Keg conversion advice .... Nearly there

[bramswell]

Hi brewers

i have just got some kegs to convert into my shiney 10 gal brewery

i want to run on electric so what i would like to know is will 2 cheepo kettle elements work or do i need an emersion element

i think i have the outlets sorted, i think i will use tank connectors and valves like i have already done on my plastic kit, unless there is a better way, not too expensive though.

and for the mash tun could i still use the plastic plate false bottom method or does it need to be bigger to accomodate the larger area of the keg

i am on a budget at the moment but can upgrade over time

thanks guys

 

[Aleman]

Immersion Elements are difficult to use in a keg as trying to find somewhere to make the required 64mm hole for the boss is difficult.

It is much easier to use Kettle elements . . . Or better still some water heater elements from say The Heating Element Company (Backer Electric) while you are on a budget . . . its much easier to drill/make 13mm holes than it is to make 40mm ones . . . and they would make using a false bottom much easier to use . . . although I would still use a hop stopper in preference. . . . they are much easier to fit with elements in place

 

[bramswell]

I have been busy in the shed today and made the boiler and mash tun

2 asda cheppo kettle elements

hope the false bottom is big enough

HLT awaiting an element and tap

soon to be an FV just need a tap

i think i might change the hop stopper and make a bazooka T, the brupaks one works for now

 

[Wez]

Looks great :thumb: Coming along nicely :clap:

 

[A T]

Looking good, an afternoon well spent i'd say :thumb:

 

[arturobandini]

Hi Bramswell,

A mate has offered me a couple of legit kegs he acquired for a similar project but never got around to. Can you let us know what tools, cutters and buffers you use as they look amazing mate.

 

[bramswell]

Hi Bramswell,

A mate has offered me a couple of legit kegs he acquired for a similar project but never got around to. Can you let us know what tools, cutters and buffers you use as they look amazing mate.

Hi arturobandini
a mate at work lent me some hole saws, they are Bosch colbalt, here is a link for the set
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bosch-HSS-Cobalt- ... 3002r33266

But you can buy them seperatly but you will need the hex arbor as well.
http://www.screwfix.com/cats/A337701/Dr ... t-Holesaws

I used 22mm for the tank connectors and 38mm for the kettle elements, i think it should be 20 for connector and 40 for the element, but i used what was closest in the kit and it did a good job
i used asda cheppo kettle elements which require the 40 mm hole but after using the 38mm cutter and a quick file with a rat tail file,(B&Q's own £5) they fitted perfectly

i found i didn't need a pilot hole as the hole saws cut without problem, just keep a slow speed and good pressure, i had all the holes drilled and filed in about half an hour

as for the buffing i havent done that much to them yet, i gave them bit of a rub with some scotch brite cloth i had lying around and used some auto glym metal polish using a drill with a bonnet on. this hasn't removed the scratches though.
if you look at the first pic the top half is shiny and the bottom a bit dull
I am looking at getting this kit
http://www.mandp.co.uk/productinfo/5070 ... -Piece-Kit

hope that helps

 

[arturobandini]

Nice one mate, they look very good already. The ones my mate is offering me have years of cobwebs and **** on them from being stuck in his garage.

 

[Vossy1]

Tidy work, looking good b :thumb:

 

[arturobandini]

My mate came over with the kegs this morning and first setback was one of them was a Cask so i'm not sure I can work with a spile as the only thing between my mash/wort and the floor. The other looked to be a standard Lager keg of some description so very suitable.

I've got a set of cobalt hole cutters I liberated from my Dad so i'll be putting a pair of 40mm holes in it and a 20mm for the tap. What size grinder did you use for the removal of the lid? I've got the usual two sizes available with some steel cutting discs. My other question is about safety, my mate bought these kegs quite some years ago but as far as he's aware they were cleaned and purged when he bought them from the supplier. If there is any co2 gas in there under pressure is there a way to purge it without a sankey coupling before I put a hole in the side of it?

 

[arturobandini]

Ok, it wasn't a Sankey it's a Grundy and yes the were hellish amounts of co2 still in it! All gone now having purged it via the black rubber inlet. Cutters aren't cobalt either apparently...drawing board time.

