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

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

Original poster: <sroys@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 02:43:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Yurtle Turtle <yurtle_t@xxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Cheap parts for high-power resistive ballast (for pole
    transformer). (fwd)

Just look for stoves and/or water heaters (Not "hot
water heaters". Why would you heat "hot water"?) on
the side of the road.

Adam

--- High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 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
> 
> 
> 
> 

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