DIY 12v Water Heater Boilers! - heats/cooks/boils - PTC Powered! ceramic heat! auto/batt/solar pwrd!

[@notwrkn2mch]

I'm in Phoenix with plenty of sun..... these things caught my interest to make something that goes under the covers when camping.....solar to battery to heater. They sell clay filled heating pads in walmart roughly 6"x12"

[@jimmy-vn6ip]

it now needs a handle for better pouring-action after the water reached boiling temperatur.

[@jafinch78]

Neat, now I'm thinking I'm going to be keeping my eye out for stainless steel containers at the Goodwill or dollar stores to make similar though using stainless steel.... ideally with a lid. Thinking can make a ring for each terminal of a larger gauge silicone wire to get the wires out of the way. Not sure best way to seal cost effectively. Silicone comes to mind... though the food grade stuff, that happens to be best on metal since the Type 1 and Type 2 to a lesser extent can corrode, isn't cheap. Wondering if those heating elements can be bent at all to contour better? Thanks for sharing!

[@runcycleskixc]

Do you happen to have a link to food-safe silicone? Also, since it's not in direct contact with water, might be OK even with regular encapsulant.

[@johnnygalt5867]

Yet again another Great video/invention. I fear that someday gadgets like this will be our only option

[@RayH0]

I forgot about these elements. I use to use these for baking out cryostat's under high vacuum.

[@maijane9035]

hi sir, im doing a project using PTC heating elements and i have a few questions if u dont mind me asking: 1. do they have polarities? the ones i ordered arrived with all black wires and so indication of polarities 2. will it work with a 12V Li ion Lithium Batteries (3.7V x 4)? 3. may i know what DC battery sources you’d recommend for this project? i have attempted with the 14.8V Li ion Lithium power source, with a voltage divider circuit, but it didnt work for me

[@story1234]

It's exactly what I want to experiment. Battery station only have 12V 10A output. I am thinking, instead of using sand all the way up, keep it half way and plaster it in. Now, you can find a smaller can with sand to transfer the heat yet it's easy to the can take out without dumping out all the sand. If the sand is plastered in, you can use some high temperature tape to secure the PTE to the bottom and fill the sand in.

[@FunnyWisdomShorts]

Al your vids are so entertaining and relaxed to watch. I've been binchewatching you're channel for a couple of days now. Thanks a lot for everything. Hope you're doing well. By the way i've ordered the elements, copper plates, a Redrex DC 12V 20A power supply and a few other items. I can't wait to get experiment with this. This looks like a lot a fun and you can get you're frkn gas bill down as well.

[@desertsun02]

Awesome, thank you!

[@jeffreyrood8755]

Great video! You could even put these around a tea kettle if needed. Great idea man.

[@desertsun02]

hi and thanks, it's working so good that i just built the jumbo version with coffee can and testing it right now. 🙂

[@mikenestle4679]

What's a good way of getting the boiling water moving into another container- say a sink or teapot? I'm very glad you made this video, it opens up so many possibilities. THANKS!

[@desertsun02]

hi there and thanks. for now, i'm just going to seal around the top (so dirt stays put - maybe with modeling clay or a bunch of silicone caulk) and then just lift and pour with work gloves on. i guess you could stuff a lot of things around the upper edge. (or replace the dirt with something like plaster of paris. that will stay put a long time. 🙂

[@BillGreenAZ]

12VDC is just so versatile. No moving parts.

[@desertsun02]

i agree, it's so common that it makes it accessible to lots of people.

[@bidjangazach9557]

Many Thanks,Sir.we are really happy to learn from your DC cooker designs !

[@desertsun02]

hi. i'm very happy to know that my vids are helping you 👍🙂

[@NORSKGARDEN]

Great videos and ideas. Thank you for taking the time to post them. Wondering how well PTC heating elements would work to heat up an old (retired) cast iron steam radiator? Stainless steel zip tied PTC heat elements towards the center of radiator? What are your thoughts? Boilers don’t seem to be made to last anymore. Some companies are placing heat elements into old water radiators and filling them up with water. This method wouldn’t work with steam radiators as they are designed differently. Appreciate your thoughts and your time.

