In article MPG.1bd65c6ac2a9eb7f989682@news-server, ty1xlnf02
@sneakemail.removethis.com says...
...

Even though I don't have much electrical engineering experience, I'm
open to trying some of the DIY options I've read about. Anybody have any
recent experience with that? Anybody know of any good places to get low
voltage/high current (24 V @ 11+ A) step down transformers?



Tortran ( www.tortran.com ) makes nice toroidal transformers in that range. They
have a 300VA version and another at 500VA. (VA and watts are equal for a heater.)
These have two secondaries of 12V each, so you would connect them in series to get
24V output. The 500VA model is only $67, but comes without a box or anything, just
a large transformer with wires brought out. If you want to put one in a box
(recommended to protect your connections from getting wet) be sure to get the
mounting hardware.

If you like ebay you could possibly find one there too. 120V input, 24V output
transformers with high current ratings are fairly common.