50 Ltr Keg Boiler

[Justin]

Fish, I'll get the part number tomorrow and post it. I was using the disc last night actually. As you probably read, it's a really thin disc (2mm maybe less) but I'm not sure if it's a non-metal one as described above or not, but they do work how I described. Fantastic, I cut the hole so clean and perfect I amazed myself. Bunnings didn't have them though, they only had the thicker everyday cutting wheels. I went to Nubco (not sure if that's a national compary or not, but if you went to one of your more dedicated tool/pipe/stainless places you'd find one.

Worst case scenario I could post one to you but being in Melbourne you'd track one down. Search the yellow pages under Tools, or maybe a Stainless place.

Good luck. Cheers, Justin

 

[warrenlw63]

Here's some pics I just took.

Hope this helps -
Warren -

 

[warrenlw63]

And another

 

[warrenlw63]

And another pic from the inside of the boiler, it's just the same as the outside... rubber washer and a flat brass hex nut.

Warren -

 

[warrenlw63]

Last and by no means least... :blink:

Warren -

 

[pint of lager]

To protect the valve and plastic from the heat from a burner, use some sort of metal shroud to shield that part of the boiler from flame.

My boiler does have the tap welded into the keg, but with a shroud, it copes ok with the heat.

 

[RobW]

Warren, how much power do those elements pull? Can you run them off the same domestic circuit or do you need to split them or go to 15 amp? Also, did you just drill out for them with a metal drill bit?

 

[dicko]

Hi Fish,
The type of cut off wheel you need is used by panel beaters and automotive body builders and is available from crash supply places. It is usually only available to suit 4" and 5" grinders.
If you are heating your kettle or HLT with gas I suggest you have a long bulkhead fitting through the keg to get the ball valve away from the heat. Check the photo gallery on this site "Dicko's Driver River Brewery"
Cheers

 

[sosman]

Some detailed pics in among my files at brewiki:

brewpot

exploded tap fittings

The second one is a mashtun fitting but it shows the typical bits an pieces you might use.

Flexovit make a very thin cutoff wheel - around 1 mm thick. I didn't know about those when I cut the top of my keg out and just used a regular one. One disc easily did the whole lot.

 

[Hoops]

In addition if someone is feeling bored could they please outline a non-weld tap set-up that works (i.e. piece | piece | piece | keg wall | piece | piece | etc..). A photo would be brilliant if someone had one. As you can see I am no plumber, however if someone spells it out I should be ok.

Cheers
Fish

Fish

was "feeling bored" so here's some pics of a bulkhead fitting

 

[Hoops]

and an exploded view (includes a compression fitting)

 

[Jazman]

well like sos i used a 115 mm cutting disk by felxovit and only used half on and i took it easy and used a brand new on then used a sanding disk on my 4 inch grinder for a neater finish so it only cost me 2 bucks

 

[warrenlw63]

Ken,


Elements are 2 x 2400 watt. Used to be able to run them both at once off a particular power point.

Since the house has been rewired I've been unable to do so. I just use one now. Gets the runoff from mash temps (75c) to a boil in about 45 mins with 1 element.

So If I'm patient I suppose it's good enough. Sure wish I could use the two though. It used to be a pretty impressive rolling boil with two elements. Now I think my hop utilisation suffers as a consequence of just having the one element and a so-so boil. This improves if I close the lid a little though.

Everytime I try and run the two of them in unison now the circuits trip off and I have to go to the fusebox and switch them on again.

I just had two holes drilled by a metal fabricator. Think from memory he just used a 30mm bi-metal holesaw. I get no leaks even though the keg curvature tends to make a less than perfect seal for the plastic lock nuts on the element. I just use a bit of teflon tape on the element threads.


Warren -

 

[GMK]

Warren

You can run both elements as long as they are on different power circuits.

get a long extension cord and find a different circuit that you can plug into that does not blow the circuit breaker - unless it is the ELCB - then you may need to upgrade that.

 

[Justin]

Yep, I used one of those 4" Flexovit cut off wheels. Easy cutting as your only cutting/removing the minimum amount of steel to get the job done rather than three times the amount of steel with a regular thicker disc.

Hey Warren, I think you missed your pen markings for the hole for your tap on the side of the keg mate . I have the same element set up in my HLT and run them as GMK stated, just using an extension lead to a different part of the house (different circuit). Works fine, but yeah if I load them on the same circuit it would blow for sure.

Cheers, Justin

 

[warrenlw63]

Thanks for the tip Ken,

Only problem is that I boil from the garage and the other nearest power point is a fair way away. BTW what's an ELCB??

Justin. It actually wasn't me who drilled the holes. I took the keg to a metal fabricactor. He drilled the 2 element holes and the 1 tap hole for me for ten bucks. Obviously he did it after work and after happy hour.

Won't happen when I make a separate HLT I've got my own bi-metal holesaw and arbor now.

Warren -

 

[GMK]

ELCB = Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker

 

[Batz]

In my HLT I use one 2400w element , this is all that is needed , I also have a stirrer I made from an old windscreen wiper motor , this keeps the water at a constant temperture as you tend to get hot spots near the element.
I don't want any hot or cold spots as I also use the HLT for a HERMS system.

I don't like the idea of using elements in a kettle , I have seen these and the boil is consitrated around the element too much , much better to go gas in my opinion

Only my opinion guys

Batz

 

[Batz]

Just as a matter of interest here

My 2400w element draws 8.3 amps , don't run two from a 10 amp socket

 

[jayse]

Another matter of interest,
GMK refered to the earth leakage detecting ciruit as that ELCB.
which is quite correct but in australia it is more commonly known as RCD.
Residual current device.
Which does the same thing detects currant going to earth via a faulty ground or to anywhere else.
anyway ELCB is a american term i believe and RCB being the common term in australia.
sorry i know tomatoe-tomata all the same.
one important note is a RCD or a ELCB is a totally different thing to a standard over current circuit breaker.
The rcd works by measuring the balance of current going in and the current going out of a circuit and if they aren't cancelling each other out then the circuit will trip.
so you still need a normal circuit breaker as you can see with a RCD it is possible for yourself to become part of the circuit ie if the currant passes through the circuit than through you and then goes back to he circuit.
So a RCD is not a raplacment for a over current ciruit breaker but a complement to it which serves another purpose.
The rcd will trip when the difference in balance is only milliamperes where as the house hold over current breaker does not trip as quiclky.
Anyway its designed to trip before your heart goes into ventricular fibrillation.

Sorry just rambling on.

Jayse