Spigot gets a bit too toasty

[beer_bear]

I just cut it off. There is no real reason that I can see to keep it. I just use gloves when I handle my valve (lol, lunch meet joke here too.) so I don't burn my hands. It's only really there for looks.

[Eagle Creek Brewer]

The inside of the ball valve also has a teflon seal in it, two actually. It will be to your benefit to fab a heat shield. Granted those teflon seals take a bunch of heat, but I have seen them deform enough to leak. The heat shield works bvecause it deflects heat and allows some dead space.
Take a hair dryer and hold it one inch from your hand, after your cuss and cool it off, do it again with a piece of foil in between, you will see what a little deflection and dead space can do for you.

Barry

[mfischer2]

So can I just loosely wrap a couple pieces of Aluminum foil around the thing? Let's be clear, I'm no craftsman here. I figure the air space will act as an insulator and also the extra surface area will dissipate heat.

[Fishemulsion]

That is exactly what I do and it works like a champ. I keep it real loose since air is my friend and make sure there is foil coverage between the bottom of the spigot and the heat.

[BrewTa2]

I can't afford those NASA Space Shuttle tiles..

They'll only fall off and make your kettle asplode. Is the valve attached to a coupling welded in the kettle by a close nipple? (Yeah, he said nipple) If so, get a 4" nipple (again) and the valve will be out of the way. Works for me.