Bottom drained Keggle on a small budget, no welding.

[Jaellis]

So after making a batch and siphoning out 10 gallons of wort a couple times I decided to embark on a quest to make a bottom drained keggle. Considering I dont a lot of money to put towards welding stainless steal (I.e. $20 wont get me very far) I decided to go a different route than most. Same problem if I wanted tri-clover fittings. I think the pictures speak for themselves. The hardest part was the adapter from keg to npt size threaded pipe, I did theaded so I can disassemble everything for cleaning and sanitation. I don't want to hear any crap about not using stainless, I am working on saving up for that, I guess you could call this a proof of concept that can be adapted to stainless.

The adaptor is made of half a brass union and jb weld and a bit of filing. I will post instructions later. BTW jb weld doesn't touch the wort just part of the fitting


The original connector for the keg



The extra spring bracket cut off.



The fitting with JB weld modification. I ccured the jb weld in the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes to help "temper" it. There are instructions on the web search for baking JB weld.


Fitting with the modification next to and unmoded part of the union 3/4" npt female fitting.



How it fits together. It connects the same way as a tap before a keg is opened. Slide on and twist clockwise to form a good seal.


In the "bottom" of the keggle




Looking through the keggle you can see the fitting in the bottom.


Hope you like this and any comments are welcome.

 

[sarsnik]

Most bottom drains I've seen are for keg mash tuns.How are you planning on heating the keggle? Looks clean, simple and effective.

 

[Jaellis]

Still deciding. I need to experiment with the jb weld to see if it will hold up to the heat of my burner. It says it can hold up to 600 f along with my silicon gaskets up to 550f. I may need a 5" diameter heat shield to block the flame from hitting the jb weld directly. I will experiment and post the results.

 

[sarsnik]

Propane burns at a little higher than 2000F so it might present a problem. Why not use this as a MLT and use another keggle for the BK with a ball valve?

 

[Duckfoot]

Electric is the way to go with this type of setup... I have a few ideas I am rattling around in my noggin for using propane / NG on a bottom drain... Just haven't had the time to experiment...

 

[Jaellis]

Electric is a good possibility, im looking into it. Might be too expensive but the company next to the one I work for just went out and threw away a bunch of brand new electrical boxes, unions, wire and conduit that I saved from the dumpster.

For now it is a great mlt. All I need is a false bottom for it and I'm set.

 

[JuanMoore]

I have a bottom drain direct fired HLT in my ghetto HERMS, and it works fine. I used entirely mechanical connections though, and I'm not sure how well your JB-Weld will hold up to direct flame. If the silicone o-rings/gaskets aren't exposed directly to flames they should be fine. The liquid inside the pipes/fittings keeps things relatively cool even though they're being blasted with 2000F. Here's what my initial design looked like. I recently re-plumbed it so that the drain comes below the skirt instead of through it. This keeps the valve better protected, and means I no longer have to remember to purge the air from the small uphill section.

 

[aludwig]

@JuanMoore: Can you give some details on your connections from the keg to that elbow?

 

[pinback]

I really like what JuanMoore did. I'd say he has a male coupling on the inside which screws into the elbow with seals on both sides. That's how I would do it anyway.

 

[Duckfoot]

Electric is a good possibility, im looking into it. Might be too expensive but the company next to the one I work for just went out and threw away a bunch of brand new electrical boxes, unions, wire and conduit that I saved from the dumpster.

For now it is a great mlt. All I need is a false bottom for it and I'm set.

I use E-HLT and MLT, both with bottom drains and have no regrets...

 

[JuanMoore]

@JuanMoore: Can you give some details on your connections from the keg to that elbow?

Yes, the connection is detailed here.

I will say that I believe the 2" TC fitting with a silicone gasket is a much better and more elegant solution. I made mine another way for two reasons. One is that I had zero budget to work with, and was able to make the connections using parts I could find in my shop, rather than shelling out cash for a TC connection. I think my only out of pocket cost was one silicone o-ring. Two was that I needed the fitting to be as compact against the bottom of the keg as possible to fit the stand I was planning to convert into my brew stand. This created a small air pocket where the plumbing turns upward, which has to be purged before you start heating the vessel (DAMHIKT). I ended up going with a different stand design though, and as mentioned I later replumbed the HLT to eliminate the air pocket the original design created. I'm still using the original design on my MLT though, since A) I don't direct fire it and B) the air pocket gets purged as soon as I start recirculating.

 

[Jaellis]

@Juan Moore
I like your connection style there:rockin:. My Sanke conection is a little different, is is beveled on the inside and flat on the outside. so a washer like that might be difficult to implement. I was going to do a test for the JB weld maybe use something (i.e. aluminum foil <- melts at 1250 f...) To keep the fire from directly touching the jb weld. If I can keep the JB weld below 500f I should be fine. I also like the 2 halves of screen for the false bottom.

I know that this burner can melt aluminum on full blast for ~30 minutes. I will think about possibilies for protection the jb weld. The good news is that I didn't JB weld the sanke connection to Union fitting, so I can always make another. But I will definitely do a test boil with water before I brew.

 

[JuanMoore]

@Juan Moore
I like your connection style there:rockin:. My Sanke conection is a little different, is is beveled on the inside and flat on the outside. so a washer like that might be difficult to implement. I was going to do a test for the JB weld maybe use something (i.e. aluminum foil <- melts at 1250 f...) To keep the fire from directly touching the jb weld. If I can keep the JB weld below 500f I should be fine. I also like the 2 halves of screen for the false bottom.

I know that this burner can melt aluminum on full blast for ~30 minutes. I will think about possibilies for protection the jb weld. The good news is that I didn't JB weld the sanke connection to Union fitting, so I can always make another. But I will definitely do a test boil with water before I brew.

I must not have explained it very well in that thread, mine is also beveled on the inside and flat on the outside. The washer I made a bevel on is the one that goes inside. I have freakishly long arms, and even I was barely able to reach to get it assembled by myself. A helper to hold the fitting and washer in place on the inside would make things a lot easier.

I hope you can make yours work either as is or with a heat shield of some sort. Now that I've gotten used to bottom drain vessels, I don't think I could ever go back.

 

[Jaellis]

What another this? Another part of the union used to shield the jb weld part?


The parts laid out



The shield attached to the connector



The sanke connector attached to the connector.

 

[Jaellis]

Well JB Weld Is an epic FAIL. When tightening everything down I heard a crack... this was the result



:-(

JuanMoore's plan might be a better way to go...

And before this I was getting pretty excited about my JB weld solution.