Installing ball lock gas post onto a sanke keg?

[Dert]

I would never drill into my sanke fermentors, though. I use this contraption:

2" tri-clover to a SS racking cane. I can sanitize the beer and gas fittings and transfer 13 gallons with CO2 in about 10 minutes.

 

[Bobby_M]

That last one would even work with the desired ball lock connection just by bushing the 1/2" thread down to the 1/4". Then you're not limited to how much pressure a thinwall thread can handle.

 

[pilzner]

Golddiggie,

I have the Brewer's Hardware fermenter kit, and all I do is attach the CO2 hose to my blowoff connection on the kit.

When I'm done transferring, I just pull off the hose and i'm done.

To make things easy, I installed a check valve that has a Male connectorCheck valve. I have a dedicated hose for transferring that has a barb connector for the check valve on one end and nothing on the other.

All I do is change my hose and bingo.

Not sure if in the end that works for you.....but it works great for me.

 

[Stevo2569]

Golddigie,
This might be useful to you.
I got a chance to full around with the fittings and keg today. First thing I learned was that the 1/4" NPT to 9/32" fittings are too small of a dia for the dip tube to fit through. I used a 5/16 drill bit to bore it out to the right size. Second thing is that a 1/2" drill bit is perfect for the 1/4" NPT. I didn't get a tap so I just threaded it in and silver soldered it on. Hope that helps.

 

[Golddiggie]

It would help if I had a 1/2" bit to use. I do have the 7/16" in a cobalt bit (cuts through stainless like buttah) that I'll be using. The bit is the correct size for the tap, which helps too. I suspect the step bits I have are too tired to drill up to 8 kegs this weekend at the size difference. I might give it a shot on one of the kegs I don't mind messing up. Although I would prefer to properly thread these fittings so that I don't need to weld/solder them right away.

I am lookint into getting a MiG welder along with a gas system to let me use it on stainless from time to time. I'll probably need to get two different gas mixes so that I can properly weld both stainless and regular steel. Not sure, yet, if I'll be looking to weld aluminum too, but it could be an option.

 

[Stevo2569]

It would help if I had a 1/2" bit to use. I do have the 7/16" in a cobalt bit (cuts through stainless like buttah) that I'll be using. The bit is the correct size for the tap, which helps too. I suspect the step bits I have are too tired to drill up to 8 kegs this weekend at the size difference. I might give it a shot on one of the kegs I don't mind messing up. Although I would prefer to properly thread these fittings so that I don't need to weld/solder them right away.

I am lookint into getting a MiG welder along with a gas system to let me use it on stainless from time to time. I'll probably need to get two different gas mixes so that I can properly weld both stainless and regular steel. Not sure, yet, if I'll be looking to weld aluminum too, but it could be an option.

The end of the thread barely fit in the 1/2" hole. These are pipe thread so it tighted down quite well. MIG welding stainless is quite hard. TIG is better.

I pressure tested the silver solder connections at 40psi which is way higher than I will ever have on them with no leaks.

 

[Golddiggie]

The end of the thread barely fit in the 1/2" hole. These are pipe thread so it tighted down quite well. MIG welding stainless is quite hard. TIG is better.

I pressure tested the silver solder connections at 40psi which is way higher than I will ever have on them with no leaks.

I'm trying to find an affordable TIG welder. I have some time, so it's possible I'll be able to locate one in a price point I can handle. Plus, I need to be living in a place where I can actually use the damned thing.

40psi is about 10x the pressure I expect to put mine against. I'm only using these posts to hit it with enough pressure to perform a CO2 push transfer to serving keg, or another fermenter (in the case of mead, or a BIG beer that needs time to age on something).

This project has also gotten me to thinking about using a type A fire extinguisher to serve homebrew from. I know someone that's looking into getting several of them that we can work on converting. Depending on how that works out, I could have several thirst-extinguishers on hand. :rockin:

 

[Stevo2569]

Thirst extinguisher. Great name. Like this. It was my ginnie pig. 2.5 gal fermentor and almost 3 gal kegged capacity. Previously pressurized water. I've been using them as fermentors too. The standard dip tube is the perfect length with the hex nipple and adaptor which also serves as the filling hole.

 

[Golddiggie]

Can you PM/email me some bigger pics?? I'd also like to talk with you about using them to serve HB with offline (don't want to go OT here)...

