My Lee pot wouldn't get hot enough...

[PhilB]

A friend sold me this pot a few years ago when I got back into re-loading. It is a bottom pour 10lb 500watt pot but looks slightly different than current Lee 10lb pots. I'm guessing it is a pretty early one cause it doesn't even have a model number on it.:) A couple weeks ago I noticed that I kept having to set the temp comtrol higher to keep the lead at temp. Finally it got to where it didn't get hot enough with the control wide open. I got on-line and ordered a Lee 20lb pot but it is back-ordered to June 5th. I had plenty of bullets cast for myself but both my sons shoot and with the scarcity and expense of factory ammo both sons decided to start reloading. They have their own brass, powder and primers but they are using my bullets. All I ask of them was to find me more lead to replace the lead they use. Needless to say my supply of cast bullets wasn't going to last until June. After reading posts on here about the same type of pot, I decided I'd try and trouble shoot my barely working Lee pot. Since I couldn't find my VOM I started by bypassing the temp control and seeing if the pot would come up to temp. It did. Sat down with the temp control and looked it over good. After cleaning the contacts and tweaking a thing or two I had a working pot. Also ordered a replacement temp control in case of future problems. So far my son and I have cast a couple thousand bullets and my temporary fix is holding up. After I get my new pot I'm going to replace the heating element on the old one and it should be good as new. Has anybody ever tried insulating the outside of their Lee 10lb pot? Just curious if that mod would help or if holding in the heat would damage the pot components.

[CGT80]

I think I am in a similar situation. I also have an old lee 10 lbs bottom pour that is from the early 80's. I just built a PID. The pot was struggling to keep the lead at 650 degrees as I added sprues back in. It took quite a while for it to warm back up when dumping another pound of lead in. I was casting 230 and 270 grain bullets. It just doesn't cut it for the rate I was casting at. I left the original thermostat and just turned it up all the way. Maybe I will bypass it, as the PID now controls the temp.

How do you check the heating element? Just check the resistance in the coil?

I also want to buy a lee 20 pound bottom pour, but they are out of stock right now.

[PhilB]

I think I am in a similar situation. I also have an old lee 10 lbs bottom pour that is from the early 80's. I just built a PID. The pot was struggling to keep the lead at 650 degrees as I added sprues back in. It took quite a while for it to warm back up when dumping another pound of lead in. I was casting 230 and 270 grain bullets. It just doesn't cut it for the rate I was casting at. I left the original thermostat and just turned it up all the way. Maybe I will bypass it, as the PID now controls the temp.

How do you check the heating element? Just check the resistance in the coil?

I also want to buy a lee 20 pound bottom pour, but they are out of stock right now.

When I bypassed the temp control I had to unplug the pot as it started frosting the 405gr bullets I was casting. That was with me dumping the sprue back into the pot and I even added a lead ingot while casting. If you are using a PID to control the temp I don't know what you want the Lee control in-line for. The control isn't even a thermostat, at least the one in mine isn't. I think it is a rheostat. I really didn't think my problem was the heating coil, I wanted to make sure the pot was getting the proper voltage. The line feeding my utility barn is underground and I have had underground lines go bad. I like the idea of the PID. Maybe I can do that with the 20lb pot when I get it. Do you use a thermocouple suspended off the bottom of the pot or something different?

[Frozone]

It's an 'Infinite Control', you can Google it.

[CGT80]

Yes, I use a thermocouple suspended off the bottom of the pot by about half an inch. I used a coil of copper wire around the thermocouple and a crimp on ring terminal. I attached it with the screw that holds one side of my pot handle. I had a bad thermocouple to start out. I got a new one yesterday and now it reads from the tip of the TC-first one didn't read unless the whole TC was covered.

I still need to play with the PID a bit more, but so far it beats the original lee control. I am not sure if I should let the PID auto learn when the pot is sitting idle, or if I should cast and throw the sprues back in and let it learn what it takes to keep it hot. I will disconnect the lee control next to see if it is holding back the temp on the pot for some strange reason. Other people left their controls in place. I just googled infinite control, but didn't find a lot of details yet. I did find that the contacts can wear over time, and I just reread your post and saw that was your problem too (I was tired when I read your post last night).

On a side note, I gave my dripomatic lee a valve job last night. Some 220 grit aluminum oxide and some wheel bearing grease mixed together made a nice valve lapping compound. I twirled the stem of the valve in the spout for a minute or so and then cleaned it all up. It dripped just a tad, but it was a huge improvement.

[DLCTEX]

No point in changing the heating element if its working. It either heats or it doesn't, as the heat is produced by the resistance. The outer layer just protects the insulating ceramic over the resisting wire, which is there to keep you from getting shocked. If the contacts for wiring are corroded, clean them for good electric contact and save the new element for another day.

[Frozone]

..... I am not sure if I should let the PID auto learn when the pot is sitting idle, or if I should cast and throw the sprues back in and let it learn what it takes to keep it hot........

Before. Auto train the unit while it's idle.
Training isn't Really needed, it just save time.
The PID algorithm is self adjusting, If you just leave it alone it will eventually reach 'perfection'.

It also will 'learn' as you cast, and adjust itself to make up for the changes.
The heat will lag for a few pours ( < 10º cold) as the unit learns how to adjust to the sprews coming back in.
You will see the unit over shoot by about the same amount after you stop casting and the cold sprews quit being added.

The more constant your pace the more constant the temp will hold.

[PhilB]

No point in changing the heating element if its working. It either heats or it doesn't, as the heat is produced by the resistance. The outer layer just protects the insulating ceramic over the resisting wire, which is there to keep you from getting shocked. If the contacts for wiring are corroded, clean them for good electric contact and save the new element for another day.

You are right! It was going on 3am when I posted and I meant to say when I get my new pot, I will replace the temp control and it should be good as new. I can only remember reading one post on here where the heating element had to be replaced. Usually it is the temp control.