DIY SS Kettle

I was talking about a 1 bbl system in somebody's thread and decided I should start engineering an upgrade to my system.

I want to fabricate some 40 gallon kettles which means buying 18 gauge SS sheet metal, cutting a circle, cutting a rectangle, rolling the rectangle into a cylinder, TIG welding the cylinder, TIG welding the cylinder to the circle, drilling some holes, and TIG welding some handles and fittings. I've seen maybe a couple threads based on this idea on here that went nowhere.

Any suggestions/questions/comments?

EDIT: Based on the feedback I've received from various sources, I've decided to not proceed with these DIY SS kettles.

If yo have the tools and TIG skills to do it I dont see why it wouldn't work. Probably gonna need a CNC to cut the perfect circle. Out of curiousity what does a sheet of that run?

My Dad fabricated me a kettle. It's a 16 gallon one. In my gallery there is a pic of it. It's the kettle on the far right. I added handles to it for lifting. So yes it's able to be done if you can fabricate and tig weld.

It certainly can be done, but I'd look closely at your materials, welding, and labor costs and compare that to the cost of a pre-made 55gal SS drum. If you're only going to save a few bucks, it may not be worth it. The nice part would be the ability to make it the exact size and shape you want.

I enjoy a lot of DIY projects with regards to home brewing; however, I would (and did) purchase my kettles. The reason I say that is the aesthetic appeal that I like in brewing systems.

I purchased 45 gallon kettles on ebay this week for $198 ea (shipped).. Based on the time/labor/skill set it would require, I just preferred to spend the extra loot to buy them and get a guaranteed product the first time. To each his own and I wish you the best of luck!

I should have mentioned that I can't buy it unless it has a diameter of less than 19". I want them to fit on my existing brewstand because I built it before I realized that I want to eventually upgrade to 1 BBL capacity. I don't plan on doing this too soon. I need to make way more beer on my existing system before I feel comfortable upgrading.

The welding and labor costs will be neglible because I have a machinist buddy who owes me a favor and loves my beer. This project will be nothing to him. The SS sheet metal will be expensive of course, especially compared to the deal you got, Imperial! I wish I could build a new brewstand for those 45 gallon pots, but I won't.

I have only heard back on one estimate so far: A 4' x 10' sheet of 18 gauge SS for $350 (includes tax). I'll need two, so that's $700. However, I will have about 29 sq. ft. of leftover SS that I can use with other projects, so that's good.

It sucks that I have to have them custom, but I think it'll be worth it.

By my calculations, you actually could make it out of one sheet, you would just have a seam on the bottom of your kettle, which you probably don't want.

You'll still come out great with regards to pricing; and you'd never be able to find that diameter without some serious time and effort. Go forth and conqeur brother. Post pics along the way!

Large kettles are a worthy goal, but if your budget is a concern, consider a 55 gal SS drum. Might be cheaper in the long run.

My first "big kettle" was a converted drum with the top sheared off and a coupler for a ball valve welded just off the bottom. We could boil 45 gal with plenty of freeboard.

Later I made contact with a local (Willamette Valley) welder who specializes in large tanks for brewing/wine/food service and does a fantastic job at sanitary welding. He built a new boiler with a capacity of 82 gallons allowing for a full two-barrel boil. I also had him build an 84 gallon fermenter tank with a tri-clover fitting. He does quality work and both will last my lifetime.

If anybody in the area is considering a project requiring ss fabrication/welding, pm me for contact info on the welder.

That is awesome!

brewpal said:

Large kettles are a worthy goal, but if your budget is a concern, consider a 55 gal SS drum. Might be cheaper in the long run.

He built a new boiler with a capacity of 82 gallons allowing for a full two-barrel boil. I also had him build an 84 gallon fermenter tank with a tri-clover fitting. He does quality work and both will last my lifetime.

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I wish a 55 gallon drum would fit on my brewstand because it would be cheaper and easier. However, these kettles need to fit on my brewstand with a maximum diameter of 19".

Your setup is awesome, man! What's the most you've boiled and fermented in those tanks? Your fermenter tank must be cooled somehow... Glycol?

Just checked out your brewstand. Not sure the diameter of a 55 gallon pot, but could you not weld some supports to your brewstand to accomodate the 55 gallon pot

I could, and I appreciate your suggestion. However, if I used 55 gallon drums (or even the 45 gallon pot on eBay), the drum on the middle burner would be extend too far into the space for two other kettles - meaning that I really can't fit a diameter that big. Besides that, the brewstand is in the powdercoat shop as we speak (powdercoat job for beer, BTW... ). The OD of a SS drum is at least 22.5".

I would be able to make the drums work a different way, though. I don't have to use all three vessels at the same time during the brew session. I could easily fit two on there, and just move one off and another one on after mash, sparge, and chill.

However, I don't want to do anything like that if I don't have to. No point in doing a bunch of extra work if I don't have to. The TIG welding will be done in exchange for beer, so it's all good to buy some SS sheet metal and have it done. Completely custom kettles will totally be worth the cost. He'll also TIG on all the couplings I want for fittings. I've already drawn up some plans, and I'll post them soon.

