
Part 1 - Choose proper cords and circuit
 
For a 220v 1ph variable AMPs controller with 2*3kw elements: 
Each heating element draws around 13.6A so it is recommend that 14 gauge or larger wires are used for the heating element cords. 10 gauge or larger wires should be used for the controller power input. (The controller is supposed to be hard wired in this configuration.)
 
For a 220v 1ph variable AMPs controller with 2*5.5kw elements:
Each heating element draws around 25A so it is recommend that 10 gauge or larger  wires are used for the heating element cords. 6 gauge or larger wires should be used for the controller power input. (The controller is supposed to be hard wired in this configuration.)
 
For a 220v 1ph variable AMPs controller with a single 3kw element:
The heating element draws around 13.6A so it is recommend that 14 gauge or larger wires should be used for the heating element cord. 12 gauge or larger wires should be used for the controller power input.
 
220v 1ph Variable AMPs controller with a single 5.5kw element:
The heating element draws around 25A so it is recommended that 10 gauge or larger wires should be used for the heating element cord. 12 gauge or larger wires should be used for the controller power input. (The controller is supposed to be hard wired in this configuration.)
 
120v 1ph Variable AMPs controller with 1*2kw element
Each element draw around 16.6A，Recommend 14 gauge cord for the heating element. 12 gauge or larger cord for controller input.

 

Part 2. Wiring

A typical 220v wiring schematic includes three wires: 2 110v hot wires and one ground wire while in 110v/120v it's 1 110v hot wire, 1 neutral and 1 ground. When wiring a 110v/120v element the hot wire and neutral are wired the same way as the 2 hot wires in 220v and the ground remains the same.

 

Wiring diagram for 220v 1ph controller with 1 element

Wiring diagram for 220v 1ph controller with 2 elements

Example of wiring(2 elements controller), provided by Mr Jim Eberhart.

Element wiring, provided by Mr Jim Eberhart.

Oakstills.com products, with the help of Mr Jim Eberhart.