My keggle dip tube problem

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Skrimpy

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So I've posted here before about my keggle welds not being quite right. The couples don't go all the way through and have no threads on the inside and had to run a tap from the inside to make threads. No dice. They still leak and I can't get a good syphon. I don't really have a diagram so I will hopefully describe it and my potential solution that if it works, will hopefully help others if they have the same problem. Here are the connections.

SS valve 1/2 male NPT to:
SS coupler 1/2 female to:
keg

My solution for a dip tube.

Add a piece of copper reducer in between the valve and the coupler. It will be 1/2 female to connect to the valve and the other end will be 1/2 male NPT and will either have inside threads or I will solder in 5/8 OD inside the 1/2 male so that it can thread to the coupler but have a solid dip tube. The dip tube will have another male connection at the end for a compression fitting to 90 deg elbow for dip. What do you all think? I think. :rockin:
 
It may not be that the threads leak.
Your drain should be below the point of the pick-up tube inside the keggle.
If you come out of the valve on the outside of the keggle with another tube that turns down past the inlet of the pick-up inside you will get the siphon that your looking for.
 
dmfa200 said:
It may not be that the threads leak.
Your drain should be below the point of the pick-up tube inside the keggle.
If you come out of the valve on the outside of the keggle with another tube that turns down past the inlet of the pick-up inside you will get the siphon that your looking for.
Click to expand...


It was. The keggle was on a table and the fermenter was on the ground and the thing would stop draining as soon as the wort level was below the top of the dip tube.
 
The simple solution is to use a compression fitting. Drill it out so the tube/pipe will go all the way through it, and become your new dip tube. On the section where it comes out of the compression fitting, (on the outside of the keggle) use another compression fitting to attach the ball valve. No drilling required on the second fitting.


I, myself....would cut the fitting off and re-weld a new one on correctly. As folks have asked in the past, pics would be a great help in this issue of yours.
 
If the threads are still a problem a boat load of teflon tape may help.
I'm using compression fittings on mine to hold my dip tube and I have forgotten to tighten it down before brewing, and still drew a siphon.
Like GreenMonti said cutting and re-welding is your best solution.
 
Bobby_M said:
No, he means putting a piece of tubing/hose on the outlet hanging down about a foot.
Click to expand...

It was. About two feet actually and the damn thing still won't drain the last half gallon.

dmfa200 said:
If the threads are still a problem a boat load of teflon tape may help.
I'm using compression fittings on mine to hold my dip tube and I have forgotten to tighten it down before brewing, and still drew a siphon.
Like GreenMonti said cutting and re-welding is your best solution.
Click to expand...

I've done the teflon tape thing on it. My guess is that my tapping skills aren't that great. I'm not understanding how the compression fittings on the outside are going to help the threads on the inside not sealing...actually I don't think pics will help but a drawing however probably will. If I get a few minutes, I'll draw it up. I could only wish I knew how to weld. That would solve everything.

dobeluvr said:
what are you doing on the outside of the keg? Just draining out of the valve?
Click to expand...

Yeah but the leaky threads from the coupler on the inside of the keg break the syphon as soon as the liquid level reaches them and I have to tip the damn thing to empty the last half gallon.
 
The suggestion to use compression fittings on the outside would work but it would get expensive. You can do it with copper sweat male adapters.

Your outside threads are OK right? Thread a 1/2" NPT to 1/2" copper sweat fitting in (aka male adapter). Run your siphon tubing through the fitting so about 1/2" of tubing sticks out on the outside. Put another male adapter on with the 1/2" thread facing out. Sweat (solder) that all together. Now your ball valve will thread back on. Note that there may be "stops" inside the male adapters that you'll have to file or drill out.

Copper fittings are getting really expensive, but probably not as bad as compression fittings.

Edit; Doh! The cheapest way to do this is to slip some 1/2" copper tubing (actual 5/8" OD) through the inside of a 1/2" NPT brass close nipple and just solder it in. According to Mcmaster tech drawings, the interior of the nipple is .622" and the OD of 1/2 copper tubing is about 5/8" or .625". If it doesn't already slip in, the smallest bit of sanding with sandpaper wrapped around a dowel would get it done.
 