For the past 3 to 4 years we have been using a 36" h X 20" dia x .200 wall kettle. It was fabbed by one of our brew bros who is a pipe fitter by trade.
He bribed (1/2 case of Smythewicks clone) the plant manager of a scrap stainless pipe that he put a bottom and 2 handles on. It is a real nice addition to the brewery.
We went from a 40 gallon brewery with multiple kettles/mash/lauter tuns to a much more elegant operation.
Total volume is 46 gallons.
We boil 44 gallons and have the garden hose handy for boil overs.
Typical yield is 40 ish gallons of wort.
#1 problem was the cyclic nature of the boil.
Due to the tall/skinny dimensions we needed to install a wort stirrer to keep the boil steady. Without it the boil would become very vigorous and near boil over and then calm down to nothing. About ever 45 seconds.
I suppose we could have brewed a bit less beer but that's just wrong.
Another is the sheer weight of the thing.
#2 To set on the burner required a couple of strong, young guys. We are neither.
We built up an electric wench with ss cables to raise and lower. Mounted this to a simple trolley to move from storage to burner. These stay attached so the kettle is less likely to tip.
#3 The other problem is cleaning this thing.
It is very difficult to scrub a kettle that tall and narrow. Kind of resembles, to coin a phrase, something about a monkey and a jug.
We toss sand and tsp and water and climb inside to grind our heels into the beer stone build up every other brew or so.
Until something better comes along this is our only ticket to 1 1/3 bbl brewing.
I'd attach a jpg but text is about my tech limit.
Lots of luck.

jz

brewpal said:

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How do you like the stick on temperature gauges your using? Are they accurate? This is an awesome setup, I wished I had a use for 40+ gallons of beer at a time.

Stick-on temp strip works OK. We have an inline thermometer when pumping wort in and monitor fermentation temp with an electronic temp sensor.

Get some friends and 40 gallons can be shared around pretty fast. :rockin:

brewpal said:

Large kettles are a worthy goal, but if your budget is a concern, consider a 55 gal SS drum. Might be cheaper in the long run.

My first "big kettle" was a converted drum with the top sheared off and a coupler for a ball valve welded just off the bottom. We could boil 45 gal with plenty of freeboard.

Later I made contact with a local (Willamette Valley) welder who specializes in large tanks for brewing/wine/food service and does a fantastic job at sanitary welding. He built a new boiler with a capacity of 82 gallons allowing for a full two-barrel boil. I also had him build an 84 gallon fermenter tank with a tri-clover fitting. He does quality work and both will last my lifetime.

If anybody in the area is considering a project requiring ss fabrication/welding, pm me for contact info on the welder.

Click to expand...

That's pretty sweet, I would love to get there some day.

Just 2 cents for ya...get some fiber glass or high temp insulation and insulate that kettle. You'll save yourself a buttload of time and energy cost. The enormous surface area of that kettle must be hemorrhaging heat during the heat-up and boil.

EarthBound said:

I wish a 55 gallon drum would fit on my brewstand because it would be cheaper and easier. However, these kettles need to fit on my brewstand with a maximum diameter of 19".

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Are you really attached to your brewstand? I used 55g drums and I just set them on the floor. We made a simple square frame and put wheels on it. I found it much easier then trying to work with a barrel like that up in the air. Maybe you can modify your stand to just be a controller. If you are going with direct fire then all you would have to do is move the burners to the floor stand with wheels. Here is what I was thinking.

Have you considered that the cost and limitations of tall skinny vessels may be more than the cost to modify your brewstand and buy SS drums? Not saying it's true, but it's something to consider.

If you're going that big I'd say sell the brew stand and put each big pot on it's own set of wheels, rather than trying to constrain yourself to the specs of the stand. Also a super tall skinny pot is going to be more prone to tipping, and often will take longer to boil (less surface area is getting heat from the flame).

Have you considered a single sheet of 5x10? The circumference of a 19" kettle is not quite 60", so you could cut the vessels out on the short side. 40 gal at 19" is 33" tall, so once you cut out two 33" pieces, you still have a 54"x60" solid square.

Just a thought. Costs might not work out.

Based on the feedback I've received from various sources, I've decided to not proceed with these DIY SS kettles. I will edit my first post to reflect this change.

Instead, I will be building an new system that will accomodate SS 55 gallon drums. The equipment (pumps, control panel, etc) on the original brewstand is designed to be quickly disconnected, so it can quickly interchanged with the new system.

Brewmoor said:

Are you really attached to your brewstand? I used 55g drums and I just set them on the floor. We made a simple square frame and put wheels on it. I found it much easier then trying to work with a barrel like that up in the air. Maybe you can modify your stand to just be a controller. If you are going with direct fire then all you would have to do is move the burners to the floor stand with wheels. Here is what I was thinking.

Click to expand...

You are the one who has stopped me dead in my tracks. I had no idea what you were up to, but I have finally finished sifting through your threads. Your design will have a strong influence on my design. I have a huge house with just me and my son in it, so I will be doing this all from home. My questions will be posted on your threads. My new system is estimated to be completed by early 2012.