 

[Stevo2569]

Yeah I was keepin it on the DL, but the cats out the bag now. Damnit.

 

[BiggieB400]

I would never drill into my sanke fermentors, though. I use this contraption:

2" tri-clover to a SS racking cane. I can sanitize the beer and gas fittings and transfer 13 gallons with CO2 in about 10 minutes.

That set up is a lot more simple than what I had pictured in my head. I may have to build one of these!!

 

[ohararp]

Funny, I took Derrin's design and I have modded it to work with a Corny Keg post to do exactly as you want. It was really pretty easy. I used the racking cane that Derrin sells at http://www.brewershardware.com/23-Racking-Cane.html. I welded everything up here myself and was able to pick up all the corney adapters at the LHBS.

 

[Golddiggie]

I've been working with a machine shop/welder not too far from where I live on this. So far, I've had gas post base fittings welded into 11 sanke kegs. I've been using the slightly modified fermenter kit (installed a liquid post, poppet and dip tube on the fitting for the racking cane) to extract the finished beer, or mead when it needs to be racked. I was actually at the welder tonight getting four of those 11 kegs fittings welded. I have him working on making me some different TC caps to do more of what I want them to do. Since I don't have a welder, nor access to one, this is the best option for me, for now.

Once the new fittings are done, I'll have the best of both worlds. The thermowell to get the fermenting temperature, plus the liquid post and dip tube assembly properly fitted (not forced as it is now). They're going to drill/ream out the base fittings for the corny posts to accept the dip tubes for me. This will allow me to use them for both fermenting AND transferring. I'll be able to remove the post and poppet from the base, and slip a short piece of 1/2" silicone tubing on it, to connect an airlock (as you would with the kit from Derrin). Then, once fermentation is over, I'll be able to remove that tube, give it a short blast of CO2, to purge any stray air from the keg, install the liquid dip tube and corny post, and then transfer into either a serving keg, or another sanke keg (aging vessel, etc.) via another kit with a liquid dip tube in it.

I used a modified version of Derrin's hardware to do this over the weekend with two batches of mead that needed to be racked. When I get the new assemblies back from the machine shop, that will be even easier for me.

Now I'll need to decide what to do with the orange caps I have on hand, as well as all the bungs I've picked up to use. Especially, since I'm about to not need either of those items for most of the things I ferment. I'll keep the items for the glass carboys, for when I use them. I doubt I'll keep the ones for the BB, except [perhaps] one each so that I can transport water if/when needed.

Also, for those two batches that I racked this past weekend... I simply sealed the opening in the kegs with TC caps and clamps and put QD's on the gas posts that have bleeder valves and pressure gauges on them. I can see, at a glance, if ANY pressure is building inside the keg. So far, no pressure is building. Since they've been done fermenting for over a month, I'm not surprised at all. I also was able to purge the kegs of oxygen simply by using CO2 and then either pressing on the poppet in the post, or using the bleeder from the QD assembly.

 

[ohararp]

It's probably too late, but please make sure the welder back purges the sanke with argon. I have welded on a lot of these sankes and it's super important that they do this or sugaring will be a huge issue (which you really won't be able to see unless you use a bore scope). The triclamp ends are less of an issue since they are pretty thick.

I'm sticking with the orange caps and blowoff for now. I don't monitor the temperatures so this isn't a big deal. But I am looking at adapting the config above to do pressure fermenting as well. The triclamps are super handy and so easy to swap out.

 

[Stevo2569]

Glad you had them professionally done so they don't look like a$$.

 

[Haputanlas]

Funny, I took Derrin's design and I have modded it to work with a Corny Keg post to do exactly as you want. It was really pretty easy. I used the racking cane that Derrin sells at http://www.brewershardware.com/23-Racking-Cane.html. I welded everything up here myself and was able to pick up all the corney adapters at the LHBS.

That's awesome. Glad you brought this up. I'll probably do something similar.

 

[ohararp]

Haputanlas, I am working on a revision of this. I Really wanna do pressure ferments with the racking cane in place. I am gonna add a 1/2" tc ferrule to the end of the racking cane which will allow me to add a 1/2" tc ball valve. This way I can prevent beer from flowing until I deem necessary. Additional parts are on order and I hope to have everything together over the weekend. I'll post pics here.