Boil kettle from beer keg.

[Pom]

I have a 55l beer keg my local publican gave me and I was thinking of turning it into a large boil kettle. Has anyone done this before and do they have any tips. I wondering the best way to deal with the top and im thinking a tap in the bottom would be handy. Is it a big no no to get it welded in?
Cheers rob

[bigpots]

gday

just cut the top out of mine the other day using a 4 inch grinder.
Have not done the tap yet but thinking bout using copper washers insted of welding it in
see photo if i can work it out.[img]kettle[/img]

edit sorry not sure how to insert pic

[Tipsy]

This guy did it a bit different to most

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szfW_rhz0iQ

[Trough Lolly]

I have a 55l beer keg my local publican gave me and I was thinking of turning it into a large boil kettle. Has anyone done this before and do they have any tips. I wondering the best way to deal with the top and im thinking a tap in the bottom would be handy. Is it a big no no to get it welded in?
Cheers rob

G'day Pom,
I've converted some kegs (my sig block below refers) and it's easy to do. Some time with a grinder and some sandpaper and you'll have the top done - a 20mm hole saw and you can install the weldless ball valve kit from any half decent HBS without a problem. If you have a mate who's a handy TIG welder, you could weld a nipple on permanently which is fine, just make sure that it's a very clean weld inside the keggle as any flaws are perfect hiding places for bacteria - even in a kettle. If you don't weld, and many never do, just make sure that you bore the hole between and not directly above one of the oval shaped vent holes in the bottom rim flange - or you'll cook the silicon washers in minutes with the heat coming out from below...er, assuming you're cooking with gas and not fitting your own electric elements etc.

Handy conversion link here...

Cheers,
TL

[Pom]

Cheers guys thats everything I needed and more will start work on it when I get some uninterupted time.
Thanks again rob

[billybushcook]

Stainless can be welded quite easily with an ordanary ols stick welder too if you have the right electrodes, in fact that is how I did mine & I have a TIG as well but the stick is better for this purpose.

P.s. can be MIG welded too, with the right wire!!

Cheers, Mick.

[bigpots]

In that case I might weld mine . Thought i would have to take it somewhere to be welded .
The new kettle will be doubling as a crayfish cooker (on the few times i get to go craying) so i can screw the tap out and put a bung in.


On the subject of kettles, is the nassa burner sutable to sit under this type without making a frame ?

thanks mick

[billybushcook]

Big pots,
Get yourself some nice little 2mm (2.5 is too big) 316gr S/S electrodes & keep your amps around 70 or below (depending on your machine)
Beware, the keg is thin so aim most of the heat into the thicker socket you are welding on!!
Be maticulas with your prep too, no gaps!!!!!

This is/was my camp shower, now to become my kettle & chiller. Shortly after this photo was taken, the top was cut off the keg, the coils inserted & the top re-welded. I am now in the process of making the coils removable so I can clean them when it takes on it's double personality as a kettle/chiller plus still being able to use it as the camp shower water heater.



Note the Coopers Lager tins laying around!!

For the shower, I fill the keg with water, heat it, then pump water through the coils (16m of 3/4") to heat the flowing water, it has one 3/4" inlet, tee'd off to a cold outlet (1/2") & at the other end of the coils is another 1/2" outlet for the hot water, now adjust the balance between the two like you do at home & you have a thumping hot shower in the middle of nowhere!!!





Cheers, Mick.

[bigpots]

wow, that beats washing in the cold river and having your balls shrivel into your chest cavity.

[Trough Lolly]

Love your work, Mick - being able to weld fittings is an absolute bonus for a brewer...

Cheers,
TL

[billybushcook]

I have done a few more mods to the Keg now that I'm using it as a kettle/chiller while still being able to use it as a kettle/water heater for camp showers.
The top (with chiller attached) is now removable for cleaning, made from Aluminium, with a hatch for checking temps (strike & sparge water) & doing Hop additions, I also added a "stem" onto the inside of the outlet to pick up from as close to the bottom as I want.





& I cut some bigger vent holes to get the burner going a bit harder.



only needs a good qual, ball valve on it now & it will be the ultimate dual purpose kit.

Cheers, Mick.

[Clean Brewer]

In that case I might weld mine . Thought i would have to take it somewhere to be welded .
The new kettle will be doubling as a crayfish cooker (on the few times i get to go craying) so i can screw the tap out and put a bung in.


On the subject of kettles, is the nassa burner sutable to sit under this type without making a frame ?

thanks mick

Mick,
I would seriously just use it as a brew kettle and use something else as a cray cooker, I wouldnt mix the 2 honestly......

The Nasa should be fine...

CB

[Pom]

Have cut my keg top out and bought a glass lid that fits the top perfect, now just have to decide if I should buy a none weld tap from G&G or to go the the reece and get the stuff I need and have my mate weld one on.
Any views? To weld or not?

[Trough Lolly]

If you can make a perfect, flaw free weld seam on the inside then go for it - but remember, any gap in the weld will be a perfect harbour for bacteria and you'll risk a lot of failed brews accordingly - especially if you plan on boiling crays in her - which I wouldn't recommend anyway...

Weldless fittings are a piece of pi$$ to install and you can easily get a good seal with silicon O rings - so you have an easy fallback option if you're in doubt with the welding job - it's up to you...I use and can recommend the G&G weldless fittings.

Either way, make sure there's some threaded nipple on the inside of the kettle so you can install a pickup tube or bazooka depending on how you want to collect the wort after the boil.

