All stainless keggle - parts list?

I am going to a friend's welding shop this weekend to make my keggle. I have an old stainless keg ready to go. What does everyone suggest I get to finish it out?

Which fittings/valves should I get?
What type of thermometer do you use and how do you install it?
Is the Hop Stopper worth $90?
What immersion chillers fit well in a keggle?

If you have a link to a keggle tutorial then I would love to see it. Thanks in advance!

 

Good starting point: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Keggle

 

Purely my opinions of course, but I like 3 1/2" couplings welded in as low as possible. It leaves the most flexibility in the vessels so it can be used for any purpose.

You can thead a standard bimetal analog dial thermometer in as shown. You can thread a compression fitting in also in order to put a thermocouple based remote probe thermo in.

A compression elbow can be threaded in to another port for a sight glass if you'd like. Even if you don't think you want it, it's easier to have the coupling put in now and get a stainless plug to seal it until you need the port.

Hopstoppers do not work well with pellet hops and the cold break that is formed by an IC.

 

Bobby, where did you get those thermometers? What are you using on the end of the pickup tube inside the keggle?

 

Follow the link in my sig, Brewstand build.

 

Check out this thread for a good and cheap source for thermometers.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=596668

 

Good info! Thanks guys.

 

Bobby_m, I see that you are using the cutoffs from the kegs as tops, did you do anything special to them? How are you keeping them so they don't fall into the keg and did you plug the hole that the stem came out of

thanks

tom

 

millstone, it looks like he has welded tabs on the edges of the top to keep them from falling in. If you look through the handle on far left keg you can see it.

 

I had 3 washers welded on to the tops to keep them from falling in. No I didn't plug the hole yet but I might just throw some #12 solid stoppers in.

 

Duncan345 and Bobby_M, thanks for your replies and a great idea on reusing the cutoff tops. Now to find some SS washers and a welder...

tom

 

yes good idea. Good thing I forgot to take the trash out today!! *runs outside and digs in trash....YES Here they are.*

 

http://www.greatbargain.net/order/index.html

 

THANK YOU YURI! I know I saw that before but could not find any posts that link it. i have it Bookmarked at work but not my home PC

On that stainless set, the smooth piece on the back, Is it internally threaded?

Just ordered. Rock Out

 

What is the temp limit for CPVC? Anyone use it for a boil kettle or not a good idea? The guy at Lowes said he "thought" temp limit was 212. I imagine the boil keggle would get hotter than that especially at the bottom.

 

That's a full coupling with female threads on both sides. You can thread anything you want on the inside.

 

What do you want to use the CPVC for? If you're thinking about the siphon tube, just use some brass tubing, an elbow, and a compression fitting on the coupling. Easy.

 

yeah i went with copper tubing for the siphon tube.

 

Okay I'm going to convert 3 kegs. I plan on just getting couplings welded in so I can do whatever with them. Looks like 1/2" NPT is the way to go, but should I do male/male or female/female?

 

holy bump batman.

1/2" ss coupling its fully threaded on both sides so you can thread in from the inside of the keg and attach what ever to the outside of the keg.

http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=49

-=Jason=-

 

wow....$4.00 apiece.....wtf? i go to gfi stainless in modesto....i pay $1.75 apiece for 304 1/2 npt full couplings

 

If you get sightglasses from me and want to weld them in, I supply 1/4" couplings. There's really no reason for 1/2" for this purpose.

 

Bobby_M what size hole to drill if you wanted to go the keg tool route and solder the 1/4" coupling it in. I'd imagine you needed a scaled down version of the standard 1/2" coupling keg tool.

-=Jason=-

 

The OD varies quite a bit on the various 1/4" couplings I have on hand.

I have a half coupling that measures .71", and full couplings that measure .72" and .79".

I'm guess you could drill an 11/16" hole (.68"), taper one end of the .79" coupling, and just pull that through. The backing sleeve is the challenging part I suppose. Anyone think a 12 point socket would work?

 

So I had some kegs done a couple years ago and I told the guy that did them to weld the entire coupling in so that I could put dip tubes in all of them. He didn't listen. He cut the damn couplings in half so that it would be easier for him even though I asked for both ends to be kept. Super nice guy, just didn't really listen to me. I tried using a 1/2' NPT tap to thread the couplings in from the other side but the seal really stinks and the dip tube I made doesn't really work. What I really want to know is, does anyone have ideas on how I can make a dip tube work correctly with these couplers or should I find a new welder to fix these couplers and if so how much should I pay per coupler?

 

well I called a local fab guy here in town and his price for tig welding was $75 an hour no way it would take that long to weld one in, but he said he doesn't bill less than an hour. so it looks like I'll be soldering my couplings in.

-=Jason=-

 

Is there any downside to using nipples instead of couplings? Seems to me the less thread on the inside of the system the less opportunity for contaminants to hide.

 

I can think of advantages, having just soldered one in the other day. Smaller hole to drill and if you get it just right you can thread it in and have a very easy silver solder job. It also saves on fittings.