Which vessel would this work best?

I'm looking for opinions for the best use of this vessel. It measures 27 1/2" high x 17 1/4 " wide. It is 316 stainless and was listed as an ice tea beverage dispenser. It also aready has a hole drilled for installing a ball valve and I got it off of e-bay for a steal (wait for it...) $12.50. I figure it holds at least 25 gallons. I already have keggles that I am working on but before I start drilling or welding anything I wanted to get some good advice ("measure twice, cut once"). Would this work best as a HLT, MT, or BK ? and please explain why. Also one thing I am not sure about it is the bottom of the vessel. It is not "seamless" (see pic) so should I be concerned about anything getting into the crevice? Any thoughts?

Anybody with wisdom to impart?

Nice find! I think I'd go with a mash tun...keep it on the hot side since it isn't seamless in case any critters take up residence in the seam. I don't have any experience with vessels that aren't seamless, but I'd speculate that the more they're exposed to temp extremes the more likely they are to eventually leak. Of the three, a MT should see the smaller temp swings unless you were planning on direct firing. An electric HLT would be my second choice. Is the bottom welded on...all the way around? I'd probably run a bead of food grade silicon around the seam. Lowe's carries aquarium silicone that would work.

Hey microbusbrewery, thanks for replying. I was wondering if this was a dumb question (due to lack of response). I am planning on eventually going electric and was a little bit concerned about it not being seemless. This thing would hold a hell of a lot of grain as a MT. I guess I could look at a custom FB. Also I took a look at your website and funny thing I am also looking to fabricate a seperate "small HERMs" for my system. Do you have any reservations about going in that direction?

Thanks
Rod

While using it as a mash tun is a consideration, it would also work well as a HLT.

So the consensus is not to use as a BK. Someone had mentioned to me that a larger BK would help with boil overs. I was just concerned about the seam. It is a solid weld all the way around and certainly holds liquid I guess I could see if Bobbby M. could make a custom sight glass. This thing is 27" tall.

rodduley said:

Also I took a look at your website and funny thing I am also looking to fabricate a seperate "small HERMs" for my system. Do you have any reservations about going in that direction?

Thanks
Rod

Click to expand...

I love mine and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You've probably seen a lot of HERMS systems where the coil is submerged in the HLT. Nothing wrong with that design but I really like the ability to heat my mash independent of the HLT. Also since I'm heating less water in my HEX compared to a HLT, it responds to temp changes pretty quickly.