Cheap parts for high-power resistive ballast (for pole transformer). (fwd)

["High Voltage list" <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: <sroys@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>


[Sorry for the delay in posting.  I was at a meeting where I *thought* I
would have had access to the list, but actually didn't.  SRR]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 21:16:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: J. Aaron Holmes <jaholmes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Cheap parts for high-power resistive ballast (for pole transformer).

Howdy, hvlist,

In addition to some Tesla coiling, I'd like to do some
ridiculously high-powered Jacob's laddering :)  I'm
shooting for 30kVA.  Unfortunately, I don't feel like
investing much (in time or money) in a big inductive
ballast.  Instead, I thought I'd just install six or
eight hot water heater elements in a cheap metal trash
can (filled with water, of course), then use some big
relays to put them all in parallel so that I could
fire the thing up with only a single element in line,
then bring the others in one at a time until I'm
running at full throttle.  Sound workable?  I could
even install a faucet in the side of the trash can so
that the thing could be made light and portable on
short notice (great for Teslathons).  Now on to the
question:  Is there something cheaper that might
provide the same functionality?  Amazingly, hot water
heater elements appear to be relatively non-cheap. 
I've seen a few tempting bulk lots go by on eBay, but
they were threaded in an odd way that made me suspect
they'd be difficult to work with.

Should I just get a spool of nichrome wire, some
cinder blocks, and a box fan? :))

73,
Aaron, N7OE