Getting a valve put on my kettle

[Cheesefood]

b) I made up weldless fittings for my kegs and they leak when they get hot. I am going to redo them with silver solder like it discusses in this post.

http://morebeer.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=18439

Excellent advise. I'll look into it if I start to run into issues with leakage. I was thinking about getting some oversized washers on bot sides and tightening the hell out of it so that it flattens and forms a better seal.

 

[user 574]

Listening intently on this thread! I was using a copper scrubbie wedged under the dip tube as my filter and worked OK but slow; until I used pellets this last batch. CFC nightmare! I also got two more kegs to convert. Your right Mr Cheesefood. This place does rock.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

HBT people rule! Now if only we can convince Yuri to move to the Chicagoland area...

Not likely - I'm at the mercy of Uncle Sam at the moment. The Battle Creek ANG unit might be a possibility someday...

Send me your kettle - I'll TIG the fitting on there and do a few test brews "just to make sure it doesn't leak."

EDIT:
To contribute something worthwhile to the thread - one of those domed false bottoms from More Beer works pretty well as a whole hops stopper. It doesn't have to cover the entire bottom of your kettle since you're not worried about efficiency, channeling, etc while you drain the boil kettle.

 

[Cheesefood]

Send me your kettle - I'll TIG the fitting on there and do a few test brews "just to make sure it doesn't leak."

Almost worth it to have a pro do it right, but I'm sure I can find a pro in my area equal to the cost of shipping it there and back.

 

[the_bird]

Honestly, when Boston sent me his keg, I think the shipping on it was only like $16 (coming from NC to MA). Maybe you think about taking Yuri up on his offer!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Honestly, when Boston sent me his keg, I think the shipping on it was only like $16 (coming from NC to MA). Maybe you think about taking Yuri up on his offer!

I was only half serious, but I would be more than willing to do the work for you. Only one problem - I leave for that "extended business trip" on Monday. If ya wanna wait a few months (or if that weldless fitting leaks), and shipping isn't a problem, I'll be happy to oblige when I get back!

Oh, and bird, don't worry about those grain rollers - SWMBO's gonna take care of shipping them for you.

 

[Cheesefood]

I was only half serious, but I would be more than willing to do the work for you. Only one problem - I leave for that "extended business trip" on Monday. If ya wanna wait a few months (or if that weldless fitting leaks), and shipping isn't a problem, I'll be happy to oblige when I get back!

Oh, and bird, don't worry about those grain rollers - SWMBO's gonna take care of shipping them for you.

What are your thoughts on the soldering?

 

[the_bird]

Yuri, should I still send you homebrew? I haven't been able to get it in the mail yet, but will be able to now (the altbier was a success!). If you have a new address you'd rather receive a "present" at, PM it to me.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

What are your thoughts on the soldering?

It's certainly possible, and it's a good way to go. However, if you've never silver soldered before, practice first! If you can get some scrap mild steel sheet metal, start practicing on that. Then practice on some scrap stainless. Stainless is notoriously difficult to braze/solder because it doesn't "wet" or "flow" very well due to the same properties that make it corrosion resistant. Be sure to liberally use a good flux (sorry, I can't think of a brand name for you).

Yuri, should I still send you homebrew? I haven't been able to get it in the mail yet, but will be able to now (the altbier was a success!). If you have a new address you'd rather receive a "present" at, PM it to me.

Since you haven't sent it yet, hold off for now. Most likely, it'd work best if you just sent it sometime in March so it'll be waiting for me when I get back. Congrats on the successful altbier brew - I know you were excited about that one!

 

[Cheesefood]

rdwj pointed this out: http://www.greatbargain.net/order/shop.html

Just need to get the saw, or find someone in my area who has one.

These showed up today, and they look great. So far I'm giving this place a big endorsement for quick shipping and quality products.

 

[Wort*hog]

Braided stainless steel is also used for hose covering on show cars. Also available for less $ is a tin covered copper braid. Not sure if it would be OK to use with beer making. Here's a link;
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SUM-350000&N=700+115&autoview=sku

and for the tin plated copper:

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SPE-202825&N=700+115&autoview=sku

 

[Hopfan]

I'd be curious what the downside was and what exact material/dimensions they used. If you have a stoppage issue, you either have to make the strainer holes bigger or increase the surface area. You can't have it both ways. If you want a nice compact strainer, the holes better be pretty big. Obviously the downsize is larger amounts and sizes of particles that get through. I don't mind hops and break material in my primary, you just want to keep your CFC from clogging up.

I made mine from the washing machine lint traps. It works great with both pellets and whole hops. On my last 4 brews, I had no clogging issues with the CFC and I got all but ~1/2 cup of fluid out of the keggle. I did go a bit crazy on it though. when I put the one trap inside the other, I used some spare stainless mesh and pulled out single threads of it to "sew" the 2 traps together to ensure they wouldn't move and the end would stay closed. I'm such a dork.

 

[Bobby_M]

I made mine from the washing machine lint traps. It works great with both pellets and whole hops. On my last 4 brews, I had no clogging issues with the CFC and I got all but ~1/2 cup of fluid out of the keggle. I did go a bit crazy on it though. when I put the one trap inside the other, I used some spare stainless mesh and pulled out single threads of it to "sew" the 2 traps together to ensure they wouldn't move and the end would stay closed. I'm such a dork.

