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This kit will turn a keg into either a boil kettle or hot liquor tank if you do not have the ability to weld your accessories in.
K-WL-3 - Three port kit gets you a way to drain the vessel, measure the temperature, and view the exact amount of liquid volume currently in the tank.
Includes a 2pc ball valve
(upgradable to 3pc as an accessory), 5/8" diptube assembly with integrated weldless bulkhead, T325 dial thermometer, LK sight glass kit.
- Note, this kit does NOT include a hose barb or camlock type F as shown in the pictures. Please select a hose connection fitting from the accessory list on the right.
Converting old scrapped Sanke half barrel (15.5 gallon or 50 litre) kegs to brew vessels is very popular in the homebrewing community so we've put together packages of accessories that are most commonly used to reduce how many different items you have to add to the shopping cart. Keep in mind that there are about 100 different ways you might accessorize your project and we've only captured a few popular ones here. All of these parts are available ala carte elsewhere on this site.
Note, for the purposes of these kits, we do not differentiate between a boil kettle and HLT because we like building them with the same parts anyway.
Install Requirements: Bulkhead/Drain:
- Drill a clean 13/16" (ideal) or 7/8" (a little loose but OK)
diameter hole in your keg taking care to avoid any wall contours
that may prevent the silicone gasket from sitting flat on the inside
wall of the vessel. Remove the thin locknut and SS washer from the
assembly insert through the hole from the inside (the gasket goes inside). Then slide the metal
washer on and thread the locknut on until snug. Do not overtigten.
During leak testing, if you get a few drops of liquid, snug the locknut
another 1/8th turn and check again.
- The last step is wrapping the end of the threads with some teflon
tape and then a ball valve of your choice. Note:
the ball valve will NOT make contact with the exterior locknut in this
design. The seal and locknut assembly is completely separate from the
ball valve attachement. You will see a section of threads between the
nut and ball valve and this is normal.
- The dip tube height may need to be trimmed in some cases. In a hot
liquor tank, you want the opening of the tube to sit about 1/8" off the
bottom. In a boil kettle, you can rotate the diptube so that the opening
is about 3/4" off the bottom offset from center to leave some trub in
the center dish. To leave even more behind, reverse the diptube so the
short end is in the compression fitting. This is shown in the secondary image on this page.
Weldless Thermometer:
To install, you slide the SS washer onto the thermometer back and wrap
teflon tape around the threads clockwise (6 or 7 revolutions). Slide the
thermometer into a 13/16" or 7/8" hole in your vessel, then push the
gasket on from behind. Thread the nut on and snug until the gasket is
slightly squeezed. Pro Tip: Hold the thermometer in the "upