Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Anyone know where I can get insulate resistance wire and if it's good enough for submerging in water? I see it on alibaba only. I'd like to do the math and find so w resistance wire I could plug directly into my ac120 outlet to heat 2 gallons of water to a boil and hold it there. Maybe 500 watts?

I also have very thin magnet wire I was wondering if I could do it with this as well.

Can I calculate with 120v or since its ac do I use the mean number or something?

I also have a somewhat adjustable power supply if that would help that can do up to 50v dc at 8 amps. But I find it won't charge a battery if the battery's voltage too low and I can only adjust down to maybe 40 volts

 

Why not just buy an immersion heater built for this exact purpose? Safe, cheap, done.

 

Absolutely NOT. It would be a death trap, waiting to snare some unlucky victim.

 

I bought four of those immersion heaters today and they don't do enough heat. Not enough wattage I guess as they're rated at 125watts. I don't have my infrared thermo around to check but disapointing.

 

Buy an electric water heater element of 2 to 3kW (at 220V). At 120V, the wattage would only be 1/4 of the 220V rating. At least this way, you run a much smaller risk of killing someone.

 

This has been done to death, and safely.
Here's some 1000 watt heaters:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...r,aps,213&rh=i:aps,k:submersible+heater+1000w

 

I also have lots of thin magnet wire. Some how with my power supply or 110vac and some resistance wire or a lot of magnet wire I have I'd like to get this done. Underwater. I don't see much insulated resistace wire the magnet wire is but with ac I'm worried. I'd just use thick rubber gloves when I need to put my ands in the water

 

I'd just use thick rubber gloves when I need to put my ands in the water

That does it. I'm calling the cops.

 

This looks powerful enough!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016XMF0LW?psc=1

What is low wattage density mean? And how can I hook this up with simple ac? Is it simple just you need to be careful?

 

Haha. I have a large strange pan of water that I'm using for thermoforming foam core for construction. It needs to sit at boiling for 10 minutes.


Does the device I linked just connect directly to ac? That would be simple. I could incorporate a ground wire into the water if that's safer. Don't know much electronics. Don't think this even counts

 

What is low wattage density mean?

Low watts per square inch of surface area.

how can I hook this up with simple ac?

connect the wires to the screws.

 

It's against the rules for us to tell you how to kill yourself. Get off the home made, hands in the water theory or this Thread will be locked.

 

Ok this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Dernord-Fold...6457&sr=8-9&keywords=submersible+heater+1000w

Dc and hooks up to my power supply. Safer? Maybe I don't have to worry but they all seem to have the connections very close to the heating element that sits in the water

 

Wow I'm not trying to kill myself. I will be sticking my hands in the water. The simple submersion heaters that I got 4 of don't specify not to touch the water. It's seemingly safe. The connection to the ac seems the only danger. And it does seem dangerous. Trying to do it right. If it were ac and I did somehow connect the positive terminal with the water, if my hands are gloved in rubber and I had a ground line to..the ground, that seems like some good precautions
But I do have the power source and will likely keep it dc to be safe

 

The basic theory of immersion heaters is that you make a round hole in the tank, insert heater, and attach the safety ground wire to the tank. Each heater is insulated internally. If they do fail, they short to the tubing which shorts to the ground wire and, presto...blown circuit breaker. Hanging a home made, insulated wire, into water, then sticking your hands in is so dangerous I don't even want to talk about it when all this has been done in such a safe and cheap way with these tube type heaters. AC or DC makes no difference when the only safety layer you have is wet gloves. I never work with less than 3 layers of safety! You can do that with a grounded pan, UL approved insulated heaters, and gloves, providing you don't get water in the gloves. I would still recommend a GFCI protector on the power line. That's a lot better than the gloves for the third layer.

 

How about using the dc version I posted above, wiring it to my 48volt power supply, and then I wouldn't be running the ac risks and I could pot the connections to the power supply. That seems pretty safe to me. Worst case scenario, I'm wearing rubber gloves and the heater shorts through the water, wouldn't it just short to itself and unless I was literally between the two terminals I'd be fine gloves or no gloves?

What I'm doing requires me sticking my hands in the water, but with gloves and the potted heating element connections...that seems safe to me but is like to hear if there's more I'm missing

 

For safety reason, this thread will be keeping locked, if there is no good then this thread won't reopen again.