Bobby_M said:
The suggestion to use compression fittings on the outside would work but it would get expensive. You can do it with copper sweat male adapters.

Your outside threads are OK right? Thread a 1/2" NPT to 1/2" copper sweat fitting in (aka male adapter). Run your siphon tubing through the fitting so about 1/2" of tubing sticks out on the outside. Put another male adapter on with the 1/2" thread facing out. Sweat (solder) that all together. Now your ball valve will thread back on. Note that there may be "stops" inside the male adapters that you'll have to file or drill out.

Copper fittings are getting really expensive, but probably not as bad as compression fittings.

Edit; Doh! The cheapest way to do this is to slip some 1/2" copper tubing (actual 5/8" OD) through the inside of a 1/2" NPT brass close nipple and just solder it in. According to Mcmaster tech drawings, the interior of the nipple is .622" and the OD of 1/2 copper tubing is about 5/8" or .625". If it doesn't already slip in, the smallest bit of sanding with sandpaper wrapped around a dowel would get it done.
Click to expand...

Yeah. My outside threads work great. I think you and I are talking the same but I'm not sure I have the lingo quite right. You probably do. I was thinking of using a copper (or brass, whichever works with less sanding) fitting between the keggle and the valve. The fitting will be 1/2" NPT female on one end, 1/2" NPT male on the other. The female end will thread into the valve and the male end will thread onto the coupler but also have 5/8 OD sweat to it (the 5/8 will go through the coupler). I was also told that there were threaded reducers like this but I'm not sure I believe it (the NPT male end will also have female NPT on the inside).

I'm also still confused as to how compression fittings on the outside help the siphon on the inside but that is probably do to my lack of a diagram or picture. I do however intend to use a compression fitting on the inside to get a bend in the dip tube to the bottom of the kettle.
 
Your valve has male threads on it? Seems very rare.

I thought it would be like this:

outsidethread.jpg
 
Quote:

'what are you doing on the outside of the keg? Just draining out of the valve?
Yeah but the leaky threads from the coupler on the inside of the keg break the syphon as soon as the liquid level reaches them and I have to tip the damn thing to empty the last half gallon.'

I'm also still confused as to how compression fittings on the outside help the siphon on the inside but that is probably do to my lack of a diagram or picture. I do however intend to use a compression fitting on the inside to get a bend in the dip tube to the bottom of the kettle.

the discharge on the outside must be lower than the suction on the inside of the keg for a siphon to work, if not it will quit working at the same place. I use a compression fitting on the outside with a diptube and a piece of tubing extending down another foot.

in other words, the outside looks like the inside with an additional piece of tubing to hang lower than the bottom of the keg
Skrimpy is offline Report Post
 
Bobby_M said:
Your valve has male threads on it? Seems very rare.

I thought it would be like this:
Click to expand...

Yeah Bobby, that's it. My problem is the guy that did the welds cut the coupler in half so he had an easier job welding, even after I told him I wanted threads inside as well as outside. In your diagram where the red dotted line is, is where I'm hoping I can sweat a 5/8 OD copper line into the 1/2' NPT nipple. Or, put a brass nipple in place to facilitate an easier solder job. In the end, the nipple will still thread into the coupler but the dip tube will be soldered inside of it to keep the seal.
 
dobeluvr said:
Quote:
in other words, the outside looks like the inside with an additional piece of tubing to hang lower than the bottom of the keg
Click to expand...

That's the problem. The inside doesn't look like the outside and can't. If you look at Bobby's diagram the inside half of the coupler is not there. So my solution was to get a tap and re-thread but it didn't work. I tried to place a dip tube right into the threads I created and it won't seal. Think of it this way, take your dip tube and poke a hole in the top of it. It isn't going to work no matter how many feet of tubing you have outside the keg.
 

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