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The Perfect Keg Boiler

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  • welds look real good Loo liking the 6" entry

  • Yeah, for the first TIG attempt that is extraordinary. Always special to see a keg reborn as a perfect keg boiler.

  • ...and I'd have painted the lawnmower black, maybe red or blue, but that's just me.
    Different strokes and all that :))

  • edited October 2013

    Looks good, you might get enough of the aeroflex from building sites in the scrap bin.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @Law_Of_Ohms said: Here is pics of my attempt, ive just cleaned the welds (and keg) with pickiling paste

    @Law_Of_Ohms, That boiler should be a great all rounder - very nice!.

    I used some pickling paste on a few of my welds, but wasn't sure how long to soak or hose them down for. Did you just hose that shit off, or neutralize it first?

    Also how long did you leave it on for?

  • 15 mins, and i'm scared poopless when using it, nitril gloves, eye protection, silver cross, bottle of holy water, bulb of garlic....

    then hosed it off from about 5 meters away....

  • I'm with you on this one, including respirator and hat. I pretty much done the same thing until I had that thought - "Have I rinsed it properly?" Argh, another 5 mins of rinsing won't hurt #:-S

  • edited October 2013

    "A Perfect Keg Boiler" has evolved since my attempt a couple of years ago.
    The idea is to make a beer keg into whatever is a perfect boiler for YOU. Mine has served me well and after using it a long while and seeing others refine it further I'd relish the chance to build another Perfect Keg, if this one would just please fail.
    But it is like the Energizer bunny and just goes on and on and on.

    A sight glass over the elements is definitely something I missed back then, else I'd be happy with my keg boiler.

    Basically you turn the keg over and remove the (now) top skirt. Add a big top ferrule and a few ferrules for the refill port and elements. Use the existing (now down) ferrule for the drain.
    It seems easy now but at the time it was quite the stir because it was openly and completely shared with the community. I sucked up ideas from the many contributors and together we made what was, at the time, a perfect keg boiler.

    I learned a lot from that project. I learned to filter out the weird crap and absorb the helpful information but mostly I learned to rely on my instincts. The perfect keg could never have happened without the active participation of that forum. For that I am deeply thankful because, as I said, this boiler has served me and many others very, very well.

    I now see legs of all kinds, ports I'd have never thought of and insulation options that are ingenious. Me, you, everyone benefits by the sharing of these ideas.

    It's still referred to as HellBoy in my house and I guess many of you have named your perfect keg, too.

  • How hard is it o cut the rim off. I had some 2" ferrules welded on to a keg and my fabricator said that although the handle as base rims were thick the keg itself was very thin. I would be worried about damaging the keg while cutting the rim off.

  • I have a plasma cutter best $285 spent lol. like cutting thru butter.

    Where u located thunder88?

    I would be interested in helping people in VIC with the welding and cutting, even if its just for practice

  • The skirt on my keg was cut off with a small angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. Took maybe 5 minutes. Not sure but I think the keg body is about 2.5mm thick. For such a small vessel that's pretty beefy.

  • My welder told me the metal on the vessel was 22gauge. The kegs I have are 50l Becks Sanke. The base and handle rim are very beefy and I could see them being 2.5mm

  • @LLoyd, you mention a sight glass over the element as being useful. What purpose would that serve?

  • It lets you monitor the liquid level in the boiler to ensure your element is never exposed.

    For small runs of a neutral charge say for doing Arak or Gin, you charge the boiler with 40% neutral. You may only put 4 or 8 shengs in there, best practise it to cover the element with water before adding the charge, but that can be difficult to see with a 2" opening.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • My column is pretty light. I usually fill through the opening in the keg and keep an eye on the depth with flashlight. I can see a sight glass as being useful for that. My new 30gal boiler has a 9" manhole on the dome next to where the column is going to mount. So much better visibility and I'll be able to get back to doing grappa, which is impossible through a 2" opening.

  • edited November 2013

    my latest crazy idea.

    Use two kegs, (one was r/s) so out with the plasma cutter....

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  • Now the inside keg is jacketed, just dont know what to use it for yet.... lol

  • Dang, LoO, the world's first jacketed keg?
    You DO live on the edge.

    When you regain your sanity I need to discuss something with you in the Loony Bin section. I'll meet you there after I count all the yellow cars that pass by in one hour =))

    But seriously, its a clever idea and would have saved me tons of electricity had my keg been either double skinned or insulated.

