Adding Ball Valve to kettle

[cetialphav]

Hey guys,
I want to add a ball valve to my Al kettle. What I was planning on doing was going to the Home Depot buying a ball valve, coupler and whatever else I would need. Then drilling a hole in my kettle and put it all together.

However, I'm not sure how I should go about sealing up that hole so it does not leak. I would appreciate everyone's thoughts on that.

Also if y'all think I'm on crack and taking the wrong approach ... please tell me that too.

Thanks
Ceti

[bub]

not to totally pimp B3 but check out their website they have weldless fittings with heat "proof" o rings and whatnot, for about the same as you can pick it up at home depot. Also a company called zymico i think.
BUB

[yinzer]

I'd go with the weldless fitting too. Are you on a stove? Lets see. Scalding hot liquid slightly above the waistline. Lets move the bod in a foot from the stove. Sudden stream of molten lava headed towards the privates. OMG!!!!

One thing about ball fittings, they harbor some crap. Sometimes to need to shoot water into the kettle. I hook up a line and apply pressure, open and close until lil back specs of crap stop.

[BentwoodBlue]

I boil my ball valves the night before I brew.

[Lenstur]

So does that mean that everytime you have to remove the valve and clean it? If so, wont it wear out the seal and start to leak overtime?

[Homegrown Hops]

I have found the best way of cleaning the ball valve is right after kettle use. Get the wort out of there, rinse and sanitize. Then all you need to do is spot sanitize before use.

HH

[zymurgest]

I also use bulkhead fittings on my brew kegs. They work well, and don't leak at all. I don't use o-rings either, just a big honking washer on the inside with the union screwing into the ball valve and the washer between the inside wall and the union. Don't use a washer on the outside as the ball valve seats nice enough to not require one. Also, I only tear down and clean semiannually, sufficing a CIP clean with PBW after each brew. As for sanitization, well, boiling over a 170KBTU burner for 90-120 minutes pretty well kills anything harmful to beer, but YMMV. TTYAL, and ILBCNU!

Prost!

Michel