HLT, MLT, and BK appendages, doo-dads, and accesories.

I've been researching and thinking about how to setup my 3-keg brewstand for way too long and I'm almost there. This thread is a way for me to document my thought process for those who might be thinking the same thing and to solicite feedback if you have any. It's a long post so I don't blame you if you skip it.

I have the kegs, burners and March 809. I know I'm going single tier, direct fired MLT with a constant recirc'd mash and for now will use a CFC. I've decided on brass "coolant" QD's from Mcmaster instead of hard plumbing, I scored three stainless 3-piece ball valves for $10 each... Well on my way right?

Ok, not so fast. I want:
1. A dip-tubed drain on each vessel (no brainer). I'll use a 1/2"MPT to 5/8" tube compression fitting on the inside for this.
2. A sight glass on every vessel. I'm planning on using cut down 3/8" racking canes shoved into a compression fitting for this. I don't like the idea of Teeing this off my drain bulkhead. It's silly to have to cap off the tube to maintain siphon.
3. I want a probe thermometer in each vessel. Obviously I'm mostly concerned with an accurate mash temp. I have 6 thermos available at the moment: 3 Tel-Tru 3" face, 20-240F with 1/2" NPT and 6" probe:


and 3 Trend 2" face, 50-300F, 2.5" probe, 1/4" NPT on the back.


I've ordered all my fittings that will be welded into each vessel, actually more than I'll use just for flexibility. I like designing things with the parts in my hands rather than on paper but my initial ideas are as follows:

Option 1
a. 1/2" coupling for the drain bulkheads, close nipple, ball valve, male disconnect.
b. 1/4" Tee into which threads the 2" probe thermos into the front and the compression fitting for the sight glass on the branch leg.
Pros: Two welds per, nice and clean and compact.
Cons: the 1/4" NPT thermo probe won't penetrate into the vessel far enough to be accurate.

Option 2
a. 1/2" Tee welding for the bulkhead with the branch to the side. On the front, insert 1/2" probe thermo. On the side leg, close nipple to ball valve.
b. 1/4" NPT elbow welded in for the site glass.
Pros: two welds, still compact.
Cons: temps are measured inside the diptube. In the case of the MLT, it will read higher than the overall mash temp.

Option 3
a. 1/2" coupling welded for bulkhead drain, close nipple, ball valve, male discon.
b. 1/2" Tee welded with branch "up" for thermo and sight. 6" probe thermo in the end, compression for sight glass on the branch.
Pros: temp probe makes it into the vessel by at least 4.5". Still two welds per.

Option 4 - everything on its own bulkhead
a. 1/2" coupling for the drain.
b. 1/2" coupling for the thermo.
c. 1/4" elbow for the sight glass.
Pros: Most compact, most flexible.
Cons. Most expensive, 3 welds per.

Thinking, thinking.. but not brewing.

I'd go for option 3 or 4, but really you only need the 6" probe on the MLT. You can use a bushing for the shorter thermos if you decide to use those on the HLT and BK. I think, with all the thinking you've been doing, that you'll end up with one helluva nice rig.

I think that a sight glass on a mash tun and a thermometer on a boil kettle would COMPLETELY useless. I also think that a sight glass on a boil kettle wouldn't be very useful. If it's not there to serve any useful purpose, it's just something that can break and screw up your brew day.

I think you'd also want a full coupling for your drain valves if you want to attach dip tubes.

On my HLT, I have a full coupling and a half coupling welded on. The full coupling is for my drain valve. Into the half coupling I have a close nipple and a tee to take care of my thermometer and sight glass.

My BK only has a full coupling welded on for my drain valve.

I have to go with 4.
I have T's and and I hate it.
My thermo probe is too short and so I have to stir.
I realize that you have a strategy for that, but beer feng-shui dicates, "Everything on its own bulkhead."

I'm a freak like that. Those T's just stare at me and taunt me.

You done a lot of thinking. I don't like having thermos in my mash, so I can stir when needed. I've got a similar setup and I've not done it yet, but I plan on putting a thermo on the intake and outlet of the recirculation part of the mash so I can better monitor the mash temp.
I've got a T on my drain and my sight tube coming off of it...not ideal but it works and I'm cheap...I also use duct tape and bailing wire everytime I brew

lustreking said:

I think that a sight glass on a mash tun and a thermometer on a boil kettle would COMPLETELY useless. I also think that a sight glass on a boil kettle wouldn't be very useful. If it's not there to serve any useful purpose, it's just something that can break and screw up your brew day.

