Water Tight issues with weldless keg

Hey guys, my friends and I are doing our first electric brew setup and we have all the parts we need thanks to all of the posts on here. We have the holes drilled and want to put the heating element in without welding and are having problems keeping it water tight. Any tips would be super helpful and we can put pictures on here if you would like, but I figured that everyone pretty much knows what it looks like. Thanks a ton in advance!

do you have those thick red silicone o rings and a bulk head set up?
http://weldlessfittings.com/kettlefittings.html

Yes I do! I went per directions of a few of the posts on here and got the bulkheads and o-rings from bargain fittings.
http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=167

What size hole did you drill? I believe 7/8" is the correct size for a 1/2" set up

I want to say it was 1 1/4". However big it was the threads fit snugly in the hole so you almost have to thread it in the keg.

Did you tighten with a wrench?

all the cool kids are soldering their fittings

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/soldered-1-coupling-heater-element-265505/

as for the weldless fittings, they are best only snug, not as tight as you can get them...

slakwhere said:

as for the weldless fittings, they are best only snug, not as tight as you can get them...

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+1

yeah we did tighten it with a wrench. Should we only hand tighten them? and Slakwhere: I read that the soldered fittings weren't a good way to go because of the heating then cooling constantly can lead to the solder cracking.

serentaius said:

yeah we did tighten it with a wrench.

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If you have not used a wrench and you are having a leak, use a wrench

Come on... Post a picture so that we don't have to guess and fabricate a possible solution.

A picture is worth a thousand words after all.!

mine is installed as you describbed. However couple of things, not to tight not to loose just right works wonders on the weldess. Check your stainless nut and oring, make sure your oring actually fits in the grouve, i have had one where the nut was not machined, and the oring did not seat properly. I might be able to get a pick tomorrw

I've had weldless require a delicate dance with tightening. I know that some have used silicone sealant on the threads with great results.

bf514921 said:

mine is installed as you describbed. However couple of things, not to tight not to loose just right works wonders on the weldess. Check your stainless nut and oring, make sure your oring actually fits in the grouve, i have had one where the nut was not machined, and the oring did not seat properly. I might be able to get a pick tomorrw

Click to expand...

This! make sure like he said I had the exact same problem one of the nuts i received must of been machined for a larger oring or something luckily I ordered 2 and the other one mated with the oring perfectly. No leaks yet!

Also make sure your hole has been ground and sanded. Rough edges there can cause leaks. I grind weldless holes gently with a Dremel and then finish with medium and fine sandpaper.

Sometimes the step bits can kick back and make the hole you're drilling uneven. Take a good look side-on on your vessel and make sure the hole is level.

The fittings should be hand-tightened. The o-rings need to be snug but not squashed. If you have to use a wrench, something's wrong.

+1 for hand tightening. My kettle used to leak until I put away the wrench and only hand tighten.

oh, +1 on the sanding the hole, i had a burr that destroyed the o-ring and leaked all over

Thanks guys! I'll post a pic in just a bit, but I am using a rubber gasket that came with the bulkhead kit, not a rubber o-ring. For the element I will use one, but on the ball valves it's just an orange/brownish rubber gasket.

hmm , i guess all mine had the o-ring, i made the assumption(silly me) that they all used orings

serentaius said:

Thanks guys! I'll post a pic in just a bit, but I am using a rubber gasket that came with the bulkhead kit, not a rubber o-ring. For the element I will use one, but on the ball valves it's just an orange/brownish rubber gasket.

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If you bought from bargain fittings and ordered a weldless kit, it definitely came with a red silicone o ring. If you follow his instructions to the letter it's goof proof. Like the others said, +1 to not overtightening, +1 to sanding off any burrs.

Courtesy of Bargainfittings:

don't forget the silicon tape! Mine leaked until I gave those threads a good wrapping. 5-6 times around usually works wonders.