I'm looking at ways to make an adjustable heat source for an oil bath. It needs to have a very wide range of power output but will never really get above 300-400 def F (don't know total wattage needed though). I plan on using mineral oil as the oil for the bath, so it shouldn't short any connections
I was thinking of using a number of 2 or 3 watt resistors to get very low heat by turning each one on as needed up to maybe 20/21 watts.
When more heat is needed I would use 10, 15 or 20 watt resistors the same way as the smaller ones. Maybe add some 40-50 if plausible or needed.
I'm wondering if it may be possible to use a halogen bulb instead of the resistors in the bath. The light from the bulb would actually be very useful at times so that is a good reason to try this. I was thinking that using a dimmer switch would allow for good control over power output. I would think that the bulb glass should have too much thermal stress as any heating and cooling would be slower than with air (which I think should help make it last longer...?). It seems the bulb idea would be the simplest to make and probably least expensive.
I also need to make a low temp, low humidity oven that can run from 120-200 degrees, mainly for dehydrating things. I was thinking the light on a dimmer w/ fan would be the best solution but am open to other ideas if there are better ones.
I was thinking of using a number of 2 or 3 watt resistors to get very low heat by turning each one on as needed up to maybe 20/21 watts.
When more heat is needed I would use 10, 15 or 20 watt resistors the same way as the smaller ones. Maybe add some 40-50 if plausible or needed.
I'm wondering if it may be possible to use a halogen bulb instead of the resistors in the bath. The light from the bulb would actually be very useful at times so that is a good reason to try this. I was thinking that using a dimmer switch would allow for good control over power output. I would think that the bulb glass should have too much thermal stress as any heating and cooling would be slower than with air (which I think should help make it last longer...?). It seems the bulb idea would be the simplest to make and probably least expensive.
I also need to make a low temp, low humidity oven that can run from 120-200 degrees, mainly for dehydrating things. I was thinking the light on a dimmer w/ fan would be the best solution but am open to other ideas if there are better ones.