Drilling crosshairs on QDs

[polecreek]

I am wondering if anyone has drilled the x or crosshairs out of the plastic disconnects? Would it cause them to become weaker is what i am wondering. Mine plug up with leaf hops when I pump from the BK to my plate chiller. I have a false bottom in my Bk but some still gets through. I think I seen this topic somewhere but couldnt find it.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Boy, I'd be a lot more worried about those hops getting into my plate chiller! A better approach would be coming up with a means of keeping the hops in your kettle. A paint-strainer hop bag rig would do the trick, or a hopstopper filter in the kettle.

 

[polecreek]

Boy, I'd be a lot more worried about those hops getting into my plate chiller! A better approach would be coming up with a means of keeping the hops in your kettle. A paint-strainer hop bag rig would do the trick, or a hopstopper filter in the kettle.

Good point

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Lars has it right but, since you do have a pump and if you ever decide to recirculate your mash you can remoce the cross from the QD's easily with a dremel.

As far as weakening the QD, I dunno. I mean it's not like you are lifting your tun with the QD.

Are you?

 

[polecreek]

As far as weakening the QD, I dunno. I mean it's not like you are lifting your tun with the QD.

Are you?[/QUOTE]

The QD holds the whole pile of junk together. Naw, I was thinking more about it cracking. I had a brain fart, I dont want the junk in my pump or chiller. If I use the hop bag, I dont even need the false bottom in my BK that took me a day to make. When it comes down to it that one simple hop bag makes me feel like a fricken idiot. Why didnt I think of that in the days, weeks, months that this problem has been torken my balls?

 

[cdburg]

I removed them on mine. It certainly makes life easier, and didn't hurt them structurally at all.

I used the instructions on the morebeer forum. The dremel part numbers are included in the thread too. I used the ceramic stone and felt wheels mentioned, and it worked great. I did go through 2 ceramic bits though. The first one filled with plastic.

Morebeer's Brew Chat • View topic - Best way to remove + inside the plastic QDs?

Just a note though, make sure your disconnects don't have shutoff valves in them. If they have the valves, the X is needed to open them when they are connected. If they are flow-through disconnects, you should be able to remove the Xs without any problems. It took me an hour with the dremel to do about 20 pieces.