Measuring volume in boil kettle...

I have a keg I converted into a boil kettle, and I'm still trying to determine the best way to go about this. I was going to install a sight glass, and make marks on it in 1/2 gallon increments, but LHBS guy recommended against putting one in a keggle, because he said once the sugars get in there, they're very hard to clean out. He said he only recommends using them in HLTs. So I scratched that idea. I don't know a practical way to label volume increments on the keg itself, so I'm not going to pursue that avenue.

I have heard that some take a long rod or dowel, stick it in the keggle, and add water, gradually making marks on the dowel. That seems like the way to go, but I'm not sure what exactly to get. I assume I'd have to go with SS for material, and I wonder how easy it would be to etch marks on it. The other thing I was thinking was getting a temperature resistant plastic mash paddle. That may be the way to go, although it will cost a bit more than I'd want.

Does anyone else have any creative ideas that haven't occured to me? I've asked this many times, and you folks have yet to disappoint me with your ingenuity...

How about an engravers gun to mark off gallons?

Well, I have a plastic mash spoon that I have not yet gotten around to marking up with measurements, but that's a $5 solution. PITA for me, though, 'cause I have about a half-second of peering into the boil kettle before my glasses are fogged up.

I wouldn't worry about the sugars in the sight glass, lots of people have them, and I can't imagine how it would be an issue; any residue would re-dissolve (and get sterilized) the next time you boiled. Sight glass is definately on the to-do list, seems like the best, cleanest solution so that I can get my evaporation rate dialed in.

Incidentally, any recommendations on the best source for a sight glass? There was one at Williams Brewing that looked pretty cheap, but I couldn't tell for sure if it came with the weldless fitting or not.

EDIT: I take it back, this does include the fitting. Anyone see a better deal than this? http://www.williamsbrewing.com/WELD-B-GONE_SIGHT_TUBE_AND_AD_P1033.cfm

I use a straight length of 1/4 inch copper grounding wire. Available at big box and better hardware stores. I laid out gallon marks by filling my kettle gallon by gallon, and using a tubing cutter to score the wire. Works great, and you can make one for each kettle or boiler you have. The wort wets the copper well, so you can see exactly where the level is. Be sure to use an accurate gallon measure, lots of the ones we use, like juice jugs and water/milk jugs are inaccurate.

My keg has a seem on the 5.5 gallon mark and a curve above that. I know that I need to be 3 inch below the curve and an inch above the seam to hit target volume. I ain't fussed to a pint or so.

You could het a treaded rod from HD or Lowes and use the appropriate nuts to mark off the half gallons... Of course, you would have to find a way to secure the nuts in so that idol hands do not waste your calibration efforts.

Ryan_PA said:

You could het a treaded rod from HD or Lowes and use the appropriate nuts to mark off the half gallons... Of course, you would have to find a way to secure the nuts in so that idol hands do not waste your calibration efforts.

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There's a creative idea...I'll have to think about a practical way to "secure the nuts" (wear a cup? ).

Thanks for the suggestion.

Use two nuts and tighten them against each other. (Lock nut)

the_bird said:

I take it back, this does include the fitting. Anyone see a better deal than this? http://www.williamsbrewing.com/WELD-B-GONE_SIGHT_TUBE_AND_AD_P1033.cfm

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That seems like a great deal. I was ready to drop $50 for a sight glass yesterday, until I was talked out of it by LHBS guy. The one I was looking at was made from glass, versus many others that are made of temperature tolerant plastic. I'd assume that's what this one is, but at that price, it's really hard to complain about it.

One thing that concerned me was the user review of that sight glass. Apparently the reviewer had no luck with the o-rings holding a seal, and had to build his own gasket to get a proper seal. Maybe he just didn't have it adequately tightened, or drilled slightly too big of a hole? Who knows.

If you use a threaded rod, find out what the plating is on it, if any. If it's cadmium plated you do not want to use it. If it's zinc it might be okay, if it's plain jane unplated steel you risk getting iron in your wort. This of course it all minimized by the short time it's in the wort. I don't know how well the liquid level will be read off the threads, but it may be fine. I still like my copper one.

