Sight guages!

[mikefromcu]

Wondering if anyone has a DIY on putting together a custom site gauge.

I was thinking of this:
1/2" MNPT welded into kettle sidewall, near bottom.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#4464k14/=5vr8gg

Screw in one of these: http://www.mcmaster.com/#5361k42/=5vr9ke

Cut to length some of this and slip it over the barb: http://www.waleapparatus.com/catalog.asp?prodid=547975&showprevnext=1



Use a little food-grade silicon seal if needed around the barb.

Grind down to slightly shorten and then weld a couple of these up the side of your kettle as a guide for the site tube: http://www.mcmaster.com/#3109t51/=5vrd8w

Finally, cap it all with one of these: http://www.mcmaster.com/#3504t25/=5vrejj

But I don't want to reinvent the wheel, so if there's a better easier mousetrap, let me know! Thanks.

By the way, how do I post pictures right in my post? I'm missing something clearly. Cheers!

 

[mikefromcu]

Alternatively, I was looking at welding tri-clamp ferrules to the kettle, then using a stainless elbow with tri-clamps on both sides, screwing the barb into the other tri-clamp half, thus being able to completely remove the site-gauge when cleaning, etc. Keeps the connection clean and out of danger when moving it around. Kinda how SABCO does it.

 

[OMJ]

I dont think that barb is going to work out for you that well. I think you would be much better off going with a compression fitting like the one on Bargain Fittings

 

[Bobby_M]

I'm selling a sight kit that would cost less than those parts. It does use polycarb instead of pyrex, but you can't use pyrex without a rigid guard in place.

 

[android]

i have a setup very similar to what bobby sells and it works great for me.

 

[mikefromcu]

Bobby, can you PM me the details? I have 4 kettles that need 'em, about 28" overall length.
Thanks!

 

[klyph]

I believe a swagelok with o-rings in place of the compression sleeve is what most people use.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Lots of ways to do it....you could even buy one from morebeer. I decided it might be worth the $35 (expensive if you're doing 4 kegs, I know) to get something that is going to look good and have some kind of protection as well.

 

[McKBrew]

Bobby_M does an excellent job on his sight glasses. I've had one in the past and never had issues with it.

 

[Cliff897]

Well I was thinking about making one for my BK.
Then I watched a couple of You-Tube videos of guys all excited about their brand spanky new Blichmann's and I watched the sight gauge bubble and spit so ferociously that there was just no way to tell how much liquid was in the BK.

The only way to know anything about the liquid volume was to open it up and look inside, or shut it down and wait till the boiling stopped.


It struck me as an entirely useless appendage but one which you still had to clean.
Tell me how wrong I am and how useful it is. I haven't committed myself to this as a do-and-die philosophy, or stated another way I ain't going down with this ship.

 

[McKBrew]

Personally I agree that they don't serve much function on a boil kettle.

More useful on a sparge water tank.

 

[klyph]

I put one on the Hot Liquor Tank, and one on the Mash Tun.

It would be nice to be able to track the boil off, but I don't see how a sight glass on the kettle would work. Especially not the polycarbonate ones.

 

[Bobby_M]

Not all boil kettles have flames licking up the sides. Mine sure doesn't. My ball valves still have the vinyl dip on the handles.

I haven't posted the video yet but I have tested the old bubbles in the tube thing and it's due to excessive heat on the fitting. Without a heat shield in place, the fitting hits about 340F. With a 2" square of aluminum under it, the fitting reaches about 200F and therefore will not boil the liquid in the tube. The way I run my burners, I don't need a shield but many do.

 

[klyph]

So the liquid in the tube doesn't boil, when the rest of the volume is?

 

[Bobby_M]

Right, the fitting and tube are sitting outside the vessel and lose heat. I once put a thermo down into my sight while the kettle was at a rolling boil and I measured 202F in there.

 

[diatonic]

Is 202F hot enough to kill any nasties in your BK sight glass? Do you have to blow in to it near the end of the boil to make sure that portion of liquid gets boiled?

 

[Cliff897]

I have tested the old bubbles in the tube thing and it's due to excessive heat on the fitting.

Interesting.

This guy ( ) is using a burner and housing that is smaller than his kettle. The bubbles are intense and when he pops the top you can see it spitting.

I was think that it was simply how boiling water autonucleating as it entered the column.

You thing a bit of flashing or something would make this phenom stop?

So it's also not bubble and spit in an electric BK ya thing?

 

[jgourd]

I'm the cheap guy. I just use a wooden dowel with marks on the side. When I want to check the level, I just put her in there and sight it. I kind of like the cheesy way of doing things. Because what I really care about is what the beer tastes like in the end. I'll let the other guy buy all the expensive stuff. But that's just me.

 

[klyph]

If your dipstick is oak, it doubles as a flavor infuser!

 

[jgourd]

If your dipstick is oak, it doubles as a flavor infuser!

And I only check the level with 15 minutes left in the boil.

 

[Bobby_M]

Is 202F hot enough to kill any nasties in your BK sight glass? Do you have to blow in to it near the end of the boil to make sure that portion of liquid gets boiled?

Definitely. 60 minutes at 200F is enough.