Question on boiling kettle.

[bigjason6]

Hey guys, currently I have an eight gallon aluminum stock pot for boiling wort. I'm thinking about putting one of those weldless ball valve kits on it. The valve kit is made of stainless steel. What I'm wondering is would there be a problem with dissimilar metals and where would be the best place to put the valve? I'm considering putting it on the bottom of the pot with a strainer to act as gravity feed into a plate chiller.

The other thing I'm wondering is what the best way to clean a plate chiller would be? I'm guessing you would just back flush the wort side with hot sanitizing solution... Thanks!

 

[A4J]

I have an ss ball valve on my aluminum kettle and it's been that way for 2 years. no problem.

sorry, can't help you with the plate chiller. i just got mine last week and i haven't used it yet.

 

[prrriiide]

So if I understand you, you want the ball valve to be on the bottom of the pot where the flame will be? I wouldn't do that. You'll most likely need some sort of seal around the ball valve (silicone or o-ring or somesuch) that would be likely to melt under the direct heat. I'd just go low on the side and not worry about the bit that's left in the pot. It'll just be hot break and hop sludge anyway that you DON'T want running thru your plate chiller.

 

[bigjason6]

So if I understand you, you want the ball valve to be on the bottom of the pot where the flame will be? I wouldn't do that. You'll most likely need some sort of seal around the ball valve (silicone or o-ring or somesuch) that would be likely to melt under the direct heat. I'd just go low on the side and not worry about the bit that's left in the pot. It'll just be hot break and hop sludge anyway that you DON'T want running thru your plate chiller.

Good point about the heat from the burner, I didn't think about that...

About the plate chiller, what do you think about using like a closed loop system for the cooling water? Like using a large cooler filled with ice water and a small pump to circulate the cold water through the chiller?

 

[A4J]

Good point about the heat from the burner, I didn't think about that...

About the plate chiller, what do you think about using like a closed loop system for the cooling water? Like using a large cooler filled with ice water and a small pump to circulate the cold water through the chiller?

that's what i do now with my CFC and that's what i'm planning on doing for my plate chiller.

 

[bigjason6]

that's what i do now with my CFC and that's what i'm planning on doing for my plate chiller.

What temp does it cool your wort down to?

 

[A4J]

During the winter months, in the mid-upper 60's. In the warmer months, upper 70's, sometimes in the 80's. Note, that I live in the desert and my tap water never gets really cold.

 

[bigjason6]

I have an ss ball valve on my aluminum kettle and it's been that way for 2 years. no problem.

sorry, can't help you with the plate chiller. i just got mine last week and i haven't used it yet.

Did you buy your valve as a kit? I saw a couple different kits on Ebay but I'm not sure if they would be compatible with the wall thickness of my pot. Thanks!

 

[A4J]

Did you buy your valve as a kit? I saw a couple different kits on Ebay but I'm not sure if they would be compatible with the wall thickness of my pot. Thanks!

I think the first one I got was a kit, but the other ones I've pieced together locally over a couple of years.

Your compatibility issues only come in to play when you're talking about a cooler vs. kettle.