AiredAle said:

If you use a threaded rod, find out what the plating is on it, if any. If it's cadmium plated you do not want to use it. If it's zinc it might be okay, if it's plain jane unplated steel you risk getting iron in your wort. This of course it all minimized by the short time it's in the wort. I don't know how well the liquid level will be read off the threads, but it may be fine. I still like my copper one.

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When you said grounding wire, I was under the impression you were referring to the grounding rod that gets spiked into the ground...or are you actually referring to wire? Either way, it's something I'll look into as well.

greg75 said:

One thing that concerned me was the user review of that sight glass. Apparently the reviewer had no luck with the o-rings holding a seal, and had to build his own gasket to get a proper seal. Maybe he just didn't have it adequately tightened, or drilled slightly too big of a hole? Who knows.

Click to expand...

I saw that, too, and it's hard to say. I've had no problems with my other weldless fitting, but others have and it seems that they were not particularly diligent about deburring the hole. They might not have used Teflon tape on the threads and it's not clear where the leak is coming from. So, I'm not overly concerned by it.

the_bird said:

I saw that, too, and it's hard to say. I've had no problems with my other weldless fitting, but others have and it seems that they were not particularly diligent about deburring the hole. They might not have used Teflon tape on the threads and it's not clear where the leak is coming from. So, I'm not overly concerned by it.

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BTW, Northern Brewer has the Thermosight for $20. There's two versions, one for cooler installation, and one for sanke kegs.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/weldless.html

Greg75,

I was referring to the heavy gauge solid copper wire that's used to connect a home's main circuit breaker panel's ground to the rod driven into the ground or to a water pipe. It comes in rolls and is about 1/4 inch diameter, maybe a smidge less. Might be four gauge? Easy to straighten out off a roll, light but heavy enough to be rigid. I use my tubing or pipe cutter to mark it with a deep groove at the gallon marks. The cutter I mean is the cutter with the little roller cutter plumbers use to cut copper water pipe, not the cutter the LHBS uses to cut plastic tubing.

AiredAle said:

Greg75,

I was referring to the heavy gauge solid copper wire that's used to connect a home's main circuit breaker panel's ground to the rod driven into the ground or to a water pipe. It comes in rolls and is about 1/4 inch diameter, maybe a smidge less. Might be four gauge? Easy to straighten out off a roll, light but heavy enough to be rigid. I use my tubing or pipe cutter to mark it with a deep groove at the gallon marks. The cutter I mean is the cutter with the little roller cutter plumbers use to cut copper water pipe, not the cutter the LHBS uses to cut plastic tubing.

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I was at Home Depot yesterday looking at exactly what you're describing. I think this is the way I'm going to go. I have a PVC pipe cutter that I think will leave an adequete score in the wire for 1/2 gallon increments. Thanks for the advice!

I used to use a notched plastic spoon as a simple dip-stick. Then somebody else on this forum said they used an inverted dip-stick that measured the distance from the top of the kettle to the surface of the wort. Much better idea. The dip-stack doesn't get all sticky.

-a.

greg75 said:

BTW, Northern Brewer has the Thermosight for $20. There's two versions, one for cooler installation, and one for sanke kegs.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/weldless.html

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<3 my thermosight and was a piece of cake to install. BTW I used to try and use a dip stick (marks on my mash paddle) but didnt enjoy sticking my head or arm into the keggle to try and see where it was at while I was trying to boil 8 gallons down to 5 gallon.

As for cleaning the thermosight out I just rinse it right away with hot water when I'm done. If it gets real nasty I soak in in oxyclean

I just took a mild steel wire (used for supporting suspended ceilings) and made two bends in it: one at 6 gallons and one at 7.5 gallons. It has a hook to hold it on the pot. The first bend is for everything except AG and the second makes it easy to estimate the volume of the second batch sparge.

How about a universal dip stick and tube from the auto parts store.
Cut the tube and braise it to the lip on the keggle and trim the dip stick to just off the bottom. Make your marks.
The dip stick can stay right in the tun. Pull it up and wipe, drop it back in, pull it out, and check your level.