I've been offered for free a roaster that has a 230v heating element and I've been told the heating element might break if used without the dimmer. I've only done 3 roasts and I was afraid to open the dimmer to the max. So wondering how many consumed watts(read on the electricity usage plug) is the maximum the heating element can take? First 3 roasts from top to bottom. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/OLlXhTX.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/OLlXhTX.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Still figuring out how to take notes and hear first crack. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/tilHjcr.png][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/tilHjcr.png[/IMG][/URL]

@"oddbean"#p49606 In summer I used to use around 1150W and only in winter might I push it above 1200, if it was like 8C in the roasting area. You are roasting to quickly!

@"DavecUK"#p49646 thank you Dave, I tried 2 roasts with 1150 and 1160 but the exit temperature shown by Gene didn’t go over 215C. And the Gene profiles I’ve seen only show the target temperature which often is 240C. So I’m wondering if exit temperature ever reaches that value.

@"oddbean"#p50004 You want to watch for a few things * if you hear element switching a lot, then it's set to too many watts. Unless somethings wrong with the heater box sensor * Exit temp sensor may be gummed up, I can't remember for sure, but I am fairly certain I never wanted my exot temps anywhere near 240C * Why are you trying to roast coffee in 12m and reach 1st in 8m?

@"DavecUK"#p50010 Have tried a few more roasts and everything seems to be working fine: * element does not switch at all(at least can't see the wattage oscillating) * exit temperature is going up * well I've read somewhere on some Romanian forum that it should reach 230C in about 6 minutes. Also looking back at my notes, I think the FC started at minute 10 not 8. I think the problem was the place I was roasting. Even if the garden is kind of protected from wind, it was kind of windy during the first roasts. Changed the place of roasting in a more protected area, and it seems that temperature raises nicely even at 1150W. It's quite tricky though to hear the first crack. So trying to judge by the colour and smoke.

> @"oddbean"#p50567 I think the problem was the place I was roasting. Even if the garden is kind of protected from wind, it was kind of windy during the first roasts. Wind will absolutely bleed heat away from the roaster like mad. 1150W should be fine in this weather and only in winter might you need to crank it up to 1200 or even more. If the air is very cold, the element doesn't overheat and have an unhappy time..

Thank you for confirming my assumption. Will probably start roasting inside for better consistency as I just got a 80mm aluminium duct. Still want to try one roast outside without the chaff collector. As I read you can hear the FC better.

Hi Dum, from your first post it sounds like you have my old Gene there as the bean you weren’t quite sure of is a Brazilian Daterra which was in a pentagon pack and if you have a white container with my writing on that has smudged that’s what is inside (Brazil Penta)! I roasted outside when I used it years ago with the large chaff box on it and had no issue but agree I didn’t roast when it was windy, or I roasted inside adding the venting tubing and cheap adaptor from screwfix or similar place with tubing out the window pointed downwards. If you have the box and everything I gave to the chap whose name I forget without looking it up then you should have had a print out of Dave’s closer look doc which I assumed had useful tips in it. [url=https://postimg.cc/68QjSDLy][img]https://i.postimg.cc/VkqxSwJB/007-2008-Gene-Cafe-ducting.jpg[/img][/url]

Oh and FC and smoke were clear enough but 2nd was difficult to hear so I typically went by time and colour.

> @"PaulL"#p50633 Hi Dum, from your first post it sounds like you have my old Gene there Yes, I'm the same person that collected it from your place. The Gene is here to stay :) Thanks for clarifying the description on the white coffee container. > @"PaulL"#p50633 I roasted inside adding the venting tubing and cheap adaptor I have just got a 80mm aluminium tube that should fit the Gene without the adaptor. > @"PaulL"#p50634 Oh and FC and smoke were clear enough but 2nd was difficult to hear so I typically went by time and colour. Funny enough, I reached SC with my first batch because when I wanted to stop the roast, I had nowhere to cool down the coffee in, and had to get something from inside the house,. So when I poured them out in a sieve, I could them crack. But found the coffee a bit too dark. So trying to stop the roast before SC.

Doh, I didn’t realise and hi again! When you say cool the roast down I found a roast cooled quickly when I hit the end-roast button without the need for anything else and then you just stand the whole chamber in the separate stand. Are you saying that in cooling mode the roast still moved along a bit into 2nd crack? I ask because I remember a trend for people to stop the roast and get it out fast that most of us generally saw as unnecessary and in fact the cooling would also cool the hot parts of the roaster.

Roasting on Gene Caffe with Dimmer Mod

oddbean

Thank you @PaulL that’s useful.

PaulL Sometimes I would reduce to 800 or 900w for a couple of mins around 6 and 8 mins so there wasn’t too much direct heat at all times and then back up after that.

That’s interesting. I’ve tried ramping up the heat slowly and then lowering the heat just at the beginning of FC. And I think I’m getting bit more complexity in the cup. (if I’m not imagining)

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