Want to install a valve on my kettle

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Bisco_Ben

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I have a kettle that I use for my 10 gallon batches and it is roughly 12 gallons. I have in the past sanitized a pitcher and transferred the wort that way but it is as you can imagine a pain in the ass and life would be much better if I could easily install a valve/spigot on this thing. What would you guys say is the easiest and most cost-effective way to go about getting a hole drilled and valve system set-up?
 
You will need a ball valve kit, try brewershardware.com. And a step bit and electric drill. Search the site here, there are loads of posts about it. The ball valve kit is maybe $20, another $20 for the step bit, unless you can borrow one. WELL worth the effort.
 
Or bargainfittings.com. He has some nice bulkhead kits and $5 flat-rate shipping.
 
Is a step-bit drill something that an ordinary carpenter would have? Getting the hole in there is my biggest concern and I would like to not have to spend money on a part that I may never necessarily use again.
 
Bargainfittings.com!!! That's the site I meant.

Yeah, a carpenter might have one. Is your kettle aluminum or stainless? The following method can be used on either, but in stainless you'll have to be very patient. You'll still need a Dremel with a stainless routing bit though. Mark where the hole should be, drill a pilot hole with a regular bit, then VERY carefully use the Dremel to cut out the hole.

A metalworker/welder might have a step bit, not likely for a carpenter. Auto body shop maybe.
 
Bargainfittings.com also sells a step drill bit for $15 that works great. I just built a keggle using all parts from that site and I'm very happy with the results.
 
You will need a ball valve kit, try brewershardware.com. And a step bit and electric drill. Search the site here, there are loads of posts about it. The ball valve kit is maybe $20, another $20 for the step bit, unless you can borrow one. WELL worth the effort.

Yup, BobbyM is the way to go! I am very happy with my valve and sight glass (you should add a sight glass as well!). You can snag a step bit at Lowes for $15 or so, and you could probably return it... I wouldn't recommend that though, you will find another use for it.
 
Yup, BobbyM is the way to go! I am very happy with my valve and sight glass (you should add a sight glass as well!). You can snag a step bit at Lowes for $15 or so, and you could probably return it... I wouldn't recommend that though, you will find another use for it.

Bobby's site is actually http://www.brewhardware.com/. He has lots of great stuff and some great tutorials as well. When I'm ready to upgrade I'm definitely picking up his thermometer/sight glass combo.
 
JoshuaW said:
Yup, BobbyM is the way to go! I am very happy with my valve and sight glass (you should add a sight glass as well!). You can snag a step bit at Lowes for $15 or so, and you could probably return it... I wouldn't recommend that though, you will find another use for it.

Boo on that advise! Buy it and keep it...screw that mentality of buy, use and return. I am an employee and share holder....not cool man. Not cool.

Ok, now that I got that off my chest, Sorry for the rant, and +1 for mentioning Lowe's and not the dirty Depot!
 
barryfine said:
Bargainfittings.com also sells a step drill bit for $15 that works great. I just built a keggle using all parts from that site and I'm very happy with the results.

I bought a cheapo from Harbor Freight that has drilled a mess of holes in my keggles.
 
I recommend a bi-metal hole-saw over the step-bit if you're cutting through a SS Keg. Use lots of cutting oil either way and go slow.
 
Just be sure to keep the bit cool while you're drilling into stainless. It will heat up and harden and become a total PITA to drill more. I usually start with a pilot hole, then step up a few more times until I get to my 1/2" bit then use the step bit to finish the hole (or use my new hole punch :rockin:). If you plan on making more than a few holes (or want to use the bit later) get a cobalt bit. IMO/IME, the titanium coated ones (especially from HF) are poor at best. Still turn the drill slow (use the slowest speed range on it) and keep it cool.

For the valve assembly, instead of getting a 'kit' that has a bulkhead and such, just get a 3 piece stainless valve, 1/2" NPT to 1/2" compression fitting (also stainless) and then a dip tube (some of these come complete ready to install into the ball valve through the kettle wall) with the Delrin sleeve. You'll also want some silicone gaskets/o-rings and a flat washer to complete the assembly. Pick up some Teflon pipe tape too, since you'll want to put that on the male threads anywhere you have metal on metal.