Cheers,
TL

[Pom]

Cheers Tl
I have no intentions of boiling crays in my boil kettle once it is done.
I think I will go the G&G weldless then I can still take it apart and clean it if needed. You will have to enlighten me on the

pickup tube or bazooka

I thought I just needed to put the ball valve in tan then maybe a 90 degree threaded nipple on the outside of the kettle. If I get the hole for the valve nice and low won't it drain ok anyway?
Hope to hear back
Cheers Rob

[Trough Lolly]

No worries Rob,
You should think about some sort of pickup tube that collects as much of the boiled wort as possible. There's no point leaving litres of boiled wort in the kettle afterwards. Two common devices are a 90 degree elbow tube, angled downwards that allows the syphon of wort down to just above the trub and spent hops that sit in a pile in the centre of the kettle (assuming you gently whirlpool /stir the wort after flameout - the centrifuge effect pulls all the solids into the centre of the kettle so you can draw off the wort from the edge of the kettle). You can also use a mesh screen on the intake that keeps most of the crap from entering the line and the fermenter. Some brewers attach a scourer pad to the pickup tube but I've heard of very mixed results - a bazooka "straight" or "T" screen is easily fabricated and seems to work pretty well if you whirlpool the trub and spent hops into a cone shape in the bottom of the kettle. Here's some pics...

Pickup tube:


...and a typical bazooka T screen:


Cheers,
TL

[Pom]

Thanks TL
Once I get the S/S ballvalve in I will probably make up up the easier of the two and maybe down the track look at making a T bazoka. Is that just normal copper solder on the copper elbow?
Im just about to order the S/S B/V from G&G, will take the keg to work and drill the hole on the big pedistal drill in the workshop, can get plenty of pressure and slow the drill down with it.
Thanks again for taking the time to put the pictures on that make it much easier to understand when you can see what you are talking about.
Cheers Rob

[Pom]

Jueen down to see my mate at the local Reece plumbing and to a picture of the G&G weldless B/V, picked up the B/V and m/m fitting for $35. Have a silcon washer and 90 bend and barb on order for less than $15. Bit cheaper than G&G and no postage. Once I put these in will start on the pick up bar. TL did you make the Bazoka bar or buy it? If you made it where did you get the S/S mesh from and how did you make the tube shape out of it?
Cheers Rob

[Trough Lolly]

Thanks TL
Once I get the S/S ballvalve in I will probably make up up the easier of the two and maybe down the track look at making a T bazoka. Is that just normal copper solder on the copper elbow?
Im just about to order the S/S B/V from G&G, will take the keg to work and drill the hole on the big pedistal drill in the workshop, can get plenty of pressure and slow the drill down with it.
Thanks again for taking the time to put the pictures on that make it much easier to understand when you can see what you are talking about.
Cheers Rob

To quote John Palmer:

Soldering, Brazing, and Welding Tips
Soldering with a propane torch is the easiest way to join copper and brass. You can even use solder to join copper or brass to stainless steel, you just need the proper flux. But there are a couple tips to keep in mind to make it work right the first time:

Use a liquid flux instead of a paste flux. The paste flux tends to leave tacky residue that is difficult to clean off. If you must use a paste flux, use it sparingly.
Use plumbing (silver) solder only. Do not use electrical or jeweler's solder because these often contain lead or cadmium. These are toxic metals.
Apply solder separately to each of your parts before joining them. This practice is known as "tinning" and makes joining the parts easier. Heat the parts, not the solder. Play the flame all around the joint to get it good and hot before you apply the solder. This allows the solder to flow evenly over the joint.

Brazing is like soldering but it is done at higher temperatures and is applicable to more metals. It can readily join stainless steel to itself, and is an alternative to welding. The recommended filler rod for brewing service is AWS type BAg-5, and its temperature range 1370-1550°F (743-843°C). While brazing can provide a stronger joint, the high brazing temperatures can be bad for stainless steel. At those temperatures, carbon in the stainless steel can form chromium carbides which takes the chromium out of solution, making the steel non-stainless near the joint. This area is prone to rust and cracking after it is in service. The problem cannot be fixed by re-passivation so it is best to avoid excessively heating the parts during the braze and keep the total time at temperature to four minutes or less. Propane torches are usually not adequate for brazing. You will need to use MAPP gas or acetylene. Welding is the best methods for joining stainless steel, but it takes skill to make a good joint.

When you cut the hole in the keg, make sure you use some cutting compound / oil on the steel so you don't inadvertantly overheat and temper the steel which will make the job a hell of a lot harder - keep pressure and avoid high RPM on the drill. I've done my kegs in the sig block below with a Metabo 14v cordless and a Morse holesaw - with cutting compound it was done in no time at all and I kept the revs very low and steady - you want to cut the steel, not cook it.

Cheers,
TL

[Trough Lolly]

Jueen down to see my mate at the local Reece plumbing and to a picture of the G&G weldless B/V, picked up the B/V and m/m fitting for $35. Have a silcon washer and 90 bend and barb on order for less than $15. Bit cheaper than G&G and no postage. Once I put these in will start on the pick up bar. TL did you make the Bazoka bar or buy it? If you made it where did you get the S/S mesh from and how did you make the tube shape out of it?
Cheers Rob

Zymico sell all sorts of parts, including bazookas:


You should be able to make one yourself if you can get the T section a couple of stainless hose clamps and a couple of foot of fine stainless mesh. The ends can simply be crimped together to close them off - they are only screening out the hops and trub so you don't have to worry about getting a perfect seal on each end, just enough to close it over and avoid sucking down the crud when the last couple of litres are being drawn from the kettle.

If you want the Rolls Royce of kettle screens, you can get some of beerbelly's gear:
http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=2943

Cheers,
TL