help turning keg into brew kettle

[Huaco]

The dip tube is there so you can siphon/pump out almost all the liquid. This will just leave about a 1/4 inch or so of liquid in the bottom of the keggle. If you don't have it, then your liquid level will never drop below the opening where your side wall valve is... thus, leaving about 2-3 gallons of wort behind.
You could bottom drain and not have to worry about a dip tube.

 

[NewJersey]

why can you just lean the keg over with no diptube? (making the ball valve the lowest point)

 

[marshallbeer]

why can you just lean the keg over with no diptube? (making the ball valve the lowest point)

Because the dip tube will make it a lot easier to drain. Keggle's become very hard to handle when full of wort.

 

[thadius856]

Because the dip tube will make it a lot easier to drain. Keggle's become very hard to handle when full of wort.

And blistering hot, in the range of 400F+ on the bottom.

Didn't think I needed a diptube either, until I went to tip the keggle over, grabbed the bottom lip, and burned the bejesus out of my hand in a fraction of a second. Thankfully my hand was wet from handling the garden hose, or my skin would have stuck to and remained on the bottom of the keggle.

The next day, I made sure one got installed.

 

[Huaco]

^^^^^
OUCH!
Glad you turned out alright man. That could have left a SERIOUS mark!

 

[NewJersey]

lol, what?
you would only be leaning it over when its near empty anyway. That and grabbing it from the top- problem solved. right?
i'm not trying to be a wiseass, but i'd rather have a screen down there instead of a diptube to filter out the grain and some of the hops after the boil. I have one floor burner which i plan on using with two keggles. Im not gonna build some kinda stand or use pumps or whatever. after mashing in one keggle i would then have a friend help me lift the thing onto a ss table i have thats 2 feet from the burner and let it drain into the other keggle to do the boil.
i want a nice simple setup and don't see the point of the diptube or sight glass.
after the boil i would put the keggle on the same table (after having my ic take it down to 75*) put on a silicone hose and drain the wort into two plastic buckets (each with a hop strainer bag deal over the bucket), pitch yeast and clean up.

 

[thadius856]

lol, what?
you would only be leaning it over when its near empty anyway. That and grabbing it from the top- problem solved. right?

Sure. Whatever floats your boat.

Why ask the purpose of something, then get upset when the answer is given to you?

i'm not trying to be a wiseass, but i'd rather have a screen down there instead of a diptube to filter out the grain and some of the hops after the boil. I have one floor burner which i plan on using with two keggles. Im not gonna build some kinda stand or use pumps or whatever. after mashing in one keggle i would then have a friend help me lift the thing onto a ss table i have thats 2 feet from the burner and let it drain into the other keggle to do the boil.
i want a nice simple setup and don't see the point of the diptube or sight glass.
after the boil i would put the keggle on the same table (after having my ic take it down to 75*) put on a silicone hose and drain the wort into two plastic buckets (each with a hop strainer bag deal over the bucket), pitch yeast and clean up.

I'm not reading this jumble.

Best of luck.

Heavens to Murgatroyd! Exit, stage left!

 

[Huaco]

Thadius...
I had to erase what I was going to reply... I think you summed it up in a more civil manner than I. ha!

 

[NewJersey]

guys, i never intended to insult anyone.
going back and reading my posts i can see how it came off that way.
anyways, you did answer my questions and sorta confirmed that what i want to do will work fine (just might not be ideal for other poeples setups)

 

[Huaco]

No insult taken...
I just think it is absolutely ridiculous to come on here asking advice and then completely shoot it down... ESPECIALLY when the advice given had included important safety concerns.

If you want to heave a mash tun full of near 170*F wort/grains up on a table top... by all means do it.
If you want to play the Tippy-Dump game with a boil kettle... go on...

I hope to never see you on the board crying because you dropped a 150 pound mashtun on your foot and then scalded your brew buddy in the process.

[soap-box rant - done...]

 

[NewJersey]

i lift kegs all the time by myself. having someone help me IS the safety precaution.
again, i DO appreciate the feedback.

 

[atimmerman88]

View attachment 112087

Here is a pick of a Brewhardware.com sight glass and thermometer combo in my BK. I love them, I also have one in my HLT. I have dip tubes in both.



View attachment 112091

Curious what your filter media is and/or how you attached it to your dip tube.

I'm going to be making my keggle this week and would like a nice filter around my dip tube, although I think I will be pulling from near the edge so I can whirlpool.

 

[Bobby_M]

There really are no filters that work all that well. I've tried just about everything and bagging your pellet hops in mesh bags (or similarly fine meshed stainless baskets if you wish) is the most practical way to do it. Any other particulates such as hot/cold break can just go right into the fermenter. Keep in mind that anything physically installed onto the interior of the drain will need to be removed for cleaning anyway.

 

[atimmerman88]

Thanks for the input...

On my old kettle without valves, I just whirlpool and used my siphon, it would let the majority of all my pellet junk stay in the bottle.

Might be the best option on the new one as well.

 

[atimmerman88]

Thought I'd share how things are going

 

[Genuine]

looking pretty good man! Any new updates?

 

[Transamguy77]

Curious what your filter media is and/or how you attached it to your dip tube.

I'm going to be making my keggle this week and would like a nice filter around my dip tube, although I think I will be pulling from near the edge so I can whirlpool.

I'm sure you are prob done by now but I'm just seeing this now, the weldless valve I have is threaded in the inside so all I had to do is make a angled pipe using 1/2" ridged and a female connector. Hope you made out ok.

 

[atimmerman88]

I'm sure you are prob done by now but I'm just seeing this now, the weldless valve I have is threaded in the inside so all I had to do is make a angled pipe using 1/2" ridged and a female connector. Hope you made out ok.

Yep, she's all done except for putting on a sight glass that I'll get around to some day.

Brews well, just need a bigger chiller since I've got a bigger pot now. sighhh

Just means I get to buy more brewing toys