After all that, you just need the fitting on the out port of the ball valve to go to a piece of tubing that can then send the cooled wort into your fermenter. It's actually a lot easier once you think about it a little.
 
Hole punch FTW. I'm so glad one of my best friends is a professional electrician with a plethora of said punches.
 
Hole punch FTW. I'm so glad one of my best friends is a professional electrician with a plethora of said punches.

I have the one made for stainless steel (3mm thick) from Greenlee. I also have the 8 ton quick draw driver for it. Makes real fast work of getting the hole made. I'm seriously thinking about getting the other hole punch (does 1/2 the thickness of the first one I have) to see how that works. I did make sure that the one I have lists stainless steel as what it's good to be used on. Not like the cheap ones that really are only good to mild steel.

I also have a pipe bender for 1/2" OD stainless... I'm using it to make my own dip tubes. :rockin:
 
They are great but at $200+ for a set I just can't justify buying a set to make two or four holes. Luckily I don't have to.
 
They are great but at $200+ for a set I just can't justify buying a set to make two or four holes. Luckily I don't have to.

True, not cheap (by any stretch) especially if you add in the quick draw tool... BUT, I look at it as a buy once type item. I'm not sure how many holes I'll need to make that size, but the estimates keep increasing. Especially since I've already sold my first boil keggle. I might remake my mash tun at some point. I'm also thinking about converting a short pony keg into a HLT. Of course, I'll probably let friends use it too, or connect with them to put neat holes in what they need them in.

I got mine from Amazon... The hole punch can be had for about $100 these days (watch it as it fluctuates daily). The quick draw tool was in the $300 range... Luckily, I get paid pretty damned well at my day job, so it didn't bother me so much. :D
 
We use an air compressor driven impact wrench to drive the punch so I don't need the quick draw tool. If I were to buy the punches I'd want to have a full set from 1/2-ish to 1.5 inches or so.

Now that we're done with the "Tim the Tool-man" chest bumps (nothing wrong with that BTW:rockin:) I'd still recommend a hole saw as the easiest and cheapest way to cut a couple holes though SS. The step bits burn out easily if your not careful and the punches are expensive.
 
I used a center hole punch from HD ($15) and the cheapo step bit from HF. Drilled five holes without any problems or wear and tear. To me, the main key is keeping the drill bit and keg cool (I just use running water) and use a lot of pressure. Use the hole punch to mark your hole and go. Once you are through the keg, lots of pressure and make sure you are getting ribbons of steel. That's a sure sign your doing it right. I stopped a few times to run water on the bit to make sure it stayed cool. And always keep water running at the point of contact.
 
I bought the spuds from BobbyM @ brewhardware.com and silver soldered them in.

7618-spuds.jpg


7619-valve.jpg


I used a 1-1/16" Dewalt hole saw for the 1/2"NPT spuds and a 1-9/16" Dewalt holes saw for the 1" NPT spud. I'm very happy with the result. More so than with the weld-less bulkhead stuff. I've got some pics of my drill press setup and the end result before soldering the spuds in, just haven't uploaded them yet.

One note of importance. I see over & over where folks say to use lots of oil when drilling and take it slow. In 304 stainless that is WRONG!

304 Stainless Steel work hardens like a *****. The worst thing you can do is try to drill it slow, if you slip the bit just a couple revolutions, you'll burn it up. Some other types of stainless aren't prone to work hardening, you have to look up the specs on each alloy. You want a continuous feed. All four of the holes in my Bayou Classic kettle (304 SS) took less than 5 seconds each to drill. I used no oil, I used water based machine coolant I keep in a spray bottle. You can use plain or soapy water. Both hole saws still have the yellow paint on them. There was no discoloration in the cut metal from heat.

Oil is a lubricant, it is designed to reduce friction, the opposite of what you're trying to do in a drilling operation, drilling and sawing are cutting operations and rely on a certain amount of friction. Oil has poor cooling capacity as compared to water, hence why modern machine tools use water based coolant with a small amount of emulsified oil to reduce oxidation. Try water next time, DO NOT use antifreeze.
 
I get you on the water based coolant but where does the "DO NOT use antifreeze" recommendation come from? Not that I would have thought of using it.
 
I think everyone who is talking about going slow and using oil are using step drill bits. Going fast with a step drill will damage the bit and likely harden the steel. I just drilled my keg a few days ago and the step bit only worked properly when I went slow with lots of pressure. I made sure to dip the bit in oil every few revolutions to keep things cool.
 
