Diy Sight Guage?

[manticle]

I'm very slowly putting together the equpment for a three vessel, weldless stand held gravity fed system. I have a keggle which is functional - could do with a hop screen and pick up but that should be easy enough. I have a 38 L ally pot which I've fitted with a weldless ball valve and thread. This will become my HLT. Also need to build an immersion chiller.

HLT needs a dial thermometer fitted (could take the one from my MT as it's pretty useless at guaging mash temp) and I'd like to fit it with a sight guage. However sight guages and fittings are not cheap (80 odd dollars from GG plus a 59 dollar fitting plus washers etc). Has anyone successfully made one and how?

I did find this link which looks great: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-sight-gauge-110185/

Any other tips? I'd probably looking at a plumbing supply place for the parts as they seem to be the cheapest option.

Cheers

 

[Leigh]

That one looks very fancy.

My HLT uses T-piece before the tap with a hose barb and clear hosing. No need for a return back into the HLT. Due to the pressure drop when the tap is on, the sight gauge is useless at that time, so will be getting a tee-piece and having the sight gauge separate like in the link.

 

[Ecosse]

Depending on your pot thickness you might want to have a look at the Crown Urn sight gauge that Craftbrewer sell. I bought one for my 4mm thick ally pot which I've yet to fit. It looks a tight fit at 4mm but I reckon it'll work (and its only twenty bucks )

It doesn't look anywhere near as rugged as the Grain and Grape gauge though (which looks the same as the MoreBeer model ).

No retailer affiliations.

Cheers,
Eccose.

 

[gregs]

I'm very slowly putting together the equpment for a three vessel, weldless stand held gravity fed system. I have a keggle which is functional - could do with a hop screen and pick up but that should be easy enough. I have a 38 L ally pot which I've fitted with a weldless ball valve and thread. This will become my HLT. Also need to build an immersion chiller.

HLT needs a dial thermometer fitted (could take the one from my MT as it's pretty useless at guaging mash temp) and I'd like to fit it with a sight guage. However sight guages and fittings are not cheap (80 odd dollars from GG plus a 59 dollar fitting plus washers etc). Has anyone successfully made one and how?

I did find this link which looks great: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-sight-gauge-110185/

Any other tips? I'd probably looking at a plumbing supply place for the parts as they seem to be the cheapest option.

Cheers

Plastic Signe makers often have a stock of clear polycarbonate tube in various sizes. If you were to use inch 13mm OD it will fit a standard inch elbow plumbing compression fitting. You can get these from any plumbers supply store, the ones you need have the compression fitting at one end and a thread at the other end. I have this on my system.



Cheers.

 

[alowen474]

To get me out of trouble I drilled a 6mm hole in the tank and stuck the 6mm pvc tubing in so it was tight and siliconed it in.(food grade of course)
Was meant to be a temp job but has been there 3 years now. no leaks.

 

[manticle]

Depending on your pot thickness you might want to have a look at the Crown Urn sight gauge that Craftbrewer sell. I bought one for my 4mm thick ally pot which I've yet to fit. It looks a tight fit at 4mm but I reckon it'll work (and its only twenty bucks )

It doesn't look anywhere near as rugged as the Grain and Grape gauge though (which looks the same as the MoreBeer model ).

No retailer affiliations.

Cheers,
Eccose.

Pot is pretty thin and that item looks ok and much cheaper than GG.

There is a certain satisfaction in constructing things myself though, especially as I'm mildly spaz when it comes to things like that.

@Gregs - cheers. I'll check out a signage place and see what I can come up with.

 

[sama]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...54&hl=sight


http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...30&hl=sight


http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...ghlite=%2Bsight

 

[manticle]

Thanks Sama. I did google search 'DIY sight guag'e but nothing came up on this forum (bit of a surprise).

Those links are exactly what I'm looking for though and apologies for new thread on old news.

That first step by step is exactly what I was looking for too. Cheers.

 

[Fourstar]

unless you really want a sight gauge, why dont you get yourself a length of dowel or metal and make notches @ every 5L interval etc and dip that into your hlt to get the measurement?

Ive simply scracthed in marks on my ali pot where every 5L increment is and guesstimate the rest.

 

[manticle]

I have a homemade steel dip tube for my kettle but because the system will be gravity fed and housed on a brewstand at the highest level, I'm trying to make it easier to work out how much strike water I'm dumping into the tun.

..................Also it will look pretty.

 

[stew.w]

ive just got an offcut of the sight glass we used on a rainwater tank.
to connect it i used a 1/2" 90 deg elbow, 2 1/2" nipples and a 1/2" kinko nut and nylon olive.
make sure when you do up the kinko nut you dont over-tighten it as you will smash your sight glass.
i also used a heap of teflon tape on top of the olive so i didnt have to tighten it so much.

cheers,

stewart

 

[stew.w]

cant really tell fron the photo, but this link:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-sight-gauge-110185/
look like it would be a real pain in the arse to clean.
i find i need to put a small bottle brush down mine to clean it after a boil to get the hop material out of it

 

[komodo]

I think he wants it for his HLT not his kettle