New Keggle - What did I get myself into?

Brewer's Friend 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
M

MurderMittenBrewing

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 8, 2009
Messages
150
Reaction score
0
Location
Portland
So I just got back from picking up my new keggle... and now I have some concerns.

1) The welding job on the coupling doesn't look very solid. It looks like a piece of stainless steel pipe (I sanded it a bit and it looked like stainless), rather than a proper coupling. There's a threaded male pipe end on the inside of the keggle.

2) It's too big for my turkey fryer! Any ideas on how to stabilize the burner surface? Maybe weld some rebar on the top?

I've posted some pictures below. Thanks!

New Keggle Pictures
 
Please tell us who did the welding for you. I want to avoid him/her as it is far worse than the guy I found. Why did they mount it so high up?

You can certainly weld on some extension pieces to stabilize. Find a different welder for that. Depending on cost to do so you may be better off buying a new burner/stand combo.
 
I bought it as it... some guy said his friend did it. And it certainly looks like it!

So am I totally screwed on this thing, or can I make the best out of it?
 
Assuming it is a stainless nipple and does not leak you can add a dip tube inside if there is a fitting or set of threads that allow you to drain from the bottom. If not I would consider having someone take that pipe out and put in a real coupling. Some guy advertises on Craigslist in Portland and the photos of his work look good along with good prices - I have not used him.

Stainless Steel Keg Conversion
 
It's the same tube that is connected to the ball valve, threaded on the outside... is that what you're talking about? I was hoping a dip tube would fix that issue!

I've actually been in contact with the welder you're talking about. I'll have him take a look and see what he thinks.

Worst comes to worst I'm only out a few bucks. Thanks for the input!
 
I would cap that pipe, cut it flush on the inside and abandon it. Then weld a new coupling in just above the keg weld seam. That weld is hideous! It looks like he didn't even prep it before doing the welding and certainly didn't bother to clean it up after he finished. Very sloppy work.
 
MurderMittenBrewing said:
So from the looks of things there's no way to salvage that weld job? What a bummer...
Click to expand...

Not at all. A good welder could remove the pipe and patch the hole then weld a new coupler in a more desireable location. It's possible, as others have suggested, to make that one work. A lot depends on how you plan to use the keggle and what kind of pickup tube or false bottom arrangement you have in mind, if any. It's not hopeless in any sense. Things like this tend to bother me a lot more than they should. I think it's an OCD thing or a similar phobia in my case. I'm never happy with halfassedstuff ever.
 
Thanks for the help, Catt22! I think I might try to make it work, and then once I get more serious about brewing I'll think about moving the hole. It's definitely water tight (I filled it up earlier and it held water), I'm just unsure of how long it will last.

I plan on using it as a boil kettle. I'm an extract brewer, but this keggle was half the price of a 7.5 gal SS brew pot - I wanted to replace my 16 qt pot, so I figured what the heck! I was going to make a home made Bazooka T Screen. I use whole hops, so that should hopefully work ok.
 
I made my own, and fitting it on the turkey fryer is an issue. A cheap bbq grill from lowes fixed that:

DSCF0153.JPG
 
Thanks for the reassurance everyone! I really though I got myself in over my head on this one. I'll post pics once i get it cleaned up and build the dip tube.

TwoHeadsBreawing, did you use anything to secure the grill top to the top of the turkey fryer?
 
MurderMittenBrewing said:
Thanks for the reassurance everyone! I really though I got myself in over my head on this one. I'll post pics once i get it cleaned up and build the dip tube.

TwoHeadsBreawing, did you use anything to secure the grill top to the top of the turkey fryer?
Click to expand...

Nope! Just gravity of 12 gallons of wort holding it down:D.
 
As long as you didn't pay all that much for it I think all is well. I bought a keggle a while back and it really wasn't planned out well, but I've made good use of it with a few changes.
 