 

[bramswell]

just got in from work and saw your post mate.
i was going to say i used a screw driver and released the gas and got a beer shower at the same time.

i used a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disc
all i did was rest the disc gaurd against the rim and cut around, go slowly and don't try and cut straight through though as this will heat harden the keg and be harder to cut i when t round about 10 times until it went through.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN6YScI0G8k

another way is to make a jig using 1 of the hole cutters in the beer outlet and a couple of clamp
see this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LthGdMk_avk

are the hole cutters Bosch, if thery are it doesn't say colbalt they say bi metal, which are the right ones to use
if not where abouts are you, if your not to far i still have mates hole cutters till tuesday.

 

[arturobandini]

Bit far mate but thanks for the offers and the advice.
I had the keg on it's side just in case anything was left inside but only beer smelling gas escaped...and lots of it.

The hole saws I have say Bi-metal (not bosch though) but I could be on a hiding to nothing with them. I'll try the 20mm tap first and use lubricant at a slow pace and see how I get on. I wish I still had the Mag Drill and cutting bits me and my Old Man used to cut holes in steel beams...would've chomped through this no problems.

What size hole saws did you use? 40 and 20 mm? I intend to fit budget elements the same as you've done and 40mm was the exact size I needed for my Plastic Boiler when I built that.

 

[bramswell]

i did 38mm for the elements and filed them out a little so you should be good with 40mm as long as the cutters don't wander too much, i used asda elements which are 40mm i believe the morrison's elements are 38mm, and 22mm for the taps but i could have used 20mm but that wasn't in the set i had but the tank connectors have a reasonable flange to accomodate the 22mm hole i was left with.

if they are bi metal saws you will be ok, just take it slow, i didn't get time to lube when i did it as they cut faily quickly.but a squirt of WD40 can't hurt.

did you get the tops cut off ok.

 

[arturobandini]

Not started on anything yet but starting to get a little impatient. My Dad has all the tools at one of his houses he's doing a complete refurb on so i'll likely be taking it there to do all the work as I hear it can get very noisy. He's got some cutting oil too i'll probably 'alf inch while I'm at it.

Brewing an all Aurora Pale Ale tomorrow but no chance of getting it knocked out before then so may end up doing it start of next week. Any ideas if it's worth removing the spear to get water into the barrel to quell the noise factor/stop the hot metal fusing to the base? I've no idea how to remove the spears on the Grundy Kegs (i'm pretty sure i've depressurised it now as not even a soft hiss comes when I depress the black rubber gas ring) and googling only comes up with sankey spear removal.

Are you going to insulate your Mash Tun Bramswell? What are the heat retention properties of a stainless keg? I saw a link to Aleman's and he's super dupered the insulation on his baby.

 

[bramswell]

yes i will be insulating the tun i have a camping mat i got from freecycle and will get some thermo wrap from wickes and give that a go if it needs more i can always add to it, i have an old sleeping bag i can wrap round also, it might not look pretty but it does the job

if you don't need the tops after cutting off, i would just drill a hole in it and fill with water that way, not perfect but if it works, i did try a standard HSS drill bit in one of my kegs before i got the hole saws and it went through ok

 

[Aleman]

Don't forget to earth the keg as well

A 6mm Stainless bolt through the 'lower skirt' and a 6mm nut should be enough . . . then take it back to one (or both ) of the earth points on the kettle elements.

 

[arturobandini]

Don't forget to earth the keg as well

Well reminded! I will do exactly that cheers Aleman, something similar to what my old Burco had to earth it actually.

I am intending to cut the top off a la Aleman (including leaving two handles to grip and pour out the trub afterwards) as I can't seem to get the "G system" connector spear out I thought I would drill a decent sized hole into the top of the keg and then get a good volume of water in. That way when I start to grind the top I will have the water in the keg to stop any hot "globules" fusing on the base of the keg. I've also got the jigsaw option too so with a hole drilled into the top I have a starting point for the jigsaw too.