keggle brewing - dip tube?

[motobrewer]

so I'm picking up a welded keggle this weekend.

my question is, what do you guys do for a pickup tube on the ball valve? do you guys use a false bottom?

new to this whole keggle thing...

 

[DaveT]

I am waiting for some good replys on this also, I can chime in that no false bottom is not a good idea if you are not using a hop ball or hop spider, i did this last brew and could not get any flow no matter what I tried, so the dip tube was removed! I bought a SS 3/8" dip tube and I will be changing that to a 1/2" copper tube before next brew. I am only using gravity to flow through my CFC, so the restriction is not a good idea for me.

 

[J-Malone]

I am converting 3 as well...and I am new to the keggle brewing. I plan to have a standard center pickup for the HLT. False bottom (climaxhomebrew) with a center pickup tube. BK will have a side pickup tube that will pull from the side and leave the trub cone behind (in theory)...

All of mine will have recirculation ports and I am planning on putting SS coils in the HLT and BK for chilling and possible HERMS use. It will be a Direct fired RIMS/HERMS hybrid...

 

[LakewoodBrew]

For pelletized hops my dip tube is a 1/2 to 3/4 copper reducer fitting on a 1/2 street elbow. it sits pretty close to the sidewall of the keg which leaves space for the trub to settle after whirlpool.

For whole leaf hops i have a screen filter that goes onto a 1/4 barb fitting which is soldered into a 1/2 elbow.

 

[Gremlyn]

My keggle conversions are in progress, but this is what I am doing for my brew keggle dip tube:

 

[Snafu]

Here is mine and sorry for the crappy pics. I went with the stainless option and even made a small one for my HLT

 

[Snafu]

I am waiting for some good replys on this also, I can chime in that no false bottom is not a good idea if you are not using a hop ball or hop spider, i did this last brew and could not get any flow no matter what I tried, so the dip tube was removed! I bought a SS 3/8" dip tube and I will be changing that to a 1/2" copper tube before next brew. I am only using gravity to flow through my CFC, so the restriction is not a good idea for me.

I agree, my keggle had copper pipe covered with SS mesh as a filter, now that I'm using the 1/2" SS dip tube, I had to go with the hop spider. Simple enough.

 

[motobrewer]

are you guys making these or buying them?

 

[JohnnyO]

Check out www.bargainfittings.com. I picked up the stainless fittings for mine on there.

 

[Catt22]

 

[LakewoodBrew]

No false bottom, using whirlpool.

 

[motobrewer]

great, thanks for the replies guys!

false bottom looks sweet, but for now I'm gonna stick with a pick up tube. i'll be sure to check out bargainfittings!

..and bobby for a sight glass....

 

[J-Malone]

You can piece together the parts for bulkhead fittings and diptubes fairly cheaply. I just put together 9 bulkhead fittings (no ball valves, bc not all of them needed BV's) for around $100. I found a good vendor on ebay and was able to get the close nipples, couplers, and locknuts for well under the price of most vendors and shipping was just $7. You will just need to get O-rings for them, but I already had 20 or so on hand.

As for the diptubes, you can easily make those out of rigid copper and a 90* elbow and just position it where you need it. like Catt's

I am making a center pickup for my HLT and MT (w/false bottom from Climax) and a side pickup for my boil kettle bc I am whirlpooling

You can def save a little cash by DIY, but you need to try and source from one place to keep shipping in check.

 

[motobrewer]

yeah, I'm sure it's an easy DIY, but I want this assembled by this weekend and I won't have any time this week. or next week.

 

[Snafu]

are you guys making these or buying them?

I made mine, its swagelok fittings and 1/2" stainless tubing. Office was nice enough to donate.

 

[LakewoodBrew]

You can probably tell from the picture: mine is all copper DIY. If you have copper fittings and a torch, it takes about 10 minutes.

 

[J-Malone]

as far as getting it done by the weekend, if you are having to have the diptubes shipped from bargainfittings or another vendor, then you have time to have the pieces shipped to you as well....they are not difficult to piece together once you have all the parts...

 

[motobrewer]

obviously i can have pieces shipped to me, but i'll have no time to put them together. and i don't wanna do it the morning of brew day.