[@thehazelnutspread]

I was thinking the same thing with a new car radiator. The cast iron radiators are so unbelievably heavy. Also, what about those oil heaters that are electric and look like a cast iron radiator?

[@MrSethshapiro]

Interesting! have you seen the insulated solar electric cooker ISEC ? They’re DIY heating element seems too complicated. One interesting project they were doing is heating up PTM phase transfer material all throughout the day. And then when it is time to cook, when the sun goes down, the heat is transferred quickly into your food. Wondering if I could use these in place of the compacted diy heating element . How do you make one of these To create a larger, cooking vessel? Or even a pizza oven? Or bread oven? I work in rural cambodia and I’m looking for solutions. Thank you so much for your help!

[@evelbsstudio]

One of the good things about these little elements is that your not limited to 12v, they take much higher voltage and heat up much faster. They are also self regulating so no thermostat needed, I am playing with them for heating my solar shed in the winter

[@BushImports]

I like the one you did of the heater in a 5 gallon bucket. Which one of the two uses the least amount of energy? Thanks man.

[@desertsun02]

hi. this unit uses a lot less electricity. the 5 gallon bucket heater is AC powered and uses 1000w. this unit, when it's running strong, uses about 12 amps at 12v or 144w. plus it's DC powered - so you can easily use it off grid 🙂.

[@theusconstitution1776]

When are you going to take a 30 gallon electric hot water heater and convert it? Or will these boil water in a 1 inch pipe for the circulator on it to put the hot water back into a 30 gallon storage tank? More to learn

[@MONKEY-vi7hx]

Maybe place them underneath on a heat conductor maybe aluminium sheet? And under the PTCs have a reflector insulator to focus heat up. Also put a lid on can or even better once it is a ‘hob’ use a camping kettle…

[@desertsun02]

good ideas. at someone's suggestion i was thinking of putting the elements inside of a vacuum sealed container. i'm curious to see how hot we could get it

[@richardcooney7021]

Hi , Great Video, Do you think this would work in Sand Like they are doing in Finland for heat storage in sand ? . And will the wiring melt .Thank You Richard Cooney Castlegar BC CANADA .

[@msms-rl6zf]

Well a link to purchase the heating elements would have been nice. Good video.

[@desertsun02]

hi. there's so many choices on amazon and ebay that i didn't want to favor any particular seller. also the links change so much that they go "dead" quickly. here's a link to get you started. www.amazon.com/Bestol-Heating-consistant-Temperature-Thermostatic/dp/B07VBDT8NL/ref=pd_sbs_60_2/143-1885722-5656042?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07VBDT8NL&pd_rd_r=fbe52d4c-6487-4fb7-9ce7-9df7850dfe49&pd_rd_w=rqvY1&pd_rd_wg=saXK7&pf_rd_p=ed1e2146-ecfe-435e-b3b5-d79fa072fd58&pf_rd_r=RQXWSQJG9K92MVWHYDM1&psc=1&refRID=RQXWSQJG9K92MVWHYDM1

[@Indiantuaam]

Can we power it with a charger

[@thehazelnutspread]

Very creative if not pretty. Maybe putting the elements under the pot would be a bit more practical (like a teapot sitting on a stove element)

[@Straho111]

Is it possible to heat up 30L of water to 60 Celsius with a 12v system in less than an hour? Many thanks

[@shan00r]

Can you make a continuous flow water heater with a thermal switch with these elements?

[@zander9486]

I see your comment is 2 years ago. Could you make it happen? Would be great if its possible

[@jonleone777]

How do you get the water out of the can to use it with all the wire in the way and the hot surfaces.

[@desertsun02]

hi. in a word...carefully. actually, the wires are long enough to be all pulled around the can and out of the way. that is how i use them these days. lots of ways to get the water out. a 'scoop' (mini ladle) works great. by mini i mean a 1 or 2 oz. one. 🙂

[@runcycleskixc]

Neat! How many amps does each PTC element draw?

