Making a regular 7 gallon pot into a brew kettle.

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jonbomb

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I have a lot of time this weekend and I was just curious if I can find the equptment to turn my actualy put into a real brewpot with spigot and thermometer.
 
You can definitely find the stuff. But frying to find it locally will result in a lot of wasted time and running around. You're much better off going some place online like one of the vendors from the forum.

I spent a lot of time looking for the fititngs for my pot; ran around town and all. I ended up getting them all from bargainfittings.com.

Heck, I'll sell you the pot I built (36qt, which is nine gallons) since I just got a keg and want to make it into a keggle. cost me about $160 to build. Yours for $140.

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If I had the money at the moment I would say yes but I'm kinda strapped for cash. That cost you 160 bucks for all the pieces and everything??
 
Yup. About $80 for the kettle and $80 for the fittings. I had a friend help with the drilling, so I didn't need to buy a step-bit.

Do you already have a kettle you're looking at converting?

I think buying these as kits from one of the vendors is the best way to do it. I never would have found the nut with the groove on the back or the silocone o-ring locally. As it was, I spent WAY too much and went to like three stores the day I converted my cooler into my mash tun.
 
Well there you go. That's half the cost any how.

If you spend some time on here, I think all of the components for the kits are listed from McMaster or some place like that if you want to go that route.

It's not rocket surgery to make a kettle out of a pot.

Measure twice. Then measure one more time. Then cut. ;)
 
what can I use to cut the hole?? I have a drill but I don't know what type of tool to use to cut a whole in it.
 
If you have a harbor freight near you they sell step bits cheap. I will also shamelessly plug barginfittings.com. I will be ordering near $300.00 in hardware from them at some point between tonight-Friday. I have dealt with them in the past. They are nice to deal with, have VERY competitive prices, hard to find stainless steel hardware and answer any questions you may have. They even have installation videos and instructions on the site...

You can save a few bucks if you use brass but I would defiantly recommend stainless as it will likely never corrode or have anything else bad happen to it!

Also, they have the silicon tubing in 1/2 inch do yourself a favor and get some. Vinyl tubing will not do well with boiling fluids...
 
I just bought the fittings for converting my kettle (bulkhead, valve, sight glass) plus some silicone tubing and a nut for the hot water heater element in my HLT from bargainfittings.com. Ordered last night, shipped this morning, hope to have them by Friday so I can get the rest of my equipment finished & start brewing again!. All of that cost me $77 shipped. Granted, I am not adding a thermometer to mine since the only reason I can think of (prolly others, I just can't think of them) to have one is to monitor temp while chilling. I just built a CFC so I don't need it.

Good luck on your build!
 
I have a lot of time this weekend and I was just curious if I can find the equptment to turn my actualy put into a real brewpot with spigot and thermometer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360277172347&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
It will cost you about $35 for the spigot and about the same for the thermometer. It is almost the same as buying a Polarware pot with both already installed, but not quite as much. The benefit of a new pot is now you turn your old pot into a HLT.
 
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