DIY Load Bank

[TheAlfredo]

Anyone make a load bank using oven heating elements? Trying to figure out what I can mount them with so they stand straight up saving space.

Maybe be sacrificing a box fan for the metal frame...?

 

[Bmxenbrett]

Cut off the top and bottom inside the oven and weld some bed angle iron to them so there facing eachother. Is that what you had in mind? What wattage are they?

 

[Zed254]

Buy a used electric range. I paid $50 for my 'good' one to use with my 803A and found a free one to use with my 802A. The $50 range has a warming drawer that gives me 4 electric eyes, the broiler, and the warming draw to consume ~100% power provided by the generator. The free one will only consume ~75% power available from the 803.

 

[robson1015]

Here ya go- mini electric range - $50

 

[csheath]

If you want to build from scratch and save space then dryer elements are the way to go. They are compact and 5400 watts each. Two of them are all you really need but if you want to push your unit you can hook another two in series.

Northern tool has a 5000 watt garage heater advertised for $90. Two of those would be as cheap as any DIY thing you could build if using all new parts.

 

[TheAlfredo]

I can buy oven elements for $12 3kw each. I figured I could step up the load slowly. But might throw a dryer element

 

[rogpike]

Rural King has a 7.5kw and a 5kw garage heater fairly cheap.

 

[NATCAD]

View attachment 707022View attachment 707023
Here ya go- mini electric range - $50

Man I really need a proper shop. The garage that fills up automatically with untold '***" automatically is not cutting it anymore.
Nicer set up there robson.

 

[robson1015]

Man I really need a proper shop. The garage that fills up automatically with untold '***" automatically is not cutting it anymore.
Nicer set up there robson.

Thanx NATCAD. I have a 48 x 56 shop filled to the gills.....The more room you have the more stuff you collect..

 

[kawamatt2]

I made a loadbank from an overhead crane dynamic brake purchased second hand. The unit was wired as 4 parallel sets of 27 ohm wire wound resistors 3 per set in series. This would sink 3kW before rewiring. I rewired to have 6 parallel sets of 2 each 27 ohm resistors and can add them in stages with the switches. Each switch is basically good for about 1kW at 240V. All on they put the 802a at 100% load indicated on the meter. I ran it this way for a few hours with the box fan going and although I could tell the resistors got hot, they still seem fine.

 

[jmpratt]

I bought 240v water heater elements from eBay for about $10 each. Got 1.5k, 2.0k, 3.5k, and 4.5k elements. I mounted them on a board and put it on top of a barrel full of water. I have each wired to a breaker in a 12 slot breaker box. Works great.

 

[DieselBob]

I went along the same lines as jmpratt only I used a 55gl drum. Have sense added a 2KW element along with the 2 – 4.5KW in the pic.