DIY Kettle Valve

[barrooze]

Very good suggestions. Wally world looks to be pricey for cooking gear made of silicone and i think my wife would kill me if I used one of my son's bottle nipples for brewing equipment.

I think 49 cents for an oring I can trust is a great deal.

 

[DustyTheBrewer]

That's expensive for a silicone washer. Why not try buying one of those silicone cake pans or silicone pot mats and cut out what you need? Also some baby bottle nipples are silicone and are the right size.

Holy crap that's a great idea! I'm gonna stop at Dollarama on my way home from work today and do just that! I looked all over the country and came up short on "real" orings..

 

[barrooze]

Well my AHS order came in on Friday and I drilled the hole and installed the valve that night. Brewed with it last night and no leaks! The valve worked wonderfully! It was very nice not having to rack my beer from the kettle to the fermenter. Thanks again for all your help!

Here's a picture of the first leak test.

 

[Golddiggie]

Nice. Just keep an eye on the handle cover. Depending on how you heat the water, that might start to get singed. I had that happen to me for the first time with yesterday's brew-day. I plan to cover it with something that can handle the heat better (almost direct flame hitting it).

Yoy do have more washers outside the kettle compared with mine.

Since I started transferring via the valve, I can't imagine going back to the old methods.

 

[barrooze]

Very good point on the handle. I kept an eye on my flames yesterday and they don't get near the edge of my pot so I'll be safe for the most part, but definitely need to watch that.

Yea, I opted for the extra fender washers just to make sure that my fittings would make a tight seal with my nipple size.

During the transfer to the kettle, I was expecting a ton of hop particulate since the valve is near the bottom of the kettle (and I had about 14 oz in there) but I barely got any until the very very end of the xfer. I was stoked. I installed the valve so a half gallon would be left in the kettle after xfer. This apparently works great for getting it off the break and hops. I can't wait for my next brew! Now to decide what to make… hefe?