weld less fitting + fire= ?

[Jako]

i am sure this has been asked 100 times now.

i am looking to add a ball valve on my kettle how will a weld less fitting hold up? will the rubber cover on the handle melt off? any suggestions on brands that are better then others.

 

[govner1]

I’ve been using weldless ball lock fittings on my HLT, MLT, BK for over six years with no problems.
You should create some heat shields from SS under your ball
locks and sight glasses too for those that are direct fired.
I use Blichmann burners which are very quiet and efficient.
If you use other burners just make sure to control your flame so that it’s not coming around the edges

 

[Jako]

I’ve been using weldless ball lock fittings on my HLT, MLT, BK for over six years with no problems.
You should create some heat shields from SS under your ball
locks and sight glasses too for those that are direct fired.
I use Blichmann burners which are very quiet and efficient.
If you use other burners just make sure to control your flame so that it’s not coming around the edges

thank you. yeah a heat shield is already on my list. i brew outside and the wind is super hard to deal with. 90% of the time i am dealing with 10+ mph winds in my area.

 

[govner1]

The heat shield can be a simple right angle bent piece of SS.
If wind is a problem outside create some deflectors around your burner(s).
It will be well worth the effort. The Blichmann burners come with a built in wind deflector.

 

[Jako]

The heat shield can be a simple right angle bent piece of SS.
If wind is a problem outside create some deflectors around your burner(s).
It will be well worth the effort. The Blichmann burners come with a built in wind deflector.

time to bust out my tin snips haha.

 

[govner1]

File down the edges or fold them over to save yourself some cuts

 

[JohnSand]

I just wrap a piece of aluminum flashing around my burner. I bent angles on opposite corners to hold it together. This protects from wind, keeps heat from escaping and protects the valve. I tuck the flashing under the valve, which gets hot, but doesn't melt the grip.

 

[govner1]

You can also put a short piece high temp silicone tubing over the valve handle as added insulation for you

 

[Jako]

some really good ideas. Wednesday i plan on going to the store, i will post some pictures once i finish. i was thinking about it last night, i think this will drop my boil times by a lot i hope. i am tempted to do a DIY and show how helps with my boil times. i have the bayou classic burner so i think it would be helpful to a handful of us.

thanks again for the ideas.

 

[govner1]

Another thought- consider several heavy duty clamps to secure you wind shield. They’ll also allow you to reposition if the wind shifts

 

[Jako]

Another thought- consider several heavy duty clamps to secure you wind shield. They’ll also allow you to reposition if the wind shifts

the idea i was tossing around in my head was a roundish shape that i would put around the burner and kettle. it would sit on the ground. then i would cut a section out for my valve so it would stick out of the wind screen.

do you think i would be cutting off fresh oxygen to the burner?

 

[govner1]

I’d put it around the base of your burner stand. As I said earlier a right angle of HD metal can slide under your ball valve with the downside facing your burner and the flat part directly under the ball valve. Again, avoid turning your burner up so that flames come out around your BK.
If one side of you wind baffle is open you shouldn’t have an issue with airflow to the burner.

 

[JohnSand]

Mine wraps around leaving a gap around the kettle and a space where the gas line goes through. There seems to be no lack of oxygen.

 

[govner1]

I hope it all works well for you. Should save on propane, too!

 

[JohnSand]

I posted on Tuesday, brewed on Saturday, and melted some of the rubber on the valve handle. It looks like I let the flashing rest against the handle and the aluminum transferred heat really well. It's still functional.

 

[govner1]

I don’t know what else to suggest. My heat shields have worked well for 6+ years.
I have them formed in right angles so that they hang under the ball lock with part acting as a flame selector/shield and the other part under the ball lock and extending over the edge by an inch or so.
Did you make sure your burner flame wasn’t turned up so high that it extended around the outside of your BK?

 

[JohnSand]

Hi Govner, assuming your reply is to me, thank you. I realize my mistake, it was letting the aluminum flashing touch the handle. I just wrap it around the burner, and sort of tuck it inside the valve. I suggested this solution above, and wanted to warn others not to let the flashing touch the rubber.
The handle isn't ruined, and hopefully I made good beer!

 

[govner1]

Hi Govner, assuming your reply is to me, thank you. I realize my mistake, it was letting the aluminum flashing touch the handle. I just wrap it around the burner, and sort of tuck it inside the valve. I suggested this solution above, and wanted to warn others not to let the flashing touch the rubber.
The handle isn't ruined, and hopefully I made good beer!

As I mentioned earlier you can easily slip on a piece of hi-temp silicone tubing to add insulation to the handle for safer handling. I always wear HD leather gloves when brewing to prevent burns when opening and closing ball valves, particularly on my HLT & BK.