It was $45, which I'm coming to realize isn't terrible, even if it is ugly!

I'm officially adopting the mantra, "Ugly junk can brew just as well as pretty/polished junk"
 
Gremlyn1 said:
Quite OT, but can I have your dog?
Click to expand...

haha, sorry but she's here for keeps! But if you're ever in Portland you can stop by and see her.

I was actually wondering if anyone was going to notice the dog in the background of that picture. I posted another pic of my dog (Suzy) on the page with the keggle pictures.
 
I know nothing about the weld job, because I know next to nothing about welds. (Having done -a bit- of stick welding, though, it looks like something I would do....and that's about as bad as I can put it.) However, there is no way under the sun I would consider using that keg with that burner. It looks to me like there are all the ingredients for a disaster there- a disaster involving 3rd-degree burns.
 
rico567 said:
I know nothing about the weld job, because I know next to nothing about welds. (Having done -a bit- of stick welding, though, it looks like something I would do....and that's about as bad as I can put it.) However, there is no way under the sun I would consider using that keg with that burner. It looks to me like there are all the ingredients for a disaster there- a disaster involving 3rd-degree burns.
Click to expand...

At least I'm in good company with ugly keggles :)

I actually have a parallel thread discussing the burner issue... I think the resolution is that I should buy a 20" grill grate to put on the top of the burner. I figure I can use some 12 gauge copper wire to secure the grate to the burner.

I talked to a welder about welding some rebar to the op of the burner, but I think the grill grate will actually work better (and be much cheaper!)
 
I use a grill grate on my burner also since my keggle doesn't fit. It works fine, although I'm sure I'm losing a bit of heating efficiency. Picked it up cheap at Home Depot, it actually came in a 2 pack so I have an extra. Make sure to get a cast iron one so it doesn't melt under the heat. Oh, and burn it for a bit before you brew, sometimes all sorts of nasty stuff will burn off the first time, mine had some waxy-like gunk melt off.

By any chance did you buy your keggle yesterday? I saw one on the Portland craigslist for $45 and missed out on it.
 
beeraroundtown said:
I use a grill grate on my burner also since my keggle doesn't fit. It works fine, although I'm sure I'm losing a bit of heating efficiency. Picked it up cheap at Home Depot, it actually came in a 2 pack so I have an extra. Make sure to get a cast iron one so it doesn't melt under the heat. Oh, and burn it for a bit before you brew, sometimes all sorts of nasty stuff will burn off the first time, mine had some waxy-like gunk melt off.

By any chance did you buy your keggle yesterday? I saw one on the Portland craigslist for $45 and missed out on it.
Click to expand...

Yup, that's the one! I spend way too much time looking for brewing equipment on Craig's List! I guess the guy got a lot of calls about it. He tried to get me to pay more than $45, but I made him stick with the original price because the work was so poorly done.

I was thinking about getting the grill grate in the link below... I've heard of others that use them and I guess they work well.

Weber Charcoal Grate - 7441 at The Home Depot
 
Yah, that might work, I'd be cautious of the combo of the kettle weight and the heat on that though, might just bend apart if you have a jet burner. Home Depot sells a cast iron square grate that I picked up for about $10 for a 2 pack that holds my keggle well.

They are sort of like these ones:
Product Information Error Page
 

Similar threads

SanPancho
Custom s/s work table planning
Replies
3
Views
384
OakIslandBrewery
OakIslandBrewery
ferm.adventures
Stainless Pot - Poor Welds, what to Do?
Replies
13
Views
880
odie
odie
Deadalus
American Chestnut Keezer with Iron Pipe Tower
Replies
1
Views
780
Deadalus
Deadalus
D
For Sale Kettles, keggles, and burner for sale.
Replies
3
Views
853
DDWest
D
argyle
Requesting Help Identifying this Brewing Equipment.
Replies
32
Views
2K
argyle
argyle
SSBrew 300

Latest posts

Back
Top