Click to expand...

It depends - you've gotta think outside your own equipment and how you use it.

I've got a sight glass on my MLT because it's direct fired and I fill it with a water hose. It's nice to be able to measure while I fill it. I don't have a thermo on the BK, but I would want one if I used an IC or recirculated my CFC back into it. I also don't have a sight glass on the BK, but I understand why some people would want one - to know their pre- and post-boil volumes for accurately determing efficiency, etc.

Option 3. I'd have an isolation valve for the sight glass, or use a different material. Teflon or poly tubing.

You may want to rethink the racking can for a sight tube, I tried it and at high temps a racking cane gets soft and distorts. This is what I used 8585K11 from McMaster Carr.

Aren't racking canes polycarbonate? Man, what did you pay in shipping for an 8-ft length? I might actually go pick it up since they're pretty local.

I don't agree that a sight tube on the MLT is useless. As mentioned, I can fill the MLT directly and heat mash water in there. No reason to heat two vessels until necessary.

Also, a thermo on the BK is useful for a couple reasons. To give you a hint as to when the wort is about to boil without peering in. The more important reason is when I'm doing recirculated cooling during the summer. I want to know when I'm hitting sub DMS temps. I also want to make all three vessels convertible between applications if I ever decide to unload them (long shot). Overall we're talking about $20 extra for shiny dials.

I'm leaning towards option 4 also but I wonder what the welder is gonna bang me for that one, nine welds vs. 6.

Hmm, putting an emergency shutoff on each sight glass? Dang.. another 3 stainless valves... I think I'd rather risk losing a batch.

I think you will find that metal compression fittings can cause small cracks in hard racking cane. Plastic ferrules would be a better choice is that's what you decide to use. I personally like teflon tubing. It's clear enough to use for a sight glass.

Shut off valves don't need to be SS, there is nothing wrong with brass if it's cheaper. And you can use 1/4" O.D. as well.

Sorry I have to bring this thread back to life. I received all the parts and thermos and took some pictures showing different configuration details.



As you can see, I have available 1/2" tees, 1/4" tees, 1/2" NPT 6" probe thermos and 2.5" probe thermos.

The top left shows how nice and clean it would be to direct weld a 1/4" elbow for the sight glass. I can mount it as low as possible and it will stay nice and tight to the keg.

The top right shows a 1/4" Tee with the smaller thermo. You can see from another pic that the probe would only make it into the keg by 1" and I'm slightly concerns it's going to pick up an inaccurate temp. As noted earlier, this at least combines thermo and sight into one weld.

2nd row left shows the big thermo directly into a coupling which I think I'd have welded at a similar angle as shown (obviously not in the exact location). I always see people putting the tops of the kegs at eye level on a single tier but never understood why. I plan to mount them so I can stir my mash/boil without standing on something and for that reason, I'd like to angle my thermos upward. Problems?


2nd row right is what I'd do if I wanted to monitor temp as it leaves the keg. I suppose this is only useful if I want to manually vary my direct mash heat based on this temp. Probably more useful to put a controller temp probe in it's place.. I probably won't use this config for anything.

Bottom right shows that the big thermo, even through a Tee gets at least 4" of probe into the keg for accurate temps. I do agree though that using Tees in general seems half ass because of how far out either the thermo or the ball valve has to stick out. I'm thinking of just eating the cost of welding 3 individual bulkheads per keg. Whatdya think?

By the way, I don't mind the extra thermo probe length into my MLT because I plan to put a copper shroud around it with a ton of flow holes drilled to keep it reading accurate (but still protect it) when I stir the mash.

I can't believe I've been procrastinating so long on this project. Last weekend I finally convinced myself no more brewing until I get the kettles all done. I took a whole 10 minutes to decide where the bulkheads were going and started drilling. I decided on 1/2" couplings for the drain and thermo and a separate 1/4" elbow for the site glass...picked up a deal on 1/4"MPT to 1/2" stainless compression fittings. I just dropped off the three kegs at a welding place. It's gonna bang me about $130. Ouch... Oh well, if you want to play you gotta pay (unless you make friends with a welder and I don't have any people skills).

'bout time. Now when are you planning your first batch will the new kit? Are you also building a brew stand?

Yeah, I hope to give it a run on Nov 10th. I've got a mess of bedframe angle ready to hack up. I've got all the burners. I was actually scouting around for a ready made rack to adapt. 16" x 48" is basically the footprint a single tier needs and it just seems so "standard".