What's your opinion about written above, i.e. post #25? I don't have much experience in soldering/welding, so it would be good to hear about this from someone who has.
Kettles without Tri-clad for bottom drains?
- Thread starter BrunDog
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
OP
OP
I wonder what drilling through the tri-clad would do. If you weld you would need to weld both to the bottom and top and that could cause some heat stress and de-lamination of the layers.
Soldering might bond the layers but I also wonder what the heating would do - much lower local temp but more global heat added. I guess we wouldn’t know until someone does a few.
Regarding Bobby’s comment... I think the industry is still ~2/3 propane, at least according to John Blichmann. Ironically his kettles aren’t tri-clad, but he doesn’t see the value in bottom drains.
I guarantee someone will create a HB scale kettle with a bottom drain, then be like “look what a great idea we are bringing to market!”
Soldering might bond the layers but I also wonder what the heating would do - much lower local temp but more global heat added. I guess we wouldn’t know until someone does a few.
Regarding Bobby’s comment... I think the industry is still ~2/3 propane, at least according to John Blichmann. Ironically his kettles aren’t tri-clad, but he doesn’t see the value in bottom drains.
I guarantee someone will create a HB scale kettle with a bottom drain, then be like “look what a great idea we are bringing to market!”
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
I believe it wont be mainstream until some big marketing around the product makes it that way.
Any DIY method of doming the bottom of a thin kettle would like just rip the welds apart. I'm more keen on offsetting the bottom drain to near the sidewall and just build a .5 degree slope into your stand leaning towards the drain.
In fairness, and I totally respect John, Blichmann conicals still use weldless fittings which IMHO takes them completely out of the running in that space. The kettles also don't sell for similar reasons but I can bottom drain the crap out of them with welded TC ferrules. Too bad they are already hole punched.
I've gotta get my hands on a cheap thrift store triclad kettle and I'll try it. I think the aluminum core would pull a lot of heat so the overall part may not get too gorked (or it might pop apart and throw molten stainless at me)
Hmmmm bottom drain.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
This thread is near and dear to my heart, as I've been mashing on a bottom-draining inverted keggle thanks to Bobby for I think 5 years now, and have been making tweaks along the way and always have this residual dream of the perfect Platonic-form mash tun for homebrewers.
One thing I did notice thanks to FB advertising is Spike's Nano system uses bottom-drain, conical-ish bottomed kettles. Not sure if they'd be interested in making / selling similar kettles independent of the Nano (and if they did, judging by the price of the Nano, they'd be $$$$). Other than that tiny nugget of information, I'm responding to keep this thread on my watch list
One thing I did notice thanks to FB advertising is Spike's Nano system uses bottom-drain, conical-ish bottomed kettles. Not sure if they'd be interested in making / selling similar kettles independent of the Nano (and if they did, judging by the price of the Nano, they'd be $$$$). Other than that tiny nugget of information, I'm responding to keep this thread on my watch list
OP
OP
Yes, BK can and should be near the edge but the MLT needs the exit to be in the middle. I find the slight sag in the middle of my cheap Bayou kettles helps but a legit slight cone shape would be fabulous for cleaning.
VinceBrews
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2013
- Messages
- 59
- Reaction score
- 6
My dream BK has both a slight cone and center drain just for cleaning and a separate side pick-up port.
phreaky
Well-Known Member
This. All of this. I'm looking for new kettles. I've used an all electric system with an upside down keg for my mash tun for years, and it makes clean up so easy. But now I do half barrel batches, and am considering full barrel. All I want is something with a slight cone bottom, and a center drain for cleanup. I'm tired of turning kettles upside down to clean and rinse. The only thing that fits the bill is Stouts' 20 gallon kettles on legs, but dang they're pricey compared to other kettles. Even their 1 bbl kettles don't have it. No one wants to be flipping those over to drain.
The other alternative is to tip the kettle forward permanently and put the bottom drain as close to the front edge.
Anyone ever use a bottom draining kettle for eBIAB? I'm on the hunt for a new kettle that has all the features I want and just wondering if a kettle with a bottom drain makes sense/is practical for eBIAB.
OP
OP
It is IMO, but same supply constraints exist.
Would you pull from the bottom for recirculating and whirlpooling? Or would that possibly cause cavitation under the basket?
If you didn't pull from the bottom during recirculation and whirlpooling, you'd have some wort at the bottom that might not be getting mixed well.
How would you keep the basket in place with a sloped bottom?
Could you heat with an element?
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
no need for a basket vs a bag but they dont touch the bottom anyway so not sure how it would matter same deal with an element... should have no bearing on the bottom.
also you want the center area of the bottom to not have wort being pulled from it. Thats how whirlpooling normally works... the solids should be able to collect there in a cone. away from the offset drain near the edge where you collect the wort after the whirlpool to go into the fermenter.
OP
OP
Yes, that's true... for mashing the port should be in the middle, but for boiling/whirlpooling, you want it along the edge.
Do you know what the typical bottom slope is on these types of kettles? Will a basket with legs be stable?
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
the basket hangs from the top or from supports around the outside perimeter of the bottom as far as I know. the slopped bottom makes zero difference. Where is the basket going to go?
For full volume mashing, there is no difference between center and edge drains. The only reason it would be of any consequence is in a fly sparged mash tun. The false bottom still needs to keep the bag off the element so you'll have perfect flow for recirculation if you feel the need for it. I personally don't think it's important unless you're in the 15 gallon batch range, if the kettle is tall and skinny, or if you're in a cold and/or windy ambient environment.
My basket has legs to keep it off the element in a flat bottom kettle.
If the bottom of the kettle is sloped in a conical shape, the basket could get off kilter and end up resting on the element.
Think it would hurt anything to use a conical fermenter as a boil kettle? Spikes cf15 for instance. keep the bottom port as cleanout, port in the middle of the cone as heating element, temp probe where its at. Port where the sample valve goes as transfer port ( probably would need some sore of extended pickup tube.
OP
OP
Would be ok I guess! If mashing in it, there would be deadspace under if using a flat bottomed basket.
