Hotplate choices

[mjwcaster]

Time to break down and get a hotplate.
Looked at Walmart the other day and did not see any (could just be blind)
I did find some online at Walmart.

Any brands I should look for or stay away from?

Power usage, do these draw full power when on and just cycle off?

What is the lowest wattage I could get away with?

I am dealing with a single 20 amp circuit in my garage, and with a long run to the garage, single outlet necessitating extension cords and power strips I will not have a lot of juice to split up between items such as casting pot, fan, lights, etc.

Power management is a major concern, especially as this breaker is not under my control so I do not want to trip it.

I will be forced to unplug some loads while casting.

Building a makeshift man cave in the detached garage of my apartment, so no electrical improvements possible.

Specing out led shop lights and will be adding a Lee 4-20 to the casting setup sometime.

I am tired of dealing with the weather to try and cast, I need to move indoors.
Rain forecast all week and I need to cast.

Thanks

[David2011]

You would be happiest with one that has a solid surface over the exposed coils. I'm fairly sure any of them will be more than hot enough. I run mine at well under 50% on the dial for whatever that's worth. Power consumption will depend on how hot you run it. I bought a $10 one at Walgreens with exposed coils and set a circular saw blade on it. Wish I had held out for the solid top. You'll need a high dollar 12 gauge extension cord to avoid electrical problems. The 20A circuit should be plenty. My whole reloading shop with air conditioning has a 20A circuit and I can run the hot plate, RCBS Pro Melt and electric heat or air without tripping the breaker. I ran 12 ga wire for everything.

David

[Rich/WIS]

I bought mine at Walmart, an Oster model CKSTSB -100B, cost about $20 and change, and has the solid burner. Fabricated a lid from a cookie tin (Danish Butter Cookies) that I cut a slot in the let the handle stick and added a wire bale handle to make it easier to handle when hot. Set at Med will heat a mold up nicely while the pot melts, although you will need to experiment with the settings, NOE 5 cav seem to need a nudge higher than Lee 6 cav. These are rated at 900 watts, so about 8 amps on 110 house current. The Lee 4-20 pot is listed as 700 watts, or about 6 amps. Both are plugged into the same 20 amp circuit and at a combined load of less than 15 amps still leaves some wiggle room for you. Check the wattage on your lights (divide total wattage by 100 for amperage) and fan (normally about 1/2 amp), add it up and it should give you a good idea of what you will be drawing.

[Walter Laich]

bought mine at wally world. Around $10 sticks in my mind but it's been 6 or more years and I have a hard time remembering breakfast

[Mike W1]

Think I paid $12 shipped, on ebay for a solid top 1000w model. Still use an 1/4" aluminum plate on top of it which made my first spill easy to clean up! Since then it's been PID controlled so no more forgetting to turn it down.

[hc18flyer]

I found a 6" electric skillet at Goodwill for 2 bucks and cut a notch in one side for the mold handles to stick out, works awesome. Flyer

[Big Dog]

this is the unit that I ordered

http://www.amazon.com/MaxiMatic-ESB-301F-Cuisine-Single-1000-Watt/dp/B000B2WOWE?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01

the thermometer that I used

http://www.amazon.com/Barbecues-BBQ-SMOKER-GRILL-THERMOMETER/dp/B00SN3V4SI?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00


a empty tuna can, cut open w/ a no sharp edge can opener & turned upside down
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/bumble-bee-chunk-light-tuna-66-5-oz-can/163607.ip


http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii524/BigDogWalkin/IMG_1762_zps3gr9jj1b.jpeg

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii524/BigDogWalkin/IMG_1761_zps8quim1oo.jpeg

[WFO2]

I'm brand new to casting but that's pretty slick .

[WILCO]

Any brands I should look for or stay away from?

Do a search for hotplates in the forums. Tons of information here. You'll be glad you did.

[gwpercle]

The reason I don't use a hot plate is my casting shed is all on one 15 amp breaker. It will handle the lights , a fan and Lee magnum melter, but with a hot plate added to the load the breaker trips. It is wired in 14 gauge wire and I thought about installing a 20 amp breaker but I didn't care to chance burning the place down. ( Bad idea fairy was telling me " it'll be OK " , I try not to listen . )
So I returned the hot plate to W mart and went back to old school top of the pot and casting a few to warm. Cheaper than hiring an electrician.
Keep the receipt if the breaker starts tripping , return it or add a circuit to the garage !
Gary

[RogerDat]

+1 on if you decide you want to add capacity put in an additional line. Or even a sub panel. Long term a second line wired for a 20 amp circuit will probably prove useful. Even more useful (but more costly) is pull the wire for a 50 or 60 amp sub panel. Sub panel allows for a 220 outlet if you find yourself wanting one. And would have no problem with running things such as air compressor or heavy table/miter saw. In short could be generally useful. Sub panel / second line would allow getting your lights on a separate breaker from your high draw equipment, at least that way when the equipment trips breaker it is not suddenly dark too.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I picked up both my older hot plates with burner covers and both 2 burner surfaces at yard/garage sales for I believe $5 or less each. Bought them about 20 yrs ago and they`re still working. Robert

[abunaitoo]

I might need to get another one.
I get a slight shock when I touch mine.
Took it apart and didn't see anything that looked wrong.

[Mike W1]

I might need to get another one.
I get a slight shock when I touch mine.
Took it apart and didn't see anything that looked wrong.

No might need to about it. Either get it fixed or replace it. Even 110 can do a number on you if the circumstances are right.

[James6406]

I might need to get another one.
I get a slight shock when I touch mine.
Took it apart and didn't see anything that looked wrong.

May be that your hot and neutral are reversed wired in your outlet. A common problem when non-electricians wire outlets. The reversed condition woukd connect the hot plate metal frame to the hot wire which is 115v to earth ground. You will feel a shock when touching the frame and anything that is grounded.

[abunaitoo]

May be that your hot and neutral are reversed wired in your outlet. A common problem when non-electricians wire outlets. The reversed condition woukd connect the hot plate metal frame to the hot wire which is 115v to earth ground. You will feel a shock when touching the frame and anything that is grounded.

I'll have to check that.
Thanks