Trust me, I'm as dork as it comes. When I made my chiller I used bare 14g electrical wire to bind it together and keep the coils about an inch apart when most people just wind it into a beehive and plonk it into the pot.

 

[Cheesefood]

I put an ad up on Craigslist asking for someone to weld this http://www.greatbargain.net/order/shop.html to my kettle. How much should I expect to pay for someone to drill the hole and weld the valve in place?

 

[Bobby_M]

I think you really just have to drive around with it and go to various shops that weld stainless and maybe try to catch at guy at the end of the day. It's such as small job that it's hardly worth writing up a job order.

By the way, that's a weldless fitting so it doesn't have to be welded. Certainly it would be nice, but not necessary.

 

[the_bird]

Honestly, I'd give the weldless fitting a shot before spending money getting it welded. Mine doesn't leak at all. The person who said that theirs did leak mentioned that they put it together themselves, which makes me wonder if the rubber gasket they used wasn't rated for temps that high. I'm not even convinced that the "bling" value of the welded fitting is any higher; mine is nice and clean, looks very good.

 

[Cheesefood]

Honestly, I'd give the weldless fitting a shot before spending money getting it welded. Mine doesn't leak at all. The person who said that theirs did leak mentioned that they put it together themselves, which makes me wonder if the rubber gasket they used wasn't rated for temps that high. I'm not even convinced that the "bling" value of the welded fitting is any higher; mine is nice and clean, looks very good.

Really? The leaking had me worried. I can probably run over to HD tomorrow and get a bit and some pipe to make a manifold (and maybe even round cooler if I'm feeling bold) and contemplate my first AG soon.

My CFC showed up today. I was drinking a beer from Rhoobarb and noticed how the unpleasant "twang" that I'm assuming is from DME is absent in his and other AG beers I've had.

 

[the_bird]

Not a drop. Tighten it down good, but you don't need to go insane with it. The weldless bulkheads are designed well, they do the job.

You making the manifold from copper or C-PVC? If you're batch sparging, I'd still think about a simple braided SS hose, but I can't deny - a copper manifold DOES have a bit more blign to it. If you go the PVC route, make sure to get C-PVC, which is rated for higher temps.

If you're doing copper, here's a thread on how to solder.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=13188

 

[Beer Weevel]

I believe 13/16" but don't remember exactly.

 

[roggae]

Honestly, I'd give the weldless fitting a shot before spending money getting it welded. Mine doesn't leak at all. The person who said that theirs did leak mentioned that they put it together themselves, which makes me wonder if the rubber gasket they used wasn't rated for temps that high. I'm not even convinced that the "bling" value of the welded fitting is any higher; mine is nice and clean, looks very good.

i used mine for the first time last night. i have the same weldless fittings. it leaked about 1 cup/30 mins. when i took it apart the oring inside the keggle was sliced from the hole. what does this mean? was it tightened too tight on a burr or something?

this thread is awesome!

 

[the_bird]

i used mine for the first time last night. i have the same weldless fittings. it leaked about 1 cup/30 mins. when i took it apart the oring inside the keggle was sliced from the hole. what does this mean? was it tightened too tight on a burr or something?

this thread is awesome!

Dunno. I made sure to de-burr everything well before I put on the fitting. Lightly smoothed it with a metal file, finished it off with sandpaper. No problems for me

 

[user 7154]

You definitely need to de-burr the hole and don't tighten it too much. Leaks normally would come from the pipe thread I'd think. To solve this just wrap some teflon tape on the threads a couple times prior to putting on the ball valve. It's not really necessary on the inside, obviously.

 

[Cheesefood]

Ouch, those hop stoppers are kinda expensive! $60 for a screen?!? Anyone have an economy solution or is this one of those things you just have to bite the bullet on?

This made me laugh.

When Rhoob, Snakebone and I were at Rd's place, what did we see sitting in his keggle? A hop stopper.
So, how about using two lint traps (one inside the other) as a strainer?

Boy, some of these look perfect. http://www.purolator-facet.com/media.htm Where can I buy one?

 

[rdwj]

This made me laugh.

When Rhoob, Snakebone and I were at Rd's place, what did we see sitting in his keggle? A hop stopper.

So, how about using two lint traps (one inside the other) as a strainer?

I blame it on homebrew and my wireless router. Being able to sit around, drink good beer and buy stuff that you think will help you make better beer is a recipe for disaster.

You know those devices that judges order repeat offenders to put in their car? They’re the ones that won't let you start it before taking a breathalyzer. I want to invent one for online purchases. Make me blow before I can select my payment method!!

 

[Cheesefood]

I blame it on homebrew and my wireless router. Being able to sit around, drink good beer and buy stuff that you think will help you make better beer is a recipe for disaster.

You know those devices that judges order repeat offenders to put in their car? They’re the ones that won't let you start it before taking a breathalyzer. I want to invent one for online purchases. Make me blow before I can select my payment method!!

You have one of those. It's called a wife. Ask her if you should buy one first. If she thinks it's a good idea, then buy it.

 

[rdwj]

You have one of those. It's called a wife. Ask her if you should buy one first. If she thinks it's a good idea, then buy it.

But she NEVER thinks it's a good idea - lol