To weld or Not to weld?

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To Weld or Not to Wels

  • To weld

  • Not to weld (weldless couplers, etc)

  • Both


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SAMPLER

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I'm in the beginning stages of starting my next stand build and looking to upgrade to ss ball valves and was curious how many brewers use weldless parts on their brew equipment veruses those who have welded the couplers in place.

What are the Pro's and Con's of both?
 
I've got a brutus 10 clone with keggles that all have weldless fittings. The only reason I didn't go for welded ones is that I dont have a tig machine or the skills to use one. I also wasn't going to for them to be welded as the weldless fittings were cheaper.

If you have the money and resources I'd say weld 'em in, otherwise weldless will be just fine. After a hundred or so brews with mine they have yet to leak. Bargainfittings.net is where I got mine and they're great.
 
I've got weldless like DM, and mine have been trouble free for many, many brews, but if I had the tools/skills I would've welded mine. You can also look into silver solder. I didn't hear about this until after I'd already installed mine or I probably would've tried it.
 
I initially tried weldless, and had quite minor issues with leaking.

Honestly, if a tiny leak weren't *critical* in my application, wledless would be just fine. Better than that, you can re-use parts if you ever out-grow your current setup.

But I run all-electric, and I can't risk water leaking inside the insulation (or on the electrified parts!!!). Tried weldless, found that Stay Brite solder works much better - once you get the solder joint right. Soldering's a skill, but not as hard as welding in knowledge or equipment. I would NOT use anything less than Stay Brite or Stay Brite 8 for structural soldering, and NEVER use leaded solder. Welding or brazing would make a stronger joint still, but unless you have everything already, high-strength soldering is more than adequate for homebrewing purposes.

At this point, I will never go back to weldless. I can make a very high-strength, leak-free joint that will not wiggle. With weldless, you have to worry about how much tension is on the o-ring, and if you put too much side-load on the connection - oops! you have a leak. Note - this doesn't apply to plastic mashtuns. I treat the plastic walls of those with respect, and have not yet (knock on wood!) had any issues.
 
Just had some keggles welded up yesterday. Finding a stainless welder that knows what they are doing and is willing to do it for less than standard welding shop prices is difficult. I cut the lids and all the holes, bought all the fittings, and it cost me about $25 a fitting (10x) to have him weld them up and grind the inside of the kegs flush.

No leaks, and super sturdy. But, weldless is probably cheaper.
 
Just had some keggles welded up yesterday. Finding a stainless welder that knows what they are doing and is willing to do it for less than standard welding shop prices is difficult. I cut the lids and all the holes, bought all the fittings, and it cost me about $25 a fitting (10x) to have him weld them up and grind the inside of the kegs flush.

No leaks, and super sturdy. But, weldless is probably cheaper.

Wow $25 a weld seems pretty steep. Since I don't have a welder handy Im thinking that this could be rather expensive.
 
I'm a "weld it" fan, but I have been in the business for a number of years, so may be a bit bias. But once it is done and done correctly there is no possibility for leaks or need for additional maintenance.

The price of $25 for each weld is not out of line, here is a link of an earlier conversation concerning the difficulties finding a welder capable of the task.
 
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