How to Ruin a kettle

[TheDarkChemist]

Use a greenlee punch with a drill, and lose your grip on the pot while it is tightening.

It will twist on you near the end and rip a jagged tear in the pot if the pot is thin stainless (Bayou Classic).

The gasket from brewhardware is large enough to cover the tear for now, but not holding my breath that it will hold out well



So anyway, dont be a stupid noob like me and try to do this without bracing the pot between your legs, or having a helper hold it, and go slow if you arent sure, it tightens fast and will torque abit.

 

[IslandLizard]

At least it didn't tear you up.

If the seal doesn't hold, you could possibly dimple it and solder a washer on it.

 

[Bobby_M]

No doubt I'd save that sucker by soldering a washer right to the face.

 

[TrainSafe]

I'm curious. We're you using a punch or a hole saw? Or some other type of bit?

 

[TheDarkChemist]

Well Miracle of miracles it holds a seal.... un-miracle of miracles, both the temperature probe and the sight glass, lose one drop of water every 3 seconds... I've taken it apart several times, and tried various amounts of tension on them, and the one drop every 3 seconds is the best Ive gotten. Any ideas?

I'm curious. We're you using a punch or a hole saw? Or some other type of bit?

Greenlee punch, following the walkthrough on brewhardware, dimpled it, drilled it, slide the hole punch on, first one went a beaut, second one slipped out of my hands and tore up a chunk, i filed everything down smooth.

 

[day_trippr]

Should we presume compression fittings? If so, are you using metal ferrules, or silicone o-rings? If not compression fittings, a description might preempt further guessing...

Cheers!

 

[TheDarkChemist]

Should we presume compression fittings? If so, are you using metal ferrules, or silicone o-rings? If not compression fittings, a description might preempt further guessing...

Cheers!

Re-did the tape, overkill, and it seems to have worked.... Letting it sit for a while.


Nut + Dark orange O rings inside, washer on the outside, for temp gauge, 3-4 wraps of blue teflon didnt work, 6 wraps of blue teflon seems to have done it. Sight glass I made a moron move and put the washer inside instead of outside.

I still don't understand how the torn-up area isnt leaking. Filled a 11 gallon bayou classic to the rim and letting the pressure sit on it to see if itwill leak, then im draining it down to 7.5 gallons and boiling to observe further. Hoping I get to do my first brew this weekend now! On to assembling the grain mill.

Really appreciate this forum and their responses/wealth of information in searching threads, partly why I made this post to give someone else down the line a warning about taking hole punch seriously.

 

[Carlscan26]

Just a suggestion but maybe next time don't use the drill to drive the punch? Just use a long wrench if you need the leverage.

 

[tkaufman]

I actually just used a greenlee to install through my keggle this weekend and I was able to hand tighten it to get it to punch through. I definitely wouldn't drill for anyone else coming behind the OP!