sight glass on MLT?

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BuzzCraft

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I'm about to convert a keg to an MLT. I'm planning to insulate it and direct fire it to preheat water for the mash, collect runnings in a pot and add pre-measured hot water (from my BK) for the sparge.

I realize a sight gauge would be slightly useful for the initial water addition, but after that it seems like more work (i.e. to clean) than help.

So I'm leaning towards no sight gauge...anyone care to convince me otherwise?
 
It is quite easy to fabricate a sight glass in-line with your dump valve. All you need is a T, a compression fitting, and a length of polycarbonate tubing.

Everything is available from McMaster Carr
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sight_glass_d.jpg
 
Thanks, but I'm really not worried the mechanics of fashioning a sight glass. I'm just curious if anyone thinks it's worthwhile to include a sight gauge at all for the system I've described.
 
So far, I just have one on my HLT on the theory that a sight glass on the MLT or the BK would eventually just get gummed up. Between the MLT and the BK, I'd think putting one on the BK would be more useful (for figuring out when I have enough runnoff to stop sparging).
 
Thanks for posting that Arturo, I know what I'm making this weekend!

Will the polycarbonate tube stand boiling temps?
 
When designing/building my system, I included site glasses in the HLT and BK, but not the MT. I didn't see a lot of benefit and I agree it is just another thing to worry about cleaning. Also not sure how accurate it would be if you end up with grain blocking the input?

My siteglasses are made from polycarbonate tubing and have seen several boil cycles with no negative effects yet.
 
Will the polycarbonate tube stand boiling temps?

So far, I've just been using standard clear plastic tubing and supporting it at the top with an eye-bolt. A rubber gasket around the tube keeps the tube from slumping back through the eye-bolt when it gets hot (this is on the HLT, not the BK, so the temps are a bit lower). Nice thing about this is it's cheap. If it gets dirty, I can just throw it out and replace it.
 
I don't see the point of a sight glass of a mashtun. You're measuring the water before it's going in, what is the point of measuring the same while it's there?
Not to mentions the calibration would need adjusted for each individual grain bill due to absorption.
 
thanks folks....that's basically the way i saw it, but since there are people with them on their MLTs, i just wanted to make sure i wasn't missing something!
 
I had one on my MLT at first and it made it easy to just fill it with my strike water directly from the hose, but I don't mind measuring in the HLT first and transferring it over. It wasn't hard to clean at all but I wouldn't say it's necessary either.
 
I put one on my MT so I can fill it directly from my filter without pre-measuring. It is also helpful when sparging because you can see the liquid level without opening the lid.

I just pop it off when I'm done brewing, shoot the hose through it and it's clean.

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I put a sight glass on my HLT by teeing off the drain valve, and regretted it. When the valve is open and draining, the venturi effect sucks water down the tube and you lose the measurement, so you close the valve and the level bounces up and down for a while. When the water level gets low enough, air gets sucked into the stream of draining water. Not good if you are counting on the siphon effect to get the last gallon out of the HLT.

If you fill the HLT through the drain valve, the opposite happens and when your not looking and the HLT is almost full, water shoots out the top of the sight glass. In between it is fine.

My new HLT will have the sight tube on the tee off the thermocouple fitting.
 
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