Bread maker element modification

Discuss roast levels and profiles for espresso, equipment for roasting coffee.
jb-0101
Posts: 175
Joined: 12 years ago

#1: Post by jb-0101 »

Hey all,

I want to try a roast with my bread maker, but incorporate the bread maker's heating element as well as the heat gun to see what it does and what difference it makes.

I have rewired one BM connecting the motor directly to the power and installing a switch. Easy.

But when I try to do the same for the element, connecting one end of the element to neutral and the other to active, it heats for a couple of minutes and then trips the circuit breaker. If I reset the breaker straight away, it will heat for a few seconds and then trip. If I leave it for a few minutes and then reset, it heats for a bit longer and then trips. It never trips straight away.

Any thoughts on what might be causing that? Strange (at least to me) that it doesn't trip straight away, but seemingly only when it gets to a certain temp?

BTW - all circuitry has been stripped out, and element simply connected directly to neutral and active.

Thanks

Jaxx2112
Posts: 77
Joined: 10 years ago

#2: Post by Jaxx2112 »

Are you sure there isn't a thermistat somewhere? The fact that it can trip the breaker seconds after you reset it, but won't trip it for a period of time if you let it rest makes me think there's a thermistat doing something.

What do you aim to gain from using the heater on the BM? Is it to reduce heatup time or increase batch size? Or just to use it? Are you putting both heating elements on the same circuit, working at the same time (i.e. heat gun + heater from BM)? Seems like it ought to trip?

jb-0101 (original poster)
Posts: 175
Joined: 12 years ago

#3: Post by jb-0101 (original poster) »

I'm trying to achieve something a bit closer to drum roasting. I've been experiencing some internal scorching on my BMHG set up, and tried many different things, so thought I'd give this a go. Should reduce the amount of heat required from the HG.

There's no thermostat as far as I can see. I've ripped all that out!

User avatar
[creative nickname]
Posts: 1832
Joined: 11 years ago

#4: Post by [creative nickname] »

If you haven't done so already, I'd recommend that you add a thermometer to your setup, midway in the air stream between your heat gun and the beans. That will let you keep track of your ET, which should make it easier for you avoid scorching, whether or not you use the heating element as well.
LMWDP #435

User avatar
Martin
Posts: 416
Joined: 17 years ago

#5: Post by Martin »

jb-0101 wrote: I've been experiencing some internal scorching
I'm not sure what you mean by "internal scorching." Is that inside the bean (but not the surface)? Or inside the machine? Or? Not something I've ever noticed, but also haven't looked for it.

For a few years I heatgun roasted with the dogbowl on a low heat on the gas bbq grill. I reasoned that the bowl should trap some of the heat from below and a add an element of drum roasting. I had myself convinced that was the case, but it was probably a matter of faux logic trumping empirical evidence. I no longer use the Q except in winter emergencies when I need a little extra heat to keep myself warm. So I'm skeptical that the additional heat source will make much of a diff. Now, my own trials with bread machine convinced me that even after the most careful scaffolding and positioning of the heatgun, the roast was no more even and often less even than hand stirring with a wooden spoon handle. I found no time- or effort-saving benefit to the more elaborate bread machine contraptions I constructed-----pretty much a matter of stand there and watch or stand there and stir.

IMO, much of the noted difference between drum and air roasting can be attributed to elapsed time of roast, with air roasts generally being quicker. Not to say that conduction-vs-airflow doesn't make a difference at all, but likely has less impact than the ramp/profile and length of roast. Holding one's roast protocol constant and varying batch size is one of the better ways of achieving air- or drum-like roasts.
Heat + Beans = Roast. All the rest is commentary.