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Stainless Steel Fitting won't stop leaking
I am currently working on purchasing and assembling all the necessary equipment to start all grain brewing. Over the past couple of days I have been fighting with a site gauge that no matter what I do I cannot get the fittings to stop leaking.
My plan is to modify a keg to be used as a brew kettle. I have cut the top off and attached a ball valve that does not leak at all.
The site gauge continues to leak between the keg wall and the nut on the outside as well as the elbow that the site gauge attaches to. I have taped and re-taped all threads with teflon tape multiple times. I have read multiple reports that any kind of pipe dope is not recommended (even products rated food safe) because of the off flavors that it can cause.
Does anyone have a recommendation on what I can do? It's difficult enough for someone starting out to get the brewing process right much less fighting with the equipment before even getting there.
switch it to tri clamp fittings
can you post a picture of what you are working with? Or a link to the vendor's web page?
For a threaded fitting that leaks, you could try more wraps of teflon tape to build up a thicker layer. There is also a thicker version of teflon tape made for use on gas lines that you may be able to find in your local plumbing supply house.
For the leak at the wall of the keg, I guess I would need to see how it goes together.
for the leak on the wall of the kettle, do you have a silicone gasket there? if not, try getting one. if you have one already, maybe find a thicker one.
The first URL is a pic of the outside.
The assembly is Outside Keg Wall -> 1/2 Silicone o-ring -> SS Nut -> SS elbow
All threads have teflon tape.
Water is leaking on both sides of the nut.
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2u7lg9c&s=7
The next URL is of a pic of the inside assembly
Bulk head -> SS Fender Washer 1/2 Silicone o-ring -> Inside Keg Wall
All threads have teflon tape.
http://tinypic.com/r/20r66nc/7
Thanks again for everyone's help. I am very eager to get this fixed and move on with learning how to all grain brew.
Just to confirm, you have a leak at the top of the elbow where the sight glass is threaded in? Be sure it isn't running down from above there somewhere. Can you tighten the thread any further? If not, take it apart, clean off the teflon tape. Then retape this way, hold the fitting with the threaded end facing you, wrap tape clockwise 5 or 6 turns around the fitting leaving the first thread bare. The clockwise rotation (when it is facing you) will keep the tape from unwrapping as the fitting is turned in. The bare first thread keeps exposed bits of tape from falling off inside.
On the fitting through the keg, I have a Weld-B-Gone brand fitting on one of my kettles. The instructions for it call for the o-ring to be on the outside of the kettle behind the lock nut, it has a groove in the back of the locknut to locate the o-ring. Yours may be different.
Here is what the Weld-B-Gone instructions said:
Place the nipple through the hole from the inside, threads will be sticking out.
Place the o-ring on the nipple and push it against the keg.
Put the locknut on, with the machined groove towards the o-ring and tighten until it just touches the o-ring.
IMPORTANT - DO NOT TIGHTEN THE LOCKNUT FROM THE OUTSIDE!!!
HAND TIGHTEN FROM THE INSIDE, THEN USE PLIERS TO TIGHTEN THE REST OF THE WAY FROM THE INSIDE.
Initial tightening with the locknut from the outside will damage the o-ring.
After you have it snug, you can bottom out the locknut from the outside.
I hope this helps.
It is not leaking from the top of the elbow. Only to the left and right of the nut.
I purchased mine from midwest brewing and it came with no instructions. I called them about the issue and the guy that I spoke with on the phone told me the o-ring was on the inside of their floor model. At this point in time I guess it wouldn't hurt to assemble it the way your instructions call for to see how that goes.
thanks
Mark
When trying to put flat fittings together on a rounded wall like the keg, it is easy to over tighten. This over tighening forces the O-Ring to conform more to the flat surface of the washer and the nuts, and not to conform to the slight curve of the keg wall. In frustration over leaking tightening and then tightening again is a common thing to do. So it might be worth starting over with a fresh set of O-rings and then tighten it as much as you can by hand only and see if it holds water.
Then go in there with the pliers and tighten it a little at a time. Keep the keg filled with water and see if you can slowly tighten it until it stops leaking.
I'd also put a washer on the outside between the O-ring and the nut.
I hope that works. Good luck.
OK, only on both sides of the locknut.
The elbow side of the locknut could be from not having enough of the nipple sticking out of the locknut or not enough teflon tape. You may be able to tighten the locknut more. Or you may be able to get a little more thread to the outside by assembling it all in a different order. You should have a female to female coupling with a close nipple threaded in as the parts on the inside of the kettle. If you can get that close nipple out of the coupling without damage try this:
1. Thread the locknut all the way down to the mid point of the close nipple.
2. Insert the nipple into the drilled hole from the outside
3. Slide the o-ring onto the nipple from the inside
4. Slide on the flat washer
5. Thread on the coupling and tighten to compress the o-ring
6. Teflon tape the exposed nipple and thread on the elbow
It may also help to bend a bit of curve into the flat washer so that it compresses the o-ring evenly to the curve of the kettle wall.
These inexpensive weldless fittings are a bit of a compromise as they are made from a pile of standard parts. A close nipple doesn't give any extra length to play with when trying to lock it all down on the kettle wall while a longer nipple wouldn't lock tight. Also the o-ring has to be compressed such that it both seals against the kettle wall and squeezes around the threaded nipple - it would be better if it was around a smooth surface rather than cut threads. A custom machined fitting could be made to do a better job but it would be expensive and for best fit it would have to be curved to match the specific radius of the kettle.
mdkeller25 wrote:
It is not leaking from the top of the elbow. Only to the left and right of the nut.
Mark
Sounds exactly like what I was describing. You are having trouble getting it to conform appropriately to the curve of the vessel. If you still can't get it with tighening it less, then you may want to take a washer and form it to the curve of the vessel by laying in on the exterior and gently tapping it with a hammer to bend it some.
I finally got everything worked out. I used a little of everyone's suggestions. I was tightening the o-rings down to far, got a new set of the silicone o-rings, used more teflon tape, and I also decided to get rid of the nut and have the SS elbow but up against the outside of the keg to allow additional threads for the elbow to screw onto.
I had it filled with 10 gallons of water for an hour and it didn't leak. Thanks again everyone.
I only have 1 more question, that I'm not sure if I want to know the answer to. How often should this be torn down and cleaned disassembled?
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