Has anyone used Weld-B-Gone...?

Has anyone used Weld-B-Gone bulkhead fittings to attach a ball valve on a 15 gal Keg? Is this a good alternative to welding?

Thanks,

redneckbeagle

If this is what you are calling a weld-b-gone fitting then yes, I put one on the boil pot I built for my dad with a ball valve and dip tube.

just put one on a week ago.. love it and totally worth the money if you buy it here..

http://www.greatbargain.net/order/shop1.html

use a 7/8" bi metal hole saw.. super easy...

Got them on all my kegs. Once I got them to seal, they haven't leaked a drop.

Lil Sparky, I like your brewstand. Did you Build?

Thanks! I did. It sure has made my brew days easier!

Is there a specific location from the bottom of the keg it should be located?

just above that last indention on the bottom of the keg is a good place.. refer to sparks pic.

Is there a specific location from the bottom of the keg it should be located?

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Not really. You use a pickup tube inside to siphon the wort off the bottom. Here's a pic of the inside of my MLT to give you an idea. My brew kettle doesn't have the false bottom in there, but otherwise it's just about the same.

I noticed the white wires in the top 2 kegs running to another white box. Can I assume it is your Thermometer system? If so, can you share the details?

Thanks so much for all your help so far, he are giving me a big head start!!!

Thanks,

redneckbeagle

Yes, those are digital probe thermometers I use to monitor temps in the HLT and MLT. You can see the probe sticking inside in the pic I posted.

I got the thermosight (combo sight glass + thermo fitting) from here: http://www.northernbrewer.com/weldless.html and I made some modifications because I didn't like the way it sealed. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=28815

The thermometers cost $15 from Walmart, but they've worked really well. They've got a feature that allows you to set an alarm for a target temp. That's been really handy when heating strike and sparge water.

Those of you who use the pickups to siphon out of your brew "keggles," (i.e. Lil' Sparky ) how do you keep from racking over all the trub to your fermenter? I'm in the planning stages of converting at the moment.

Thanks!

WoW Sparky I love your setup. Wouldn't mind seeing some closer pics and maybe a note or two. I'm still in the accumulation stage, but would like to fashion my future brew rig into something very simular to yours. How tall does it stand?

Robar said:

WoW Sparky I love your setup. Wouldn't mind seeing some closer pics and maybe a note or two. I'm still in the accumulation stage, but would like to fashion my future brew rig into something very simular to yours. How tall does it stand?

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Thanks, send me a PM with any questions you've got and I'll be happy to answer them. It's basically 6'10" to the top of the HLT. Each tier is 2' apart and the bottom is 8" high (+ the casters). I've got some brewery pics posted online, but I can give you more details if you're really interested. http://www.the-sparkmans.net/Photo%20Gallery/Brew%20Stuff/index.html

e lo said:

Those of you who use the pickups to siphon out of your brew "keggles," (i.e. Lil' Sparky ) how do you keep from racking over all the trub to your fermenter? I'm in the planning stages of converting at the moment.

Thanks!

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I use a hop straining contraption (also hanging on the fence in the original pic) to filter the hops and I use a CFC so everything else (mostly cold break) goes into the primary. No problems there.

I am new to this and I am sure it is a stupid question!! But what is a CFC?

Thanks

redneckbeagle

Counterflow chiller. Hot wort travels through a copper tube inside. Cold water flowes around it inside the hose in the opposite direction.

Lil' Sparky said:

I use a hop straining contraption (also hanging on the fence in the original pic) to filter the hops and I use a CFC so everything else (mostly cold break) goes into the primary. No problems there.

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Wow, that's quite a contraption. Nice.

Lil' Sparky said:

I use a hop straining contraption (also hanging on the fence in the original pic) to filter the hops and I use a CFC so everything else (mostly cold break) goes into the primary. No problems there.

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I use the weld-b-gone fittings on both my HLT and brew pot.

I also copied sparky's filter do-dad but changed it a little to keep the PVC out of the pot on a BIG boil and the way it "locks" on the pot I don't have to worry about someone (like me) bumping it and it falling into the pot.

Ok, I'll bite. FSR, what's that downstream of your kettle? CFC?

It's a leaky CFC if I recall correctly.

e lo said:

Ok, I'll bite. FSR, what's that downstream of your kettle? CFC?

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Yes it is.

Lil' Sparky said:

It's a leaky CFC if I recall correctly.

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How right you are.
I'm in the mid of rebuilding it with more copper and to make sure it seals up.