Ball valve for lauter tun - brass ok?

HootHootHoot · 10-07-2011, 01:29 PM

I am trying to swap out the spigot on my 10 gal cooler to convert it into a pretty nice lautering tun. My home brew store charges somewhere around 30 bucks for a ball valve with a barb. Being cheap, and trying to lesson the costs to appease SWMBO I figured this looks easy enough to find ay my local hardware store and construct myself for less cost.

What I am finding is a lot of brass and bronze ball valves. Is brass an okay metal to use for this? I am new to all grain brewing and I am not sure how much the metal might impact some flavor onto the wort and beer. And I obviously don't want to construct something only to find I failed and should have just spent the extra ten bucks at my home brew store for the pre made valve.

Thanks

**BargainFittings** · 10-07-2011, 01:35 PM

Brass will work. $30.00 for a stainless valve and hose barb?

kh54s10 · 10-07-2011, 01:36 PM

Check out this thread:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/

HootHootHoot · 10-07-2011, 02:13 PM

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/catalogsearch/result/?q=Valve&x=0&y=0

Wasn't too impressed with the prices here and was looking to do this on the cheap without shipping costs ect.

Thanks for the link kh

**Bobby_M** · 10-07-2011, 03:29 PM

Have you checked out the price of a brass valve and nipple locally lately? Pretty steep.

TarheelBrew13 · 10-07-2011, 07:56 PM

I would strongly encourage you to spend the extra money on stainless steel. While American brass would be okay, all the valves you'll find at the big hardware stores are made of garbage Chinese brass which, unlike American brass, has lead in it. The high temperature and increased acidity of the liquor will increase the rate that lead is leached from the brass. Even if the amount is very small, why take the chance. Heavy metal poisoning isn't worth saving a few bucks.