Outlet Valve In Keggle

[1974Alby]

G'day all,

I am looking at making the jump from a stovetop 19L BIAB set-up to a 50L keg and burner. Ive noticed most 'keggles' have valve outlets at their base and maybe a bent pick up inside the keg... my question is where do I source one of these (I have access to a keg, just not the valve and other required fittings)...and how do I install it?

Hope someone can point me in a cost-effective direction!

 

[Fat Bastard]

G'day all,

I am looking at making the jump from a stovetop 19L BIAB set-up to a 50L keg and burner. Ive noticed most 'keggles' have valve outlets at their base and maybe a bent pick up inside the keg... my question is where do I source one of these (I have access to a keg, just not the valve and other required fittings)...and how do I install it?

Hope someone can point me in a cost-effective direction!

Craftbrewer have them http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=1166

You'll need to buy a threaded pipe and some backnuts and seals too. They're cheaper here than I can get them from my industrial supplier! You need to bore a hole and pass the pipe through and sandwich the keg between the nuts and seals. I'll be doing mine in the next week or so, so I might take some pictures.

Don't know about location, I'm only just heading in this direction myself, but I'll be watching this thread for any pointers!

 

[kelbygreen]

go down your local plumbing store you should get them for around that and without postage but plumbing stores wont stock 1/2" SS BSP threaded rod and 1/2" BSP lock nuts. I got onto a place called geordi (found the name in old threads) he is a little cheaper but I had to order a burner and the cost of frieght was the same to throw more stuff in so it worked out cheaper to do it that way. But if you wanted a bit of gear and wasnt ordering from a supplier already then they would be the way I would go. As I said its only few $ here or there so if it can be tagged onto a order you have then its not worth paying the postage twice lol

 

[Tim F]

I'm sure the CB ones are very blingy but I just use a ball valve from bunnings, around $8-10. I fit it like this:

1. Drill hole in pot (hardest bit)
2. Put a threaded nipple or pipe through the hole with a silicon washer against the inside and outside of the pot, then a metal washer outside each of the silicon washers, then a nut to hold the whole lot together or 2 nuts if you used pipe instead of a nipple. Tighten like buggery.
3. plumbers tape on the thread, then screw on the valve.
4. add a hose barb fitting to the ball valve

I put a pic here of the last one I made. You can cut the silicon washer out of a cheap baking tray and the other bits are all at any decent hardware store for under $20 total.

 

[kelbygreen]

well I got a SS 1/2" x 2" threaded nipple welded in, a SS 3 piece ball valve and a SS pickup tube for $35 best deal I got in a long time I would of spent that on all brass fittings and didnt have to do the work myself, well I also got a legal keg for that price to I did have to empty the stale beer out and cut it up myself but $35 for a keggle or HLT as it will be is a bloody great deal wont see that again!

 

[Wolfy]

Hope someone can point me in a cost-effective direction!

Cost effective (meaning cheap) is to go down to your local Bunnings and buy the brass fittings they stock in the plumbing department, they'll have ball valves, nipples and nuts, all you need are some washers and you are away.

However, the better solution (which will cost a little more) is to go all stainless (easier to wash/better/no worries with rust, oxidation etc), there are probably hose/tank/fitting suppliers in Geelong that have all you need, however I don't know who they are. Both CraftBrewer and Grain&Grape should stock most of the fittings, or if you have a few to buy try Geordi Stainless (they're just not that close to you).

 

[Amber Fluid]

I have only just put a ball valve on my Crown Urn but it shouldn't be any different.

The items were sourced from Craftbrewer and are:

1 x 1/2" Ball Valve (you can get a cheaper one if need be)
1 x 1/2" x 1.5" SS nipple Thread (you may need a longer one depending on your keggle)
2 x 1/2" Lock Nuts
1 x Silicone O-Ring (only need one for the inside but I got 1 for the outside as well)
2 x SS Washers
1 x 1/2" SS Barb (to connect hose to)

Pink thread tape (plumbers teflon tape). Pink is suitable for high temps.

