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dip tube construction
Hello folks,
Is there anyone with simple instructions on how to make and attach a copper dip tube for a keggle? I plan to point it down to the center of the keg and use a bazooka screen to filter.
Thanks!
What are you filtering? If it is pellet hop or break the bazooka is useless. I highly recommend googling the HOPSTOPPER or constructing your own like 1n1m3g did. Try a search on this forum for his plans. They work sweet!
Plus if you want a good pickup in the center of the dimple of the keg, a bazooka will not be convenient.
Besides that advice, you will need a flare compression fitting to go on the connecting end of your pickup tube, and a connecting nut behind that to securely attach to your bulkhead fitting. It is EXTREMELY important to set the compression fitting good and tight so you do not lose siphon when the liquid drops below the bulkhead height. If it is good and tight you can suck the bottom dry.
I need one for my HLT (converted keg) and boil kettle (keg, also). I built a hop filter for the boil kettle to eliminate some of the potential clogs. With that said, do you still think the bazooka won't be effective? Is it just a matter of positioning it or does it not filter well?
Will I need to solder anything?
So if you already have a filter in your kettle, then you are just looking to add the bazooka to the HLT pickup? I am assuming there is just water flowing through there so you would need nothing more than a pickup tube. HOw do you feel about the effectivness of what you have in the kettle?
There should be no need to solder anything if you use a connective nut. What type of connection do you have on the inside of the bulkhead going into both of your BK and HLT? I would recommend making this a screw on pickup tube for ease of cleaning/sanitation.
Sorry, I could have painted a better picture of my setup. I have three converted kegs (HLT, Mash, Boil) and am using gravity.
I know I don't need a filter for the HLT and my mash has the standard false bottom/siphon tube...I am mainly concerned about my boil kettle which, at this point has nothing but a bulkhead valve. I plan to make two siphon tubes, however...one for the HLT and boil. The bazooka screen is only for the boil kettle.
I appreciate your advice. I think I have enough info to pull it off now. However, if the bazooka screen doesn't work out, I'll definitely try and make my own hoppstopper!
By the way, I've yet to use my homeade system. In fact, I've yet to fully move to AG! If anyone is interested, I can post some pics.
shalinsky wrote:
By the way, I've yet to use my homeade system. In fact, I've yet to fully move to AG! If anyone is interested, I can post some pics.
Dude you are running 3 keggles all by gravity? That is very ambitious, and could also be dangerously heavy. I would LOVE to see some pics! Also would love to see your burner setup. to maximize efficiency on your MT, you will probably be mashing anywhere from 15-30#s of grain, which will require 5-10 gallons of water for infusion. Depending on your transfer methods, you will probably want to do several trial runs, (almost said dry runs- that would have been oxymoronic!) to see what process gets your strike temp perfect. I say this because my system requires me to heat my strike 30 degrees higher than my target, 14 degree loss due to grain, but 16 degree loss due to my transfer pumping. Very curious- post em up!
Cool! I'll get some pics posted later this week as I do my test runs.
Another question on the dip tube, however. I used a simple 1/2 MPT with a 1/2" copper tube, a 90 deg. elbow and a small straight piece that runs perfectly to the center of the keg. Before I sweated the copper together, I simply put it all together by hand and did a test run and it was perfect! Then, I sweated the copper....wow do I really suck at it...so much so that I've ruined the two dip tubes I made...lesson learned! My question is this:
If the dip tube(s) worked out fine without sweating all the pieces together, then why bother sweating them together? I've asked a couple plumbing novices and they both said, "don't sweat it (no pun) if it works. You'll need to take it apart and clean it anyway".
What do you think?
I used to run a pick up tube set-up with copper that I hadn't soldered together. It worked great with water, OK with wort and low hops. But it wasn't great. When the copper is hot from the wort they tend to expand slightly, things get loose and when the cool down the fittings aren't as tight as they were when you put them in.
I found that sometimes it worked OK. But other times I'd lose siphon once the wort dropped below the level of the first gap in a fitting. Slowly at first, but eventually it just pulled too much air.
I just takes a little practice. I am no expert at it myself. I just worked on a couple spare fitting first 'till I had it right.
It doesn't have to look great, just be sealed.
shalinsky wrote:
with a 1/2" copper tube,
I am also curious about this as well. I believe mine is 3/8", and I am just wondering if 1/2" will allow too little restriction? Cant recall my physics here, but that sounds awfully large.
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