I get you on the water based coolant but where does the "DO NOT use antifreeze" recommendation come from? Not that I would have thought of using it.

I mention it simply as a matter of SOP because it has come up in machining discussions. Antifreeze will create a toxic mist when used in that application. While it's unlikely that it would cause a problem with a simple drilling job, it's best to nip it in the bud to prevent a future problem.

I've used Irwin Unibits for many years, they are great tools for sheet metal work but I will not use them in a metal that work hardens. I've seen a number of photos here in the forums where someone has and there is a blue uncut protrusion of metal on the exit side of the bit. That's bad.

In comparison, I used Dewalt hole saws and the first test I did was on the side of a 1# coffee can. If they would smoothly cut that thin of metal without distorting or tearing it, they would work on a .8mm kettle wall. And they did, they cut a perfect hole. They weren't cheap, I think ~$8 each plus the arbors which was still considerably less than two Greenlee punches.

A little tip I learned the hard way many years ago, never ever take the cheap way out on cutting tools or abrasives, it will always cost you in the end. You can buy a Harbor Freight drill press, grinder etc but use U.S. made drills & grinding wheels, sanding belts etc.
 
I see this argument against china import step bits constantly but if you're goal is to put 3 holes in a keg, one time, why would you spend $50 when a $12 bit will do the job? No solution can be deemed "better" if you don't specify the goals. It really comes down to perceived value. Do you want a family heirloom step bit or something to get the job done for as little expense as possible?

I'm not saying that no one should buy expensive high quality tools. I have quite a few of them based on my perception of continued use through the years. However, that model does not fit everyone. If it did, Harbor Freight would be out of business.
 
I think everyone who is talking about going slow and using oil are using step drill bits. Going fast with a step drill will damage the bit and likely harden the steel. I just drilled my keg a few days ago and the step bit only worked properly when I went slow with lots of pressure. I made sure to dip the bit in oil every few revolutions to keep things cool.

I agree. While most machining guidelines you'll find on drilling stainless will warn against too slow of a drill speed, they are more focused on plunge drilling into thicker stocks. Basically the idea is to hurry up and remove the next sliver of material before it work hardens and so on. It's easy enough for a machining novice to misunderstand it and apply it to step bit use. By far the worst work hardening situation here is spinning the bit without cutting the ribbon out on every single rotation. We can argue semantics all day, but I've never seen a work hardening problem by running too slow. They all happen when someone gets trigger happy on a low torque corded drill.
 
One note of importance. I see over & over where folks say to use lots of oil when drilling and take it slow. In 304 stainless that is WRONG!
There are two things that impact metal cutting. Speed and feed. The proper surface speed used for cutting stainless is quite slow compared to low carbon steel or aluminum. Work hardening is caused by heat building up. This can be because of excess speed or too low feed rate which allows the cutting tool to rub rather than cut. Slow speed and a constant pressure will give the best results when cutting stainless.


All four of the holes in my Bayou Classic kettle (304 SS)...
Stick a magnet on that pot. They claim to be 304, but the degree of magnetic attraction is far to great to be just from the manufacturing process. May people use them with induction heaters, something you could not do with 304.


Oil is a lubricant, it is designed to reduce friction, the opposite of what you're trying to do in a drilling operation, drilling and sawing are cutting operations and rely on a certain amount of friction. Oil has poor cooling capacity as compared to water, hence why modern machine tools use water based coolant with a small amount of emulsified oil to reduce oxidation. Try water next time...
Almost all cutting and tapping fluids used for metal working in a non flood situation are straight oil/chemical based and do not use water. For someone drilling at home, flooding is not an option, so even with a squeeze bottle, water or even soapy water would not be enough to be effective at removing heat. Reduced friction and lubrication is exactly what you want in a cutting fluid. The goal is to prevent the chip from sticking to the cutting surface. Straight cutting oil or even cooking oil will provide better lubrication and reduce the friction that creates heat and work hardening.

The use of water based coolants in machine tools is as much about cost and environmental/health regulations as it is about the effectiveness of the products.

But as Bobby say, speed is the most important thing. Keep the RPM's down and enough pressure to produce a good chip.
 
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