Keg to kettle conversion

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Hey guys. I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy my third keg for my setup. I've got a question about the boil kettle.

I just cut all the tops off of the kegs with a plasma cutter, but I'm stuck as far as the build goes.

The mash and the sparge tanks are no sweat as I've already built Rubbermaid cooler versions. I just need to find someone who can weld my SS ball valves and the false bottom for the mash tun.

I'm wondering what I should do with my boil kettle. Does is need to have anything fancy, or should I just hook a ball valve and SS siphon tube to it? Pouring it like a 10 gallon pot looks to be out of the question due to the lip on the keg, and I don't really feel like lifting 5 gallons of liquid in a 40lb. keg.


Anybody have advice for me?

[ColoradoBrewer]

For a boil kettle all you really need is a ball valve. Actually, you don't even need that as a racking cane and tubing would work just fine. But a ball valve is a nice touch and convenience.

Forget about a sight glass. They're great for an HLT, but in a BK they're a PITA and don't work that well anyway. I'm speaking from experience. I'm strongly considering removing the one on my BK and going back to a dipstick.

A thermometer is nice to have when chilling the wort. If you install one, get one with a sort stem so it doesn't interferes with dropping the chiller in or taking it out. I have a thermometer with a 12" stem that I clip to the side of my pot when cooling, but that might not work as well with a converted keg.

Just my 2¢. Others may disagree.

[slothrob]

[quote="ColoradoBrewer"
Forget about a sight glass. They're great for an HLT, but in a BK they're a PITA and don't work that well anyway. I'm speaking from experience. I'm strongly considering removing the one on my BK and going back to a dipstick.[/quote]
All good points, but this one in particular strikes a note with me.

It seems like it would be a convenience, but my brew buddies sight glass turns into a spout that shoots hot liquid into the air during the boil. It makes brew day quite exciting at times! Eventually it gets clogged with hops or break and it stops being dangerous, but also stops being of any use. I'd suggest a sight glass on the MLT only and a dipstick for the kettle.

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I was concidering adding a false bottom also. I was thinking that when draining the wort, it may clog the valve with hops and break material. Is this not as big of an issue as I'm assuming?