pickup tube for keggle how to? best approach?

[scinerd3000]

i would run this by the forum before i go and drop 40 bucks at mcmasters. i am getting a compression fitting and stainless tubing to make a syphon tube for the bottom of a kettle which i already had a 1/2inch stainless coupling welded to. do you think this would work?

www.mcmaster.com items 8457k27,8239k26. i have no idea since im totally new at this type of thing. how did you fabricate your downstem tubes?

 

[EdWort]

Stop by your local hardware store if they have 1/2 inch soft copper. Buy 1 foot of it along with the compression fitting. Borrow their pipe bender to bend the end. Should be able to get er done for under 4 bucks.

 

[scinerd3000]

they have steel compression but not stainless. i wanna go through and have this be all stainless that way i dont have to worry about corrosion or anything else unless you think plain steel is fine for the job. i know alot of people dont want to use the bronze ball vavles and they buy the ss ones so i figured if im spending the money for that to be ss, why not everything else? or does it even matter??? good idea with the pipe bender- il have to check that out. i didint even know they had those at home depot

 

[EdWort]

It's all copper on the inside, so it should be fine. Copper pickup tube, copper compression nut. It will work great.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I am on the SS bandwagon big time. If I spent the money on a SS ball valve, but then put a hunk of copper in my keggle for a pickup, why didn't I just save a bunch of money by using all bronze and copper? Your parts from McMaster will work great. If you need a bender, just take your goods to your locally owned hardware store. They will be into a project like that and more than willing to help out with any tools they have in the back. If you are willing to spend a little extra cash, you may want to look into a 90 degree elbow compression fitting like part number 8239K39.

The stainless is way more expensive for a pickup, but why not, you already droped the dough in the rest of that stainless junk

 

[scinerd3000]

i cant believe it....mcmasters has borcilicate sight tubes....i might have to pick some of those up too. kinda interesting.

 

[BigWhitey_FrostBox]

It's all copper on the inside, so it should be fine. Copper pickup tube, copper compression nut. It will work great.

Where did you find a 1/2" copper compression fitting locally? I've been to both the HD and Lowes in BeeCave and couldn't find one.

 

[scinerd3000]

i ended up getting the male threaded ss compression fitting and 2 legnths of 1 ft stainless steel 1/2inch diameter tubing. Hopefully i can bend it myself. I got two just incase i screw one up. illpost some pics when i install it. it ended up coming to like 35 bucks for everythings. I think in the end it will be worth it to have all stainless steel. I could have gone with copper but i dont wanna worry about oxidation or anything. thanks for the people that commented and PM me.

 

[stevecaaster]

friggin awesome scinerd, I will be doing the exact same thing to my keggle so i am anticipating your pictures. also, if it is not too much trouble could you point me into the direction on the site of the ss compression fitting you picked up?

edit: nevermind , i found it , but i am a bit concerned with this spec i found on the compression fitting page:

Forged or bar stock Type 316 stainless steel; the nut has a molybdenum disulfide coating that acts as a lubricant for easy installation

-- would this bee cool in my boil???

 

[scinerd3000]

friggin awesome scinerd, I will be doing the exact same thing to my keggle so i am anticipating your pictures. also, if it is not too much trouble could you point me into the direction on the site of the ss compression fitting you picked up?

edit: nevermind , i found it , but i am a bit concerned with this spec i found on the compression fitting page:

Forged or bar stock Type 316 stainless steel; the nut has a molybdenum disulfide coating that acts as a lubricant for easy installation

-- would this bee cool in my boil???

i didint notice that but either way im probably gonna soak the sucker in solvent if there is any lubricant on it. should be fine though. ill deffinitly post pics when i get them.

edit: DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS IS SAFE FOR FOOD? its baked on so i dont know.

 

[scinerd3000]

so i bought two 1 ft long stainless steel tubes just in case i screwed one up. Im going to get one professionally bent with the proper tools but i wanted to do one myself. Heres how i did it.

I made a jig out of equal thickness peices of hardwood. One is curved to accomidate the tube as i bend and the other is to prevent the tube from moving backwards.

started with 1/2 inch inside diameter stainless steel tubing

positioned in the vice and bent. This is how it was positioned

this is the finished product. May go back and bend further if i need to because i dont want it directly on the bottom of the keggle. Flattened slightly but still large opening present and i figure it will deffinitly work

now i just have to wait for the ss compression fitting and im good to go.

