Beer keg to boiler

[Admiral Toad]

Looks like I have managed to acquire an 11 gallon stainless steel beer keg
I know lots of you guys use these for your boilers so would really appreciate a few pointers to help me get it made up
I am fairly happy with the fitting I will need to give me tri-clamp fixing to the still Dragon kit and where to get it
Do you think an additional port for cleaning or filling is useful? If not and I put a 4 inch tri-clamp fixing on for the column how do you clean the keg when you can't get your arm in (thinking messy grain washes here !)
I am thinking that a drain tap would be useful too, again what people used for this in the past
As far as heating is concerned I'm thinking around a 3 kW element
Can you give me some idea what sort a kit I should be looking at and what glands etc may be required. Also if a bendable element is used how do you actually form it inside the keg when you are fitting it
All advice will be gratefully received !

[ikonos]

I would use a triclamp pipe section
To suit your column,get it cut on a lathe for length
I'm using 4" so I have the
Clean/ boiler sight glass bit already,
For your elements you could use stainless
Threaded sockets and also one for your drain valve,
You would need to find a good tig welder to it for you
but worth it.

hope this helps
Scotty

[Easydrinker]

Purely my take on a keg/barrel boiler from running one many years ago,- build in from the start some way of getting in there to clean it.
It is the reason I now prefer an open urn based boiler,so much easier to clean,when needed.

Robert.

[Admiral Toad]

Found a stainless weld on 6" triclamp ferrule from China and SDE do 6" to 4" reducer so that would solve the connection and cleaning issue I think

Can anyone point me in the direction of suitable heating elements?

[Almanac]

You asked: " how do you clean the keg when you can't get your arm in (thinking messy grain washes here !)"

A big cleaning port is unnecessary on a keg still boiler unless you intend distilling on the grainier a flame. The boiler is stainless steel and run with an electric element and power controller so an occasional vinegar run is all it needs.

After each run I drop a spray ball, attached length of hose, into the keg and flush it with nothing but clean water. Don't forget that when you're finished each stripping run the stuff left in the boiler is very acidic and will clean the inside, including your element, for you. I regularly run some of the slops off into a bucket to dip my copper bits in to clean the outside of them and it does a great job for that too.

Elements; this is a subject that often suffers from over-thinking. Keep it simple. I use standard inculoy 11" elements, a 2Kw and a 3Kw with a 1.5" boss that screws into a 1.5" female stainless steel connector welded into the side of the keg with 3"clearance off the floor of the keg. In almost 3 years running that boiler I've never had an issue with those elements and they're cheap as chips, as yourman on the telly says. I use Loctite 55 as a seal on the threads and I've never had any leaks from the elements. I do remove them occasionally for inspection and they're as clean today as the day I installed them. Of course I only run clean and clear washes in my boiler.

The standard element comes with a thermostat which you simply remove. I put the stainless steel probe from an IKEA digital thermometer into the thermostat tube and it give me a very useful indication of when the boiler is approaching vapour temperature so I can start the coolant flow. Otherwise a thermometer on a boiler doesn't really serve much purpose.

Drain Tap: This is a definite requirement. Get a half inch, female threaded, stainless steel, 90o sweep bend, welded into the centre of the floor and run a pipe from that to just beyond the wall of the keg and first a lever tap. Make sure the pipe is also attached to the rim of the keg so it won't move if you accidentally knock off it. I had three small legs welded on as well to provide enough room for the drain pipe to have a fall.

Since my build I've added just one thing to my boiler. A pump to empty it when the run is over. I have posted pics somewhere hereabouts and a link to where I got my pumps from. I'm still using the original one I bought over two years ago and it works like a dream, quiet and efficient and it was cheap as pumps go. About 20 quid if I remember and worth every penny. No lifting kegs for me, thank you.

Have a look here viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1858 I posted a pdf there that might be of use.

My final offering is to insulate your boiler. This will not only save energy and reduce your heat up time but it will also prevent your boiler giving you heatstroke in the summer months because a 50 Lt boiler is like a feckin big radiator and in the warmer weather it will have you sweating. I use 1" Armaflex foam sheeting. A 1.5m length of the 1m width will completely insulate a keg boiler. Any decent plumbing supplies place will have it.