    Could also be good for circulating hot oil through the shell so the wash couldn't scorch. Or as a mash tun for both heating and cooling. Or a very large paper weight. The possibilities are almost endless.

    The base for a lamp?
    A conversation piece when friends visit and you play "What is this".
    A flotation device used to shoot the shark in Jaws but this one is harder to bite through.
    A chair if you built a matching jacketed table.
    Oh, I know, a projectile for throwing at the inlaws!

    @Law_Of_Ohms said: Now the inside keg is jacketed, just dont know what to use it for yet.... lol

    Now you have lots of ideas :D

  • So you put water in the jacket and freeze it. Put your cold beer or fav beverage in it and it will keep it cold for hours with just a little of that shinny insulation around it.

  • edited November 2013

    @LunaBrille, It has been around 3 months since you but the reflectix on your boiler. I am thinking of doing the same. How many times have you used it and what do you think of it. The mfg says 180 is max temp. I know there has to be some lee way on their part. $42 for 25 ft of 2 ft is pretty significant. Is it worth the money? Any melting on it? Please give use your 411 on it.

  • edited November 2013

    @Cambo (intended for anyone that's done reflextix) I just re read post and realized you did reflectix also. I didn't mean to leave you out. What do you think of it? Any melting ? Ok everything on my above post.

  • I used Reflectix for quite a few runs with no melting problems.

    I only removed it from the boiler after fitting an extra element. The only problem was keeping it clean. No problems with the Reflectix on the SS column.

  • Thanks Stinger. Did you use the R4 or the R6. How hot does the outside of the boiler get when running? The mfg said 180 max temp so I figured it would be ok. Will you be putting it back on?

  • Dunno the exact name but it had 2 layers of bubbles, one surface white the other surface shiny aluminum. When the boiler approaches 100*C, the outer surface of the Reflectix is just slightly warm. It works fine - no suggestion of melting or any other problem that I noticed.

    I don't intend to put it back on the boiler now that I have more than enough power and heat loss is not a problem. I just don't like reassembling it after getting wash between it and the boiler.

    OTOH, I have no intention of removing it from my 3" column, where it continues to work flawlessly. I used foil tape with it and it still looks good/professional.

  • Problems keeping it clean and reassembly is only problems. I would not have figured that the column would have been better than the boiler. I am truly glad you posted. Any thing else????

  • edited November 2013

    The only problem is that I didn't tape it directly to the boiler (8usg Brewhaus with 2 x 1650w ULD elements). Some backset always dribbled between the insulation and the boiler when emptying it. Not a problem with the column.

    Someday I may get off my lazy arse and do it again - properly taping it down this time.

    If you want insulation - Go for it AP.

  • edited November 2013

    @Stinger, thanks buddy I think I will

  • edited November 2013

    I'll post a link to the thread @ AD where i built my boiler rather than some photos as i don't have photos on this computer or much download speed or capacity...

    Pics of the insulation step of what is now my boil pot or HLT start there. The process was to use GelGrip contact adhesive all over the pot to lay first a layer of thick cheap camping mats and then a tough, heavy rubber mat material is glued once again with gelgrip over that.

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    The most expensive part of the insulating progress was the glue :)]

    After being re-purposed a couple of years ago from a steam injected heated pot to a gas heated pot (still with steam injection capability) i needed to strip the insulation off the bottom 1/3rd of the boiler so it wouldn't burn or scorch. This ended u being pretty easy too, cut off the rubber, scrape off the foam and glue and use a handy solvent that i had a lot of (95+% ethanol) to remove any traces of the glue.

    Long story short is that an onion shaped boiler would be a little more complex to lay the rubber neatly, a keg would be just as simple and that i would definitely recommend this process to others as very efficient, dirt and stain resistant and cheap. I could easily keep my hand flat against the outside of the pot while the 100C contents inside boiled and it was barely even warm to the touch.

    Clean up was just a hose down on the outside or a wipe-over with a wet rag.

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    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • edited December 2013

    @Talever said: Yes, came from a local brewery that closed its door, Next batch is coming from a used Keg Broker I found. So they will all be the same and in nice condition. Email me if I can be of any help to you here in the US.

    Hey @Talever, I tried to private message you. Hoping you saw my note.

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