HELP! Keggle ball valve!

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jhonda00

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Alright, I just obtained a keg and I'm in the process of making my first keggle. Now i want to have a ball valve (bulkhead) like on my mash tun. When I made the one on my mash tun, It cost me about $15-20. I'm thinking this time that I'll just buy one from this web site:

Bargain Fittings

I'm thinking about getting either the one with the stainless or the brass ball valve (can't decide.) And I'm also thinking about getting their sight gauge/thermometer T setup.

Do yall think this is a good deal or should I just make it myself? Does it really matter if I have a stainless ball valve vs a brass?

One other thing, the sight gauge/thermometer setup doesn't come with a thermometer, how much do you think a thermometer would cost?

Happy Brewing,
Jacob
 
I prefer SS however the knock against Brass is the potential lead content. You can pickle the brass to get rid of surface lead. In actuality whatever lead would leach out would be pretty small and most likely happen pretty soon and you would be done with it and have horns growing out of your head. It's strictly a financial decision. I have the sight glass from BF without thermo as I use a probe connected to my BCS controller. Search some of the better online brew sites for prices on thermos - most likely $30 give or take a few bucks.
 
Alright, so you have bought stuff from BF? Hmm, I've been contemplating on whether or not to get the thremometer one b/c I have a decent one that I typically use. I was just thinking on getting the one with the thermo attachment, but plugging the hole until I can afford another thermometer. Did you buy the SS ball valve?
 
I've bought SS ball valves from 4 different sources and BF is the best price. They are all pretty much the same so I would buy from BF. When I need something quick I go local and pay premium prices from an industrial fluid supply company that sells to many of the breweries in Portland.
 
Alright, cool. Then i guess I'm going to go with BF. I think that it would cost me about the same to just make one from parts at Lowes without the headache of having to find all of the right parts. Do you think I should buy the dip tube?
 
I bought some 1/2" stainless tubing from supply house and they cut it to size and put a 90 degree bend in it for me. $5 for tube & $5 for labor. I attached it inside the keggle with a SS compression fitting Amazon.com: Parker 8MSC8N-316-01 316 Stainless Steel A-LOK Male Connector 1/2" Compression Fitting 1/2" M NPT: Industrial & Scientific works great and easy to remove. The copper dip tube shown is simple to make if you know how to sweat copper and only a few $. Again I like SS and with the compression fitting it is a nicer job. If you can do your own tube bending you could also find the SS tube (thin wall) on Amazon.


edit - If you decide to add a false bottom at some point you will want the compression as the other fitting would be hard to work with.
 
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Yeah, that sounds like how I rigged my mash tun up. I think I'm just going to spend the extra money and get the ss ball valve. I'll just make a dip tube myself. I actually have some left over copper tubing from when I made my mash tun manifold, so I think I'm going to use that. Did you get a ss compression fitting?
 
I bought the brass ball valve fitting, T sight Glass for my Keggle, from Bargain Fittings. I am extremley satisfied! Wayse was a pleasure to work with, and he will definatley get my order next time I need something that he has on his site.

The copper Siphon tube was made for my order, and worked really well. I ended up cutting a couple inches off the end, and adding a 90deg elbow between those two pieces, rather than putting a bend in it.

When assembling the ball valve in my keggle, I ended up only using 1 of the two washers, as I did not have enough thread otherwise. Very easy to install and no leaks!
 
I bought the SS valve and braid from BF. It saved me the time and hassle of putting everything together myself and I have had no issues. I also recently got a keg and will be going back to BF to get another valve. I will probably also pick up the diptube, again because I am a lazy bastard.

Also, I am always happy to support a fellow brewer and HBT member.
 
Yeah, I think it's an easy solution. I know exactly how to build one of those valves because I made the one on my mast tun, but I would much rather spend an extra $5 to just have him do it. I haven't bought it yet, but I will before my next brew day.

Hey Arkador,

WHat kind of Thermometer did you use for your T valve? How much did it cost you and where did you get it from?

Happy Brewing,
Jacob
 
I just made the exact same setup with the fittings from BF, got everything installed and just ordered the thermometer with a 4" barb for it. I ordered the thermometer from Zymeco. Can't wait to use it all now!
 
Do you happen to have a link for Zymeco becuase I'm having trouble finding the right thermometer online. I find the right ones, but none are 4" probe.
 
Alright, so you have bought stuff from BF? Hmm, I've been contemplating on whether or not to get the thremometer one b/c I have a decent one that I typically use. I was just thinking on getting the one with the thermo attachment, but plugging the hole until I can afford another thermometer. Did you buy the SS ball valve?

Ha Ha Ha, he said but plugging!!!!!!!:off:
 
You might save a few bucks by sourcing the parts yourself but you may end up paying more with shipping from multiple suppliers. He sells a kit at a very good prices because he buys in bulk, and finds the best quality parts he can. He also is a brewer and a HBT vendor.
 
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