weldless fittings...

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coolbeerluke

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I need to put a spigot on my brewpot and am wondering two things:

1) is it worth pitching 40-45 bucks for one of those stainless steel weld-less assemblies they sell on NB and other supply chains. Or is it safe to go the economical route and make one out of brass from parts from Lowe's? I'm not sure whether or not brass gives off some kind of off taste or what the deal is, but...basically, is it worth saving $20?

2) obviously, brewpots tend to be cylindrical, so do these "flat" weld-less fittings make a snug fit or is it going to leak? Should I just try and weld it? Second, there is no current hole in the pot (relatively thick stainless steel)...so how hard is it to drill a hole in these things with out making it look like lightning hit and formed the hole?

I guess I had three questions, I'd be thankful for any input.
 
if you have to ask...you don't have the skills to weld it....so don't try.

Brass is fine, however John Palmer advises using vinegar and baking soda to remove the surface lead.
I'm not sure if I am too concerned about it, but for no more effort than it takes....Give it a go.

However.,...There are weld less fittings for 1/2 what you are talking about....I just don't know where....although I have one....Damn....Maybe beer really does kill brain cells.
 
Ditto what BigKahuna says abut the brass (all the way around). Drilling the hole is no big feat, just make sure you purchase the correct size hole saw from Lowes or Home Depot. As far as leaking goes, the spigots/valves have Durometer o-rings on the outside and inside that get compressed when you tighten the nut on the inside. Go with the brass weld-less and save the $$$.
 
My personal opinion, weldless sucks. If you can find a competent welder in your area with a TIG setup, go for that instead. I know, there are thousands of satisfied users of weldless setups but you all know you would have had them welded in if it were the same price. It doesn't hurt to ask around and get a few price quotes.
 
The only reason I am considering weldless is because I have a thin aluminum pot, which would melt if someone tried to weld on it.
 
but not worth it... I can't justify spending $50 or $100 or however much it would cost to have welded fittings on a $15 pot.
 
There's also silver soldering/brazing to consider. I believe both would work well on aluminum. I'd even rather use a typical weldless design but skip the orings and use flux on the kettle facing surfaces to be soldered after the parts are snugly installed.
 
My personal opinion, weldless sucks. If you can find a competent welder in your area with a TIG setup, go for that instead. I know, there are thousands of satisfied users of weldless setups but you all know you would have had them welded in if it were the same price. It doesn't hurt to ask around and get a few price quotes.


My personal opionion, weldless is fine. Never had a leak, never had any problems with it. Now, if I had a buddy who was a competant welder with the proper equipment and was willing to do it for free, I'd have it all welded up - but I've never regretted once having saved the money from having it welded (plus the hassle of finding a good place, lugging the keg there, etc.)

Plus, I've seen enough crappy welds posted on here (from people who claimed they could do stainless steel properly) that I'm not sure how much I would trust someone I didn't know to weld it properly.
 
I dont know why ppl say weldless sucks, I have used them for three years and have not had to even touch them since I installed them, and they dont leak... so what is so sucky?
 
FWIW, i got a Zymeco Weld-B-Gone + Bazooka T screen for 50ish at my LHBS, and i love it. Only a very slight leak problem, and this is only due to the fact that my wrench wont open wide enough to tighten it enough.
 
I suspect that at least a good percentage of the people who have had leaky weldless bulkheads have somehow screwed up the o-ring, either by not cleaning up the burr from drilling the hole enough or by torqueing down too tight and deforming it permanantly.
 
but not worth it... I can't justify spending $50 or $100 or however much it would cost to have welded fittings on a $15 pot.

I think you will the first time you add water, everything looks good, then 15 minutes into your boil you notice a decent leak. This was a very annoying brew day and my scalding hand did not appreciate it either. My kegs are now welded and I LOVE the piece of mind knowing without a doubt that I will not have a leak because an o-ring got squished. Not to mention that fact that I don't have a spare one to replace it with if it's not usable anymore.
I consider the price of getting the fittings welded in spent on piece of mind and relaxation during brew day.
 
I am still baffled, did I get like SUPER lucky with my weldless bulkheads? I have never had a single drip, from the ones on my kettle or my coolers.
 
My big problem with weldless stems from the fact that the parts sold as such are not really designed for it. It's a huge workaround that doesn't always work. There are true weldless bulkhead fittings that are awesome but they're extremely cost prohibitive.
I suppose if I only had one bulkhead to install, I'd go weldless and tweak it as necessary but if you're doing a few, finding a welder becomes a lot more valuable. I had 9 bulkheads plus three lids welded for $130. Weldless parts for the same would have only been a bit cheaper and that's a LOT of potential leaks.

Just to harp on it for no good reason... If the design really worked, it wouldn't need the external Oring at all. The trouble spot in my mind is on the inside. It's usually assembled with a coupling on the nipple and a washer between the coupling and inside Oring. There's nothing to stop liquid from getting between the coupling and washer. Once it does, it can travel along the threads and through the hole in the vessel. The only thing that stops it is the Oring between the vessel and locknut. It can still get out through the nipple to locknut thread location but you put a bunch of teflon tape to stop it there. If this is a cooler, you get wort inside the walls.

I fully admit that my aversion to these things is purely personal just knowing that it's a bunch of kludged parts. If someone wants be crafty, see if you can have a coupling machined so that it has a large flat surface on the end. That fixes everything and makes the outer oring unnecessary.
 
I have weldless fittings but plan on brazing them onto the kettle.

The issue I have is the torque created when you open and close valves. This adds a little pressure to one side or another of the connection and I always end up with a little drip here and there. No big deal but I do want a better connection that does not rock like that now that I am planning on using electric.
 
I'm with The Pol on this one. I have never had so much as a drop leak out. As a matter of fact, I can "wiggle" my valves (no pun intended) left to right and STILL not get a leak.

I abig part of the equation that I haven't seen mentioned might be the radius of the brew pot you mount it in. On a staight wall cooler, I can't imagine having a problem. Mine are mounted on both 60 and 80 quart kettles.
 
Yeah, I have never had so much as a drip from my kettle (commercial bulkhead) or my (2) Rubbermaid coolers (homemade bulkhead)... I can wiggle the valves and everything with 180F water in the vessels and they wont leak.

I think that using teflon tape to help seal threads is a good idea, as well as the proper tension on the bulkhead. I guess I feel pretty fortunate that mine dont leak, or drip, with all the electricity running around my system.
 
I take great care when inserting my fittings... all holes are smooth and deburred, A LOT of teflon tape on the threads and tightened snugly. That all seems like common sense to me, coming from a farm machinery repair background.
 
I abig part of the equation that I haven't seen mentioned might be the radius of the brew pot you mount it in. On a staight wall cooler, I can't imagine having a problem. Mine are mounted on both 60 and 80 quart kettles.

You say 60 and 80 quart kettles, so they are going to have a much larger circumference than say, a 30 quart kettle. So, do think there is enough contact between the o-rings and what-not for it not to leak? I guess I could always take a rubber mallet to the side of the kettle to make it flatter?

And also, what is the heat tolerance of the o-rings? When boiling water outside, they are going to be relatively close to open flame...has this been a problem for anyone?
 

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