 

[hsb]

Cost effective (meaning cheap) is to go down to your local Bunnings and buy the brass fittings they stock in the plumbing department, they'll have ball valves, nipples and nuts, all you need are some washers and you are away.

However, the better solution (which will cost a little more) is to go all stainless (easier to wash/better/no worries with rust, oxidation etc), there are probably hose/tank/fitting suppliers in Geelong that have all you need, however I don't know who they are. Both CraftBrewer and Grain&Grape should stock most of the fittings, or if you have a few to buy try Geordi Stainless (they're just not that close to you).

If you go brass, don't forget to pickle it before using it due to lead content,
http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixB.html - see 'Cleaning Brass'.

re: Bunnings. A potential waste of time imho as the plumbing fittings are a morass of missing stock, jumbled up parts and you'll never walk out with everything you need, thus wasting time money and energy that could have been better directed to just doing it properly in the first place. I hate Bunnings (can you tell?)

Massive +1 on getting pink plumbers tape as well, the difference is vast between the crappy white stuff carried everywhere and the much better/thicker pink stuff.

 

[1974Alby]

thanks for all the replies, starting to get a good picture of what to do now....any tips on drilling the hole? I imagine it wouldnt be too easy to drill through a stainless curved keg?

 

[hsb]

A step bit run slowly and well lubricated is what you want.

One of these (on left)

 

[Malted]

thanks for all the replies, starting to get a good picture of what to do now....any tips on drilling the hole? I imagine it wouldnt be too easy to drill through a stainless curved keg?

Not very difficult really.

Slow speed, firm pressure with a cutting lubricant.
(1) pilot hole
(2) use a holesaw (or a lot use a stepped drill bit)
(3) round file/sandpaper to clean up the burs

 

[Wolfy]

thanks for all the replies, starting to get a good picture of what to do now....any tips on drilling the hole? I imagine it wouldnt be too easy to drill through a stainless curved keg?

A step bit works fine, use low speed, high pressure, and something like WD40 to help keep it cool and lubricated.
There are a number of videos on youtube you can watch people doing it.

 

[1974Alby]

what do people use for a pick-up tube to suck up the wort from near the bottom of the curved keg base? I have seen pics of these bent down and back at 45 degrees, which I guess avoids the need to tilt the keg when transferring the wort?...are they a comercially available item thatn simply screws into the threaded pipe inside the keg or do I need to get one specieally made up and welded in?

cheers

Al

 

[hsb]

What you are describing = see the bottom of this page:
http://beerbelly.com.au/fittings.html

 

[1974Alby]

that's the thing!!!

thanks.

 

[hsb]

No problem. If you are using it in a kettle, you'd need something to screen hops/trub from getting sucked up too.
There are lots of ways to do that - just put the hops in a bag in the boil, a 'bazooka' tube, a hop screen, a stainless scrubbie jammed on the end of the pickup...

You can also fashion your own pickup from copper tubing, even seal it up and drill little holes to act as a filter.

Lots of options! FWIW I have a Beerbelly pickup in my kettle but there's no reason you have to splash out on the top end item at the outset, it might be overkill for your needs

http://beerbelly.com.au/mashequip.html

Other sponsors above ^^^ may have similar options, or search for 'pickup' 'hopscreen' etc. to see the homemade options...

 

[stillscottish]

I'm about to convert a keg into a keggle (legally aquired, it was in a skip on a demolition site )

I'll be welding in a fitting for the valve etc and have noticed that some people use female threaded pipe and some weld in a threaded nipple. Is there any advantage in going a particular way?
As I see it, if you use female pipe you're going to have to use extra fittings (threaded pipe) to attach outlet valve and pickup tube but if you use a nipple you can attach straight to it.

Cheers

Campbell