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nostalgia · 03-06-2009, 11:31 PM

I had been at my local hardware stores and big orange box stores looking for bulkhead fittings to put a ball valve on my Igloo cooler. I'd seen the threads on here using a pipe nipple, but it never seemed right to use the pipe threads as both a sealing surface (which they're designed for) and as a way to hold the fitting in place on the wall of the cooler (which they're not designed for).

So I needed a bulkhead fitting, which has threads on the outside to hold it in place and threads on the inside to put your valve and hose barb on. Austin Homebrew's SS Bulkhead appeared to be exactly that. The description read, "This is a stainless steel no-weld bulkhead for kettles, and for cooler mash tuns with a factory spigot." So I bought one along with my last order. Here's what I got:

Looked good to me until I looked a little closer. It turns out this is not a bulkhead fitting at all but nothing more than a 1/2" pipe nipple with a loose nut on it.

Ugh. False advertising aside, I decided to go ahead and try to install it. Following the directions, one thick washer and O-ring go on the outside, while an O-ring and two thin washers go on the inside. Not a whole lot of thread for the stainless sleeve to grab:

I managed to get the sleeve on, but as I tightened it I noticed something strange - the O-ring was oozing out the top of the washer.

No matter what I did I couldn't get it to stop leaking. I tried tightening it, loosening it, using O-ring lube. Drip, drip, drip.

Until (next post due to picture limit...)

nostalgia · 03-06-2009, 11:34 PM

...until I had the idea to re-use the rubber and hard plastic washers from the original cooler valve. The hard plastic washer prevents the soft rubber sealing washer from squishing out all over the place.

This fixed the leaking.

So I'm beyond disappointed with this mislabeled and poorly designed "bulkhead" fitting. I'm going to write to AHS and find out if I can get a refund.

-Joe

flyangler18 · 03-07-2009, 01:34 AM

That's pretty much the standard weldless bulkhead fitting as we know it in the hobby.

nostalgia · 03-07-2009, 01:44 AM

I'll take your word for that. It's still not a bulkhead fitting. I had these exact same parts in my hand at the hardware store but put them back because it seemed like a kludge.

I guess my expectations are too high :P

-Joe

**Bobby_M** · 03-07-2009, 01:58 AM

You're preaching to the choir on this one. Check out http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/no-leak-mlt-bulkhead-design-87197/

Any design that suggests an Oring on the outside wall of the cooler is instant fail in my mind. Creating a seal around threads by packing the valleys with teflon tape is equally lame. Also, that oring might have worked a bit better if it were the next diameter smaller (cross-sectional).

**Derrin** · 03-07-2009, 03:12 AM

Well first off something is wrong with your camera because that "Stainless Steel bulkhead" looks like there is a lot of brass from those pictures </sarcasm>

If the o-ring is not captured or restrained it will twist out of postition and leak no matter what you do. That's the one thing the good 'ol Zymico kit had going for it, the nut was machined to capture the o-ring in place. What we really need for this application is a draft shank machined and then tapped for 1/2"NPT. That would be an actual bulkhead.

**Bobby_M** · 03-07-2009, 12:24 PM

I wouldn't really blame AHS for this collection of spare parts because as flyangler said, it's the standard and people accept it from all of the vendors. I guess the reason it's proliferated is that although it's far from ideal, it can be made to seal and it's cheap.

One way to easily correct this inherent problem is to weld or silver solder the washer to either the flat of the nipple (unthreaded portion) or to the face edge of the washer. I also like the silicone washer idea vs. the Oring.

flyangler18 · 03-07-2009, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

I wouldn't really blame AHS for this collection of spare parts because as flyangler said, it's the standard and people accept it from all of the vendors. I guess the reason it's proliferated is that although it's far from ideal, it can be made to seal and it's cheap.

Yeah, I don't doubt that Forrest will refund your money if you are dissatisfied with the 'bulkhead' but it's pretty ubiquitous among homebrewers. I've used one of largely that design for my cooler MLT (the exact number escapes me at the moment but it's well over 20 batches) with nary a leak.

nostalgia · 03-07-2009, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

I wouldn't really blame AHS for this collection of spare parts because as flyangler said, it's the standard and people accept it from all of the vendors. I guess the reason it's proliferated is that although it's far from ideal, it can be made to seal and it's cheap.

That may be, but if this were advertised as a "Cooler conversion kit" or "MLT port kit", I wouldn't have made the mistake of buying it.

How is the average consumer like me, who's never seen this product before, know it's not a bulkhead when companies advertise it as a bulkhead?

Regardless, I'm not here to complain about AHS, just to share my feelings on the product. I've contacted them already and we'll leave it at that.

-Joe

HomebrewJeff · 03-07-2009, 12:45 PM

For what it's worth, I've used the following setup in a 48 qt ice cube:

barb with 1/2" female npt, stainless washer, dash 314 oring, cooler wall, 1/2" close nipple, stainless washer, ball valve

....for the last 3.5 years, and have never had a leak. I wrapped the threads 2-3 times maybe once or twice a year. I used the existing valve hole in the cooler, but again, never had a leak. Maybe 40 or so batches. I think I might have changed the oring once, but that's it. YMMV.

Basically the same setup is used in the BK, although I may have an oring on the outside as well. Can't remember.