aluminum boil kettle and a ball valve

[jonp9576]

so i just found this 15 gallon aluminum pot in my parents garage. i was thinking about using it as my BK. maybe to a 10 gallon batch or something once in a while.

so 10 gallons is going to be pretty tricky to dump into an ale pail or 2. so does anyone out there have an aluminum BK with a ball valve on it? is there a weldless one available.

can stainless be welded to aluminum?

 

[springer]

vendor on this site Bargainfittings.com has everything you need to do weldless

 

[flyangler18]

Aluminum kettle with weldless bulkhead from BargainFittings. Used a #4 step bit to drill the hole. Inside the kettle is a 1/2" NPT x 1/2" pipe compression fitting holding an 8" x 1/2" piece of soft copper tubing with a gentle bend for the diptube.

 

[jonp9576]

perfect. has anyone noticed problems with the weldless fitting on the BK? such as leaks due to high temps or anything?

i have used that vendor before for my cooler conversion, i cant believe i didnt loko there for this

 

[springer]

perfect. has anyone noticed problems with the weldless fitting on the BK? such as leaks due to high temps or anything?

i have used that vendor before for my cooler conversion, i cant believe i didnt loko there for this

the silicone washers are rated to 250° I believe so there is no problem there

 

[jonp9576]

awesome. i'll make my order this week. bargain fittings should give you guys commission.

 

[uwjester]

Make sure the spigot fittings will work with your kettle. I bought an ebay kettle a while ago. 10 gallons, aluminum. That thing was 3/8" thick. According to email from bargainfittings.com that was too thick for the spigot. You probably have thinner walls, but it might be a good idea to do a quick check before you order.

 

[jonp9576]

wow, good call, i never thought of that. i'll check

 

[BioBeing]

Aluminum kettle with weldless bulkhead from BargainFittings. Used a #4 step bit to drill the hole. Inside the kettle is a 1/2" NPT x 1/2" pipe compression fitting holding an 8" x 1/2" piece of soft copper tubing with a gentle bend for the diptube.

I was just planning on siphoning, but this looks great! I'll save short piece of the copper I was just about to make my IC from!

Bargain Fittings

ETA: Is this the whole set up? (from your gallery)

 

[jonp9576]

i wish those sight glasses werent out of stock. you cant beat that price. if they were there i would get a couple

 

[flyangler18]

My dip tubes don't take that sharp a bend, but the idea is the same.

 

[jonp9576]

instead of a dip tube, what if i were to just drill the hold really close to the bottom

 

[flyangler18]

instead of a dip tube, what if i were to just drill the hold really close to the bottom

Drill as low as you can while still allowing the washer to sit flush with the inside wall of the pot. This will minimize loss to the kettle if you don't install a dip tube.

 

[shecky]

Jason, wha'ts the thickness of your BK? I've got an aluminum 40qt on the way and want to do this, but I don't know if there's a minimum thickness.

 

[flyangler18]

Jason, wha'ts the thickness of your BK? I've got an aluminum 40qt on the way and want to do this, but I don't know if there's a minimum thickness.

This one is 5mm, plenty thick. Where did you order your pot from?

 

[shecky]

This one is 5mm, plenty thick. Where did you order your pot from?

I jumped on that link nomadjanet posted a few days ago, Royal Palm is the place. Got a 4mm aluminum 40qt pot for $35 delivered. Price was down to $22 from, I believe, $56.