So the day has finally come to put actual water in my brew kettle.  It looks so shiny with water in it………..ooooohhhhh

So I was able to get 5 gallons of water up to a rolling boil in about 45 minutes, from room temp (74 degrees)  I didn’t have any leaks, which is a bonus.  Took a couple tries to get the PID controller setup correctly to control the boil, but I think I got it nailed (pun intended)

I was surprised by the amount of gunk that got boiled out of my test water (tap water from the bath tub) and how much stuff was boiled on to the heating elements.  didnt take much to clean it off, but will have to get some PBW for cleaning, I can see that for sure.

Once I get the rest of my fittings, I will be able to calibrate the HLT, fun times!