[@desertsun02]

it's funny you should ask today because i just did extensive testing on them yesterday. good timing. for the vast majority of the time that they are running they pull 2 to 2.5 amps each (24 to 30w). the exception to this is when you first turn them on. in the first 1 to 3 minutes they can pull closer to 3 to 4 amps each (to 'warm up'). then they drop down to around 2.25 amps each. at this point they stay steady for a while. then after 30 minutes or so the amp draw drops down a little more and hovers around 2 amps. even after 2 hours they were still at 2 amps each (so that might be as low as they go). btw, i tested six elements. note that the amount of heat they produce stays the same but once they are hot they don't need as much power to maintain the heat.

[@runcycleskixc]

@@desertsun02 Thank you for posting this! So the peak amps are 24A for the whole setup; at 12V -- about 300W? This is quite efficient. Is the 220C rating optimal, and is that determined by the target temperature (100C), or resistance to high temps? I am thinking to try this, although I would like to reduce weight, so will need to find a lighter insulator than sand. Also, I wonder if using a square/hexagonal container would improve the efficiency. Or, I could try to find a bigger round PTC heater and place it at the bottom. Will also need to build a thermostat do make sure the unit switches off if there is not water left/if the water spills.

[@desertsun02]

hi yes, the startup surge (peak) can be as high as that *but after first couple minutes it drops way down. the running watt draw of six elements will be around 155w to 160w after startup. note the highest wattage draw i've seen (at startup) for all six elements was 270 watts (but that only lasted 5 to 10 seconds before it dropped)

[@runcycleskixc]

@@desertsun02 If all of water boils out, will the PTCs stay hot, but not hot enough to self-destruct?

[@thomascraddock8697]

hi, new subscriber here. you channel some great material related to my current project. im building a miners shack on my claims, and am leaning towards this more and more for a hot water solution for the sink/shower. i built a pex coil heater, but its lacking even though i live in nevada and have direct sun almost year round. it seems that just one of these elements is enough to heat a large body (25 gallons) of insulated water over the course of the day. will one 100w panel run one of these? i was considering dipping one in high temperature silicone, and using it as an immersion element if it will run from one poly panel that is 100 watts. my setup: renogy 700w inverter, 100w poly panel, sungold controller, and 160wh battery bank. and a cyberpower 900w 2500va 24v smart ups on 30 amp hour battery bank. both are on 100 watt panels, and are separated because the cyberpower can run large higher voltage equipment for shorter periods of time. things like my demo hammer and so on. my question is: how many of these can one 100 watt panel run? one? two? im still unclear on how many watts they take to get hot.

[@bidjangazach9557]

Hello Sir, I've just received some PTC heaters with dimensions : 0.5x3.5x2.1 cm ; i'll build one DC cooking pot, with them .Thanks

[@desertsun02]

you're welcome 👍🙂

[@briangingras5886]

I see how you have your wires going straight up not touching the side of the can in this video but you have to move the wires out of the way first get the food in there then hook up your Leeds to the solar panel otherwise you wouldn't be able to get the food in there

[@desertsun02]

hi. the wires are long enough that you can just pull them around the sides of the can. the wires can touch the sides of the can. they aren't made with a typical coating. they have a high heat coating (i think it's silicone based) so they are tough and can easily handle the heat.

[@cryptoshradz1503]

Suggestions how we can decrease the time for water to boil?

[@desertsun02]

hi there. if you want it even faster you could add a lid. that can speed by 50%

[@dumbbunny15501]

Hotter and faster by putting it into a larger pot? What makes it burn hotter? The more pea rock getting hotter therefore making it boil faster?. Will the outer pot also get hot or hotter?

[@bidjangazach9557]

Hi Sir, what type of dust do you use fo insulation ? is it sandd or stones ? or wood powder ? also, my PTC heaters I've ordered are marked 7-50W / 12V ; how many of them should i use to connect with two solar panels of 12V/100W each ? Thanks

[@desertsun02]

hi. you can use dirt sand or gravel. ptc elements usually have a power range. after the first minute or so they typically draw 2 amps. or about 24 watts. i would connect up to 6 elements to 200w.

