Keg/Kettle Conversion
so a year or so ago i wound up getting a keg/kettle that already had the bulkhead welded in place and have been using that for awhile.
now i'm converting another keg i got (legally from a distributor) and decided to go the weldless route.
i'm running into an issue with tightening down the coupling/washer/o-ring on the inside of the keg. it doesn't seem to be making a tight seal due to the curvature of the keg wall, and i was wondering if anyone has had this problem and how they dealt with it?
i'm getting a slow leak when filled w water. i took it all apart and was planning on increasing the teflon wraps on the outside but not sure if that will fix the problem.
i got the weldless set up from bargain fittings, and it seems like quality material. all stainless and heavy duty. here is the page they have on how to install it:
http://www.greatbargain.net/order/howto1.html
but it doesn't say anything or take into account the curvature of the keg wall. i just dont see how a flat washer is going to press tightly up against it.
any advice appreciated!
I have one fairly thick O-ring between the keg wall and that first washer behind the coupling.
While the wall is curved, the O-ring conforms nicely to the wall and the flat washer.
I also have an O-ring on the outside of the keg too.
Don't be afraid to really tighten down on it.
Maybe try two O-rings.
Sorry, I tried to take a pic of mine, but my keggle is filled with water for friday's beer, and my crappy phone dosnt take good pictures!
There should be a rubber grommet though that goes between your flat washer and the kettle wall. When you sock up the backnut, this grommet compressesand acts as your seal. If you do not have one, I am sure a hardware store will sell something like that, a rubber or silicon washer with a 7/8" hole. I have 2 brew kettles, and they both have weldless fittings for the bulkhead and the thermo as well, never had a leak. Even though the backnut is tight, my bulkhead on the keggle can spin with a little force from the ball valve lever, and it still does not leak.
Make sure that grommet is on the inside not the outside!
thanks, i'll try a thicker o-ring on the inside or maybe double up. maybe a smaller washer too? the problem is that when pressed up against the wall, the gap it leaves is bigger than the oring.
the set up i have comes with a grooved locknut for the outside which accomodates one o-ring, and then just a flat washer and second o-ring for the inside.
the only other problem was getting a good grip on the coupling inside to really tighten it down, but the channel lock pliers i was using are doing an ok job. hopefully won't scratch up the coupling too bad, would of been nice if the coupling had a section grooved for a wrench...
could you hammer that part of the keg flat?
could you hammer that part of the keg flat?
hmm interesting idea. there are a couple places that are a little dented and i seem to remember the wall curve being slightly less in those areas. i guess it could be possible to get it a little flatter, if not completely flat. i'll take a closer look at it tonight. maybe a couple whacks with the old rubber mallet would flatten things out a little.
also, question on the o rings, the weldless set i got originally came with silicone o rings, but local hardware store only carries plain black rubber (some type of butyl rubber i think it said?). It said these can withstand temps up to 250 F, but still nervous about having that in the wort.
anyone know anything about rubber properties in boiling wort? i'm assuming 215-220 F max temps? i'm guessing they would break down faster over time, but would they release off flavors or toxins into the wort?
anyone know where to order thick silicone o rings?
Ahhh, good ol mcmaster carr...they have it all
http://www.mcmaster.com/#silicone-o-rings/=5gla6w
Hey osky-
I've got a 16gal keg that I'm going to convert to a keggle this spring, and an 8gal for a HLT.
I'm just too cheap to pop for the "Weld-B-Gone" stuff in the catalogs.
Can you post pics of your set up, when it works, and we all know it will at some point.
I've got a couple stainless ball valves & would like to use.
Thanks
sippi wrote:
could you hammer that part of the keg flat?
I think I'd rather try and hammer out a washer to match the kegs bend first.
Main point being that washers are cheap, kegs are not. If you try and pound the leg wall flat, I'd be surprised if you get it "right" and you'd never get it back.
Also seeing how most of us have made it work, I'd rather try the washer bend than the keg.
I think osky is on the right track though with different O-rings.
Take a good picture for us Osky if its still not working for you.
i'll fiddle with it some more and get some pics up tonight or tomorrow.
i may start off with the regular rubber o-ring and order the silicone ones from mcmaster-carr, then switch them out once they get here.
brewski, i got my weldless stuff from bargainfittings.com. it was cheaper than weld-b-gone when i checked.
i also got the straight copper pick-up tube that i could bend to suit however i decide to use it. thinking about fabricating a knock off hop-stopper.
i will say that the one somewhat expensive item i sprang for was a step drill bit, and the thing is great. i saw somewhere that harbor freight has a pretty good price on them too. wish i had found that earlier, i paid about $30 for mine...