 

[stevecaaster]

nice bend, looks good. anyone know about that lubricant? maybe its a fancy word for teflon?

 

[Bobby_M]

i cant believe it....mcmasters has borcilicate sight tubes....i might have to pick some of those up too. kinda interesting.

They're only 12" long.

 

[scinerd3000]

nice bend, looks good. anyone know about that lubricant? maybe its a fancy word for teflon?

so its similar to graphite powder. i should be able to wipe it off. I talked to someone who used to use the stuff and theres a very small amount on there anyways. Should be fine. im not worried plus its rated up to ike 1200 degrees so it wont come off in the boil.

 

[conpewter]

I have a couple stainless compression fittings I got cheap so I am thinking of doing the same thing with my HLT

Here's a cheaper source of SS tube

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=470&step=4&showunits=inches&id=19&top_cat=1

 

[scinerd3000]

damn they have some cool stuff. ill go with them next time. im thinking about bying a perforated steel sheet and cutting it to make a false bottom also.....they could come in handy

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I have a couple stainless compression fittings I got cheap so I am thinking of doing the same thing with my HLT

Here's a cheaper source of SS tube

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=470&step=4&showunits=inches&id=19&top_cat=1

That is a great site! For the record though, if you buy a 1/2 compression fitting you need the OD of the tube to be 1/2 inch. like this one:

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=466&step=4&showunits=inches&id=19&top_cat=0

 

[Bobby_M]

damn they have some cool stuff. ill go with them next time. im thinking about bying a perforated steel sheet and cutting it to make a false bottom also.....they could come in handy

Did you miss this thread? https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=65065

 

[scinerd3000]

nah i saw that thread but hes selling them. that sorta takes the fun out of making them.

 

[4winds]

scinerd3000, - if you bend another one, try filling the tube with sand or salt or something similar with the ends taped off. The filling keeps the walls from wanting to flatten. I've seen this done with copper tubing to make a water heating coil, but never stainless. But a simple bend like you made with only a little flattening showing in the picture, - I'm sure it would keep it round. Just a thought.

 

[scinerd3000]

scinerd3000, - if you bend another one, try filling the tube with sand or salt or something similar with the ends taped off. The filling keeps the walls from wanting to flatten. I've seen this done with copper tubing to make a water heating coil, but never stainless. But a simple bend like you made with only a little flattening showing in the picture, - I'm sure it would keep it round. Just a thought.

if i have to do another one ill give that a shot. Interesting idea. I would have to seal the ends somehow also...Im going to get the second tube i purchased bent with the proper tool so i wont have an issue though.

 

[scinerd3000]

so the parts are in....heres the 316 stainless steel compression fitting. Black nut is coated with molybendium disulfide which is a powdercoat lubricant. non carcinogenic/ supposedly food safe. will be interesting. its just like black metal- nothing comes off it.

everything apart

how everything went togeather

screwed into my already welded stainless steel coupling on the keggle....still need to clean it obviously. some left over brewing materials from last time

has to tweak the length a little bit but the question i have is why wont the thing drain to the bottom. I feel stupid but do i need one of the march pumps to actually force it to take every last drop (except the trub) or should it be draining everything when i open the ball valve?

 

[scinerd3000]

edit: wow ...."SYPHON TUBE" which would seem that i need a syphon. once i hooked up a tube to the male barb on the keggle and let drain below the area where the bottom of the dip tube was it was perfect. everything works great!

 

[ChrisKennedy]

Seems like having your pickup tube go the center of the keggle is a really bad idea. That basically forces you to pick up all the trub with it, taking away your ability to whirlpool. Are you planning to use some sort of screen to filter out as much trub as possible, or are you just planning on letting it all go through?

 

[scinerd3000]

its not touching the bottom. there is about a 1/4 inch gap for the trub to sit. Im going to look into getting a perforated sheet of stainless to make a false bottom out of for filtration or a stainless steel screen. for now thats what i have. whatever it is i want all the internals SS. just alot nicer that way and i dont have to worry soi much about corrosion.

 

[scinerd3000]

this is one of the sabco all stainless steel kettles and the dip tube is basically the same type of setup that i have. Should work ok. I can always adjust the height to leave the right amount of trub. anything thats picked up will settle to the bottom of my fermenter anyways