Anyway, that's my tuppence worth. PM if you want any of my specs.

AM

[Admiral Toad]

Thanks Aidan
Definitely getting senile when I've already asked this before !
That said I've learnt a fair bit since then but your comments on cleaning are encouraging
So using a 2" tri clamp ferrule should work fine with the 4" bubble set up without too much modification to the outlet on the keg

[Almanac]

You will need a 2" ferrule on the keg opening once the spear is removed. I'm assuming you have the spear out of it I thought SD made one but apparently not. I had to get my ferrule welded on and it's not 100% level so my column is a little off true.

With the ferrule in place the Torpedo, Bubble T's and Dephlegmator, etc., are rock solid and the filled boiler is very stable with the weight.

AM

[Sunshine]

https://www.stilldragon.eu/en/ferrules/ ... rrule.html

These are our ferrules.

@AT

how much did you spend on the keg?


Frankly, for me (I am not a welder and it is difficult to find good welders here, so this is something I try to avoid every time) it would be too much fuzz to rebuild a keg, since the milkcan boilers are available and have every port you could think of welded on already. And they are really even, they are a real eye candy - and easy to clean.

As I told you on the SD thread, we have 3 milkcans with a reduced price, we did not want to list them at first (they were intended for self use), but we have sold out our milkcans currently, so this bargain sweetens the waiting time until the new boilers will arrive next week.

Next week also our new stockpots will arrive, these are 30L capacity and can be used with a induction stove or a camping gas stove. Ideal for a torpedo on it or a Baby Crystal Dragon. For AT they may be too small already, but some people might find them quite handy

BTW, I am happy, that you are on our forums, it is like having a celebrity in our midst

[Admiral Toad]

Hi SD (I assume its Michael?)
I really would love one of your milkcan boilers but if I spend any more with you guys at the minute I do think I will be in bother with my other half !
Maybe later this year.....that said I will be after some of your oak staves shortly
The keg was a gift from a mate who has a pub and coincidentally is a bloody good Tig welder

[Sunshine]

I am Judith (the better half of Michael)

Having a good welder is the key, you could send him over to teach ours some tricks, as most of them have no idea what they are doing but want big money for it.

Glad, you like the oak products!

[Capt-Cudellez]

Hey AT, haven't been online for a while you wont regret upgrading to a larger boiler. I never bothered getting a larger opening on mine, I just wash out with water, give it a good shoogle with a few liters of water until it come out clear.
If you're fitting a 4" column to yours a refill port might be a good idea, thats a fairly big chunk to manhandle on your own, and you might not want to break it down each time (unless its modular, and that would be easier than a sold body still)

I fitted a 2-1/4" stainless boss to mine that fits domestic immersion element- there are some pretty niffty 1" elements, but I reckoned that being able to pick up a spare cheaply from screfix might be easier in the long run in case of a burn out.
It does mean I have to have at least 12L at the end of the run to keep it submerged, but If I was running anything that small, I'd just use the T500 boiler.

I initially used a old long copper element (I think it was 27") and bent it in half and checked the resistance hadn't changed - didn't expect that to last long, but it lasted over 18 months, been running a short element ever since without issue.

[Admiral Toad]

Thanks CC might still go for a 6" port on the top with 4" reducer because the all grain washes are pretty messy
I've found bits on the web and at SDE

[Myles]

Depending on the style of keg you may not need to do anything to the keg neck. On many once you remove the spear, the keg neck that is left is compatible in size with the 2" triclamp ferrule on the bottom of your vapour path.I bought brand new kegs and ordered then without spears so I didn't even need to remove them.

If you wish to go down the no weld route then Essex Flanges should be on your shopping list.

[Myles]

Forgot to mention this. If you are doing all grain and intend to distill on the grain you might want to consider NOT putting elements in it.

Get a second keg and fill the boiler with water. Use the second keg as a thumper and put your grain in there. Just heat by steam injection. Its how I would do it.

[Admiral Toad]

I've acquired a 3kw element that needs a 21/4"bsp female socket
Do you think this will do and if so anyone know where to get said socket ?