I am building my all grain rig and have a chance to pick up these 2 aluminum drums to turn 1 into a brew pot and the other into a mash tun. They are 22.5" in diameter and 24" tall. Just checking to see what the consensus is on using them.
They are 40 gallons each.
Ah, yeah that's my error in explaining. I only want to use one as a brew pot and probably the other as a direct fired (somehow insulated) mash tun. I can't imagine what I would need to boil 70+ gallons of water. Thanks Bosco, I will update my post to avoid further confusion.
Also, the melting/distortion point of the aluminum also worries me a bit. 18" of unsupported aluminum + 250 pounds of water + a whole lot of heat = failure? I could be over-thinking things so let me hear your thoughts.
I would be concerned of the wall thickness. IMO, anything under 3mm thick aluminum shouldn't be used,
Also, the melting/distortion point of the aluminum also worries me a bit. 18" of unsupported aluminum + 250 pounds of water + a whole lot of heat = failure? I could be over-thinking things so let me hear your thoughts.
3 mm!! That would be extreme! I just looked at my commercial pot that is 5 gallons and it is less than 1 mm. It is a single piece of metal with a rolled rim and riveted on handles.
They look sturdy enough to me but when you cut off one end you will have to determine if they are stable enough.
For the BK I would test it with just a couple of gallons to make sure the bottom is able to take the heat and weight then again with more water then even again mostly full before making any major modifications like installing valves etc.
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