Best Way To Attach Tap To Kettle

[Tony M]

Warren, how did you manage to drilll a hole in the side of your boiler did you use a standard drill?

[post="50145"][/post]​

Sharpen your drill like this

 

[warrenlw63]

There you go. Pic as promised. It only took about 15 mins and some bits I had lying around to knock out a pickup tube.

Done by your's truly the world's worst Plumber. :chug:

Now I've just got to get up the nerve to trust that the thing won't block when I run my wort to a fermenter. :unsure:

Any pickup tube users ever experienced a blocked runoff?



Warren -

 

[Guest Lurker]

Its never blocked, but no matter how tight I make the compression fitting, it still comes off in the middle of the boil if you give it a good enough whack with a mash paddle. As long as you are careful, loose is OK. Makes it much easier to clean the base of the kettle if you can pull the pipe straight out. And even though mine is a bit loose, it doesnt lose suction when siphoning out the last of the wort.

 

[Doc]

I too have a stainless pickup tube in one of my boilers.
Was done by an engineering shop as a bulk unit conversion for a number of brewers.
My tips for pickup tubes are that they are to the side as per Warren's pic and sligthly raised.
Then at the end of the boil whirlpool in the so that the flow is in the same direction as the pickup tube (clockwise for Warren's piccy) so that trub doesn't go up the pickup tube as much.
Run the first 100 mls off then straight into the fermenter/cfwc and you are in business.
If using a lot of whole flowers or plugs then a stainless scrubby over the pickup tube works great. If using lots of pellets don't use a stainless scrubby as it will block.

Beers,
Doc

 

[warrenlw63]

Thanks for the tips GL and Doc.

Particularly for the whirlpool one Doc. I'd never have thought of that. Makes quite good sense. Cheers.

Warren -

 

[sosman]

Hi all,
I'm getting to the stage of taking my kettle in to have a hole drilled for the tap.
Whats the best way of doing this? Like what shall I use to stop the leaking? SS washer and nut? I realise some brewers have welded theirs but I dont really want to go this way. I also have an aluminium kettle so i dont think its possible?
Suggestions and help required.

[post="50111"][/post]​

I suggest (assuming you aren't going all stainless):
- two fibre washers (bunnings)
- two hex/flange brass nuts (bunnings)
- two SS 21mm flat washers (cost less bolts ringwood).

Bring it to my joint and we can have it drilled in no time. I have a flaring tool, pipe bending spring and probably have the flare fittings to go with it.

cheers

 

[sosman]

Since it is pic time:

In SS kettle:

In Ali HLT:

 

[NRB]

And I've got a replacement stone for your diegrinder too Paul. I took a trip out to FJ's in Bayswater (man, is that a blokes paradise or what?), bought a unibit (6mm-20mm), a cheap vice and some stones.

Thanks for helping me enlarge the hole - the brew day went ahead a day later than expected, but thanks to your tools it went ahead!

Oh, and whilst we're on the topic, what volumes are you guys leaving behind in converted keg boilers? I had 5L left, which I feel is a little high; that's why I ended up with 17L in my fermenter - I didn't account for losses in tun and kettle.

I've now got correction for kettle, but forgot to get a value for the tun!

 

[Guest Lurker]

If its a standard 45l stainless steel vessel, 5L sounds a bit high. I have a particularly large diameter stainless steel boiler and struggle to keep it down to 3l. But it depends a lot on how hoppy the beer is. You can suck a bit of sludge through. Especially if you want to chill the fermenter for a while and then decant to another fermenter.

 

[johnno]

Hi all,
I'm getting to the stage of taking my kettle in to have a hole drilled for the tap.
Whats the best way of doing this? Like what shall I use to stop the leaking? SS washer and nut? I realise some brewers have welded theirs but I dont really want to go this way. I also have an aluminium kettle so i dont think its possible?
Suggestions and help required.

[post="50111"][/post]​

I suggest (assuming you aren't going all stainless):
- two fibre washers (bunnings)
- two hex/flange brass nuts (bunnings)
- two SS 21mm flat washers (cost less bolts ringwood).

Bring it to my joint and we can have it drilled in no time. I have a flaring tool, pipe bending spring and probably have the flare fittings to go with it.

cheers

[post="50244"][/post]​

Sounds like a plan Sosman. Thanks for the offer. I wil PM/email you.

cheers
johnno

 

[Backlane Brewery]

Johnno, I had a dry run at putting my manifold together last night (need a longer bulkhead fitting, bugger) but have a spare length of flared 1/2 copper pipe about 20-25cm long. If you want it for your pick up tube let me know & I can drop it over.