keggle valve help...

[Apoxbrew]

I'm trying to find the right ball valve and parts at the local hardware stores to work in my keggle, but am having issues. Because everything is compression fittings, it doesn't seem like I can tighten the parts enough to make a tight fit against the keg wall.

Anyone have suggestions on what I should look for? I have two keggle I 'd like to port. On the one that will be the HLT I was thinking 3/4 fittings so I can dump water into MLT quickly. On the other, I was thinking just 1/2.

Thanks!

 

[Mirage]

Hi! Check out www.weldlessfittings.com to see what is typically used. You can buy from them too (I did and it even comes with instructions, good guy). Their stuff is top notch and you don't have to put it all together.

 

[Apoxbrew]

Awesome stuff, but I was hoping to install this weekend. Wanted to get goods from local hardware store.

 

[NickN72]

I just did this to a keggle yesterday. If you can find a valve with threads, you can use conduit nuts. the stainless nuts that they use in wiring. I put a nut on, then a large washer with a gasket that I made from the gasket material that you can get at the hardware store. Then its just another nut on the inside and tighten the two against each other.

This only works if you can find a valve with threads on it, or that you could put a nipple on. Otherwise the bulkhead fittings online are probably your best bet.

 

[frankstoneline]

I just did this to a keggle yesterday. If you can find a valve with threads, you can use conduit nuts. the stainless nuts that they use in wiring. I put a nut on, then a large washer with a gasket that I made from the gasket material that you can get at the hardware store. Then its just another nut on the inside and tighten the two against each other.

This only works if you can find a valve with threads on it, or that you could put a nipple on. Otherwise the bulkhead fittings online are probably your best bet.

Could you post a picture of this setup?

 

[NickN72]

I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

 

[NickN72]

here's the way i did it. I haven't done anything about a diptube or anything yet.

 

[Bobby_M]

I very highly doubt that locknut is stainless. It's galvanized. Replace with a 1/2" copper female adapter or something.

 

[NickN72]

They are sold as Stainless locknuts. I used the same thing when i made my mash tun and it hasn't given me any trouble at all.

 

[Bobby_M]

Purchased from Lowes or Home Depot? I'm not saying stainless conduit locknuts don't exist, but a big box store carrying them would be very odd. Got an item ID number on them?

 

[Apoxbrew]

i hope they're stainless!! they certainly aren't galvanized... but i don't know about stainless.

if someone doesn't beat me to it, i'll post an item number for the ones i bought when i get home.

problem with the fittings is that because they're all compression, you can't tighten them down far enough to make a good seal against the keg wall. if you could get a super short nippel, maybe, but you need the non-threaded section for the oring to sit on so the shortest i could find was 1.5" so you need to make up quite a bit if you're going to use a fitting. and it all can't be made up on the outside because the non-threaded section needs to be on the inside... if that makes sense.

i don't know where one might find brass or copper locknuts, but i definitely didn't see any and i went to every single home and plumbing store in my town (two big box stores and one plumbing specific store).

 

[TheBeerNerd]

Here's everything I used to build mine:

3/4" NPT brass Ball Valve
3/4" male NPT to 1/2" Barb fitting, brass
3/4" x 1" NPT brass nipple
3/4" female NPT coupler, brass
3/4" male NPT to 5/8" ID copper fitting
1/2" ID copper 90-deg elbow
3/4" zinc fender washer
3/4" Stainless fender washer
3/4" silicone washer (cut from silicone bakeware)
1/2" ID copper tube (5/8" OD)

 

[Catt22]

You probably won't find brass or stainless pipe thread lock nuts at Home Depot or Lowe's, but you can get them from McMaster-Carr. You could also use a pipe coupling instead of a nut. Stainless washers (sometimes called shims) can be used on the outside of the kettle/cooler to take up slack on a pipe nipple if necessary.

 

[Apoxbrew]

Is McMaster-Carr an online vendor?

I think a lot of folks (myself included) like to purchase locally for this kind of thing so we can a) see/handle what we're buying before buying it, and b) easily/quickly return/exchange if there's an issue with something we purchased.

Don't get me wrong, I buy a lot of stuff online... just saying that for this kind of project, I like to go local.

 

[Apoxbrew]

3/4" silicone washer (cut from silicone bakeware)

That's a great idea!!!

 

[TheBeerNerd]

Everything in that photo I bought from Lowes. Except they didn't have 3/4" stainless washers. I bought a 1/2" and used a dremel to bore it out.

 

[Apoxbrew]

don't suppose you can take a pick of that put together? i'm not quite following the assembly. you didn't need to use a threaded nipple? i didn't even think of that possibility... that might solve the problem and eliminate the need for the stainless locknut!

 

[Catt22]

Is McMaster-Carr an online vendor?

I think a lot of folks (myself included) like to purchase locally for this kind of thing so we can a) see/handle what we're buying before buying it, and b) easily/quickly return/exchange if there's an issue with something we purchased.

Don't get me wrong, I buy a lot of stuff online... just saying that for this kind of project, I like to go local.

Yes, McMaster-Carr is an online vendor. They have a lot of hardware and fittings that are not typically available locally at HD, Lowe's etc. Their prices are on the high side and then there are the shipping charges, so I buy locally when I can, but sometimes I find it more economical to order online rather than chase down an item locally. I'm very familiar with much of this stuff, so I pretty much can tell what I'm buying from reading the specs. I only very rarely have to return anything. I certainly can understand wanting to handle the item if you are not familiar with this stuff. You can also come up with alternate configurations if you have the stuff right in front of you.

 

[TheBeerNerd]

My bad, I just went out to snap a picture of the inside and realized that I used everything in that photo... i'll edit the parts list in my other post

Yes, I used the NPT nipple... it's held in place by the ball valve and the brass NPT coupler. You can't see it, but the silicone washer is tucked underneath the stainless one in the inside pic... acting as a seal.

Here ya go:

 

[Apoxbrew]

okay... that's my basic setup then except that i wasn't able to find a coupler that would screw onto the nipple far enough to make contact with the inside keg wall.

in theory i could take up the necessary space on the outside of the keg, but then the washer/o-ring would have been resting on the threads. I tried this and was getting seepage through the threads. once i switched to a longer nipple with an un-threaded section, i was able to stop the leaking, but again, i had to use a the locknut in order to tighten everything against the keg wall.

 

[Apoxbrew]

on another related note... i just called the manufacturer of the o-rings i used. they're made out of "nitro butadiene". i'm assuming this is not okay? LOL

if not, i'll need to swap out for the silicone bake ware DIY gaskets.

 

[NickN72]

Purchased from Lowes or Home Depot? I'm not saying stainless conduit locknuts don't exist, but a big box store carrying them would be very odd. Got an item ID number on them?

I don't have a part number, i already got rid of the packaging.

here is a link to the valve that i used. it solves the problem of the unthreaded part of a nipple. The whole thing cost me less than $10.

http://www.apollovalves.com/pipemaster/pipemaster.asp

 

[TheBeerNerd]

The nipple I used it threaded for it's whole length. I made the silicone seal slightly smaller than the nipple to ensure that it would seal. Be careful though... that stuff tears easily.

i just called the manufacturer of the o-rings i used. they're made out of "nitro butadiene". i'm assuming this is not okay?

I wouldn't use anything other than silicone for a keggle. You never know what it will do at those high temps.

 

[Apoxbrew]

ya... i'm with ya. that said, did you just by like a silicone glove or something?

 

[TheBeerNerd]

Look for silicone baking pans or pot holders. I made mine out of muffin cups. I have plenty of leftover material for future projects.
I would think that glove material would be a bit thin.