Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Earliest immersion rod heaters used in 5 inch boilers were 300 watts.  Heaters used in 3 inch boilers with the introduction of the Jensen 95 were 660 watts.

Rog

  The heater on a Jensen 25 is an immersion heater (I call it a cartridge heater) and
the resistance measures in the low 30's ohms.  I think mine runs at about 400 watts.
Nothing listed on the base.  Very fast heater for a 2.5" boiler.  Check it out.



Good Luck,
Wayne

I should have stated that I would like to know how much they increased from the previous generation.

Didn’t they use around 500 for awhile?

John, you may be right if you count the "dry" cartridge heaters that fit inside a try tube cavity inside the earliest Jensen boilers.

I know you can buy 555 watt immersion heaters now from HotWatt, but I believe the only ones sold directly by Jensen are 660 watt.  As for durability, I put two new Jensen sourced 660 watt heaters into my Jensen 51 replica in 2006 along with one of the original used 300 watt rods that came with that 1960's engine. 

I now have 415 hours put on those rods by me and all are working well.  Mine immersion rods also sit in distilled water 100% of the time as I never drain my 51R boiler.  16 years operating this way so far so good!

Rog

Bruce, when the 51R is finally worn out...it's yours! 

Rog

Bruce, when the 51R is finally worn out...it's yours! 

Rog

When that Jensen 51R finally does wear out, I don't believe that anyone who is alive today will still be around!

I have a 55G and 20G from 2000 and they are 500 watt heaters.