z28tt
Member
My folks just had their natural gas furnace replaced. The old Lennox HM30 (hardly old, just 10 years!) had a 32 gallon stainless steel tank. Perfect for a DIY stainless fermenter! Naturally, I asked to keep it.
Yesterday I picked it up, and stripped it down. There's good foam insulation (mash tun possibility?) too. The burner assy was at the top, with a coiled exhaust pipe running through the tank. The plasma cutter made quick work of cutting the top off and removing the burn chamber from the lid. I cut the coiled pipe out with the sawzall.
The cuts got deburred with the angle grinder. It's also time to get a back gas kit for the TIG to patch up the extra holes in the lid, and at the bottom.
Biggest question now is how to create a seal? The stainless measures .059" thick, which is most likely 16ga that's been spun thinner. I've got a harbor Freight bead roller (bend a flat flange?), but I really doubt it'll have enough beef to bend this.
Not sure what I'll do for valves yet, but since I'm welding in the patches, I might as well weld in fittings for whatever's needed.
I can't wait to stop using carboys.
Any suggestions? Possibilities?
Yesterday I picked it up, and stripped it down. There's good foam insulation (mash tun possibility?) too. The burner assy was at the top, with a coiled exhaust pipe running through the tank. The plasma cutter made quick work of cutting the top off and removing the burn chamber from the lid. I cut the coiled pipe out with the sawzall.
The cuts got deburred with the angle grinder. It's also time to get a back gas kit for the TIG to patch up the extra holes in the lid, and at the bottom.
Biggest question now is how to create a seal? The stainless measures .059" thick, which is most likely 16ga that's been spun thinner. I've got a harbor Freight bead roller (bend a flat flange?), but I really doubt it'll have enough beef to bend this.
Not sure what I'll do for valves yet, but since I'm welding in the patches, I might as well weld in fittings for whatever's needed.
I can't wait to stop using carboys.
Any suggestions? Possibilities?