Welcome to the new BrewHardware.com site. You may have just been forwarded here from the old suebob.com/brew/sale site because I was finally convinced that a quality product should be properly showcased. While you may find random brewing hardware parts becoming available for a short time, the near term focus of BrewHardware.com is on various versions of sight glass kits.You may know me as Bobby_M on Homebrewtalk.com or BobbyfromNJ on Youtube.com. Either way, it's important that you know that I'm half brewer, half garage tinkerer and this little business venture is simply an extension of my obsession with the brewing hobby. If it makes you feel any better, all profits go directly back into the hobby.

I originally got the idea to start producing sight glasses because I wasn't able to find any for a reasonable price when I need them for my brew rig. The kits have gone through various design configurations over the last year or so and I'm finally happy with the balance between function, parts availability, and cost. Aside from the thermometer combo kits which are extremely popular and sell out occasionally, most units will always be available and ready to ship. I build and sell kits that I would install on my own brewing rig as well as the rigs of my brewing friends without any hesitation.

1. What is a sight glass?

A: A sight glass is also known as an exterior level indicator. Once installed into the side wall of a tank or pot, it allows you to read the exact volume of liquid that is inside at a glance.

2. Can't I just _______ instead of installing a sight glass?

A: There are all kinds of alternatives to installing a sight glass. You can brew without them. When I first started all grain brewing, I simply measured all my liquid volumes in a spare bucket that had gallon markings printed on the side. That was fine for smaller batches at a time when I transfered everything with a bucket. After you start pumping from one vessel to the next, the use of a bucket is a waste of time.

A lot of brewers also create calibrated dip sticks (or story sticks) that you drop into the vessel to read the level. In the case of a boil kettle, you'll need the level to last for a minute so that you can remove it to read because a constant stream of steam makes it hard to see into the boil kettle.  Also, if you use a tiered system where the hot liquor tank is up high, it's a pain to climb up a step stool to watch the level as you drain it. The basic story here is that a sight glass is a matter of convenience, not necessity.  However, Now that I'm used to it, I don't think I could brew on my system without one.

3. Do you make kits for larger or smaller vessels?

The standard kit is tall enough for a 15.5 gallon Sanke keg based vessel at about 20" total. If you have a shorter pot, you can buy the standard kit and cut the tube shorter yourself with a hack saw or you can add a request during the paypal payment to cut it to a specific height. I can also make longer kits but you should email me via the contact form with your requirements so I can quote you a price.

4. Can you sell me just the threaded tubing?

No, the process I use to thread the tubing without damage must also be used to connect it to the hardware. You would end up destroying the tubing in the process. If you have a custom project in mind, odds are pretty good that I have the parts to make it for you. Use the contact form.

5. Can you sell me a kit with pyrex tubing instead of polycarbonate? I'm worried about the poly melting.

Overheating the tubing is a valid concern but most burner setups do not overheat the tubing. The polycarbonate starts getting soft at 250F but it would have to be heated higher for a failure.There has been a case where one user overheated the hardware due to an out of control flame that licked up around the sides of the pot. As I mention on the instructions page, the brewer should evaluate how much heat they have hitting the fitting during a test boil and consider a makeshift heat sheild if the fitting gets hotter than about 225F.

Pyrex tubing (actual glass) is certainly an elegant solution but it is impractical for most homebrewers due to how delicate it is. I would only recommend something like that for a clean in place system and only if it is well protected from breakage. This kind of system is also cost prohibitive.

6. Do you make the sight glass / thermometer combo kit for weld-in applications?

I've gotten this question a few times and unfortunately I don't have any plans to offer this. It's only fair that I explain why.

On the weldless combo kit, the most popular item on this site, the tee basically sits touching the outside wall of your vessel except for the 1/8" gasket. This means the thermo probe only has to make it through about 2" of hardware before it gets inside. A 4" probe works nicely for this so that 2" sticks into the vessel.

When welders install a 1/2" NPT coupling, there is some inconsistency in whether it sits flush or proud of the vessel wall. If it's flush with the inside, it can stick out as far as 1.5". Even if it's welded flush, I'd have to supply a 1/2 to 1/4" bushing, a close nipple, then the tee fitting. The 4" probe would then only put the last 1/2" inside the vessel and it would be affected by latent heat from the burner. A 6" probe would solve this problem but it would take a very long time to sell these at the quantity I have to buy.

Lastly, it would put the sight tubing and thermometer out away from the vessel by at least an extra inch, maybe more subjecting it to more potential damage.

If there is any question that hasn't been covered here, please use the contact form to ask me.