[@bidjangazach9557]

@@desertsun02 Thanks you for your information ; i will use gravel powder, for insulation and connect 6 PTC heaters to my cooking pot and hook all to two solar panels of 100W / 12V .Regards !

[@jeanyluisa8483]

Hmm, I guess now we have to accept americans invented the electric water kettle you find in every european household since more than 35 years ;-) OK, I bought some of those PTC elements myself and I like the experiement in the video. But for praktical usuage I prefer a comercial verison without cablems and hot metal everywhere. You get those for 12V too.

[@ex-hinduatheistdevsen184]

Very good bro

[@desertsun02]

Thanks

[@josemontes115]

Hi, very interesting. Congratulations! What is the size of the PTC cells? It looks like 50*30 mm but I haven't found any 220C 50*30 mm. 30w.

[@desertsun02]

hi. i've never measured them but here's the link to ones i use (or similar) www.amazon.com/Bestol-Heating-consistant-Temperature-Thermostatic/dp/B07VBDT8NL/ref=sr_1_11?crid=F0WMQZNNONWR&dchild=1&keywords=12v+220c+ptc+ceramic+heating+elements&qid=1632838735&sprefix=220c+12v+%2Caps%2C328&sr=8-11

[@josemontes115]

@@desertsun02 Thanks! Why have you used a round container if the PTC are flat? Isn't it less efficient?

[@desertsun02]

@jose montes the best shape would probably be a hexagon (one element on each of the six sides) but those are rare. the round containers are easy to get and the element lays 'fairly flat' on those 🙂

[@josemontes115]

@@desertsun02 :-) How many PTC do you think it would take to evaporate 2 liters of water in 1 hour?

[@jimsteele7108]

Waaaaaaaay cool!

[@desertsun02]

hi and thanks. i just made a jumbo-sized version of this (with a ceramic lid) and that one is really awesome. boils a quart of water and it's cooking food as fast as a pan on a stove. i just made beef stew in it and boiled broccoli. video of it will be posted soon 🙂

[@doubtingthomas1312]

💜💜💜

[@trieuhao1322]

Hello . can we put the PTC into the water .

[@desertsun02]

hi there. technically they aren't waterproof so you shouldn't put them in water. (i have rinsed them under water in the past though and they seem to be okay so i guess they are somewhat water resistant)

[@bytime2762]

Hi, got a 36v, 300w solar panel, if I connect 3, 12v ptc in series, that makes 36v, would that be ok? Thanks

[@desertsun02]

hi. i think so (but i've never tried it)

[@bytime2762]

@@desertsun02 Thanks

[@dumbbunny15501]

Did you try it? Did it work if you did?

[@bobbybabinski8019]

you did it up side down

[@Tron2pointOh]

How about a 12 volt crock pot?

[@desertsun02]

hi there. you guessed it. that's the next video. i just made a jumbo sized version of this. it's kind of a cross between a 12v saucepan and a 12v crockpot. holds a whole quart of food and works awesome! i've cooked 8 meals in it already. video will be posted in a few days 🙂

[@Tron2pointOh]

@@desertsun02 you're awesome! Love your channel!!!!

[@desertsun02]

thanks brother. btw - i just posted the jumbo 'coffee can' cooker version today (11/22/2020). the unit came out awesome. if interested, here's the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpjVn4ydptmMmaM

[@Tron2pointOh]

@@desertsun02 Thanks! Another great video!

[@privatefrey7876]

Where to buy?

[@desertsun02]

hi. best place to get the elements that know of is ebay or amazon.

[@dumbbunny15501]

You are amazing. I'm gonna try to learn this stuff @69+ it's about time to learn something. Useful. And. Warm. Keep up the good work. Thank you.

[@desertsun02]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@charlesdavis9937]

A camp fire would be easier.