Spigot Design for kettle/SS Braid size

[Pedro]

Any considerations or ideas for putting together a spigot for a kettle from hardware store parts? I've got parts for the mash tun spigot with the help of Palmer's design in How To Brew, but was wondering if there were special considerations for a similar design for a kettle, given how much hotter the wort is and how close the spigot would be to the flame.

And while I'm at it, thoughts on using a 1" diameter SS braid vs. a .5" SS braid in a 48qt mash tun cooler? Again How to Brew recommends a 1", but the 1/2" are much cheaper and much more readily available (although the 18"X1" SS braid that I picked up, but may return, seems as though it would fit the cooler perfectly, at least in length). Thanks and cheers!

Pedro

[buffburgo]

i'd like to know about the kettle spigot as well.

For the braided hose in the the mash tun...could you do a sorta bazooka screen thing and have a T with 2 lengths of 1/2"dia going into a 1" dia(or whatever size) pipe that goes through the wall of the cooler?

[Pedro]

For the mash tun I think it's easy enough to connect the braid to a nipple (either clamping it to a connected barb or using a compression fitting) which goes through the hole in the cooler which then leads into a ball valve/spigot. I guess my only question here is whether to use a 1" diameter braid or go the cheap route and use a 1/2" braid. A lot of the photos I've seen look like they used a 1/2" braid, although Palmer advises using a 1", albeit for a braided ring design for use in a round cooler.

[Crut]

I know where your coming from, trying to do the quick and easy route, but take it from me, i have tried it before. Just go to morebeer or northern brewery and get yourself a weldless bulkhead. Sooner or later you'll realize the hardware store rig works but isnt that great. Besides, you'll already be drilling a hole anyways, so why not just go with the bulkhead right off the bat. That way you dont have to mess with finding the right O ring sizes and worrying about o ring temps and seals. Its worth it trust me.

For my MT i just use a 1/2 " braid with a hose clamp connecting it to a 1/2" barb fitting, and for my Boil kettle I just whirlpool, let it sit, then drain, no need for a braid/bazooka/mesh.
-Crut

[Pedro]

Thanks Crut - I hear you. I guess just buying the bulkhead is not a bad option, and I can buy the ball-valve from the local plumbing supply shop/hardware store. I see that B3 sells replacement o-rings for their bulkheads for like 40 cents, and the bulkheads are reasonable too. Guess I wish I had thought of that before my last order (including an all-grain kit - great...). If I try to build it myself, which I may still do, looks like a high-temp silicone o-ring or two is what I need to look for.

[Chris_J]

I used the half inch nipple with SS braid on the inside and there's no way I'm sticking with it. Pellet hops clogged the bugger up to the point where I had to siphon out of the kettle. Time to redo the whole rig.

[Pedro]

Have to ask Chris - did you add hops to your mash tun or did you use a ss braid screen in your kettle? For the kettle I've heard great things about just getting a whirlpool going and then just either siphoning out the wort from the edge of the kettle or opening up some king of spigot. I'm tempted to try some king of diverter plate (since I don't have a pump so can't really whirlpool) by just taking a copper tube, cutting it down the middle about 3 inches and then across, and then placing the cut side against the bulkhead to help block out as much of the hop matter as possible. Obviously I'll throw this into the kettle 20 min from the end of the boil with the immersion chiller in there so everything is sanitized. Of course this all sounds good in theory, coming from partial-boil extract brewing and taking the kettle and dumping it through a funnel into the carboy, trying to keep as much crap out as possible. For what its worth the White's say that hop matter is great for yeast health, and so far I've made some pretty good extract beer using this method. Again curious how you were using the braid here - I've heard only good things about using it in a mash tun. I'll keep the forum posted on my cheap-ass diverter plate idea.

Still looking for ideas on a home-made, no-weld, kettle bulkhead. Anyone?

[Bugeater]

Still looking for ideas on a home-made, no-weld, kettle bulkhead. Anyone?

This should get you started. http://www.antiochsudsuckers.com/tom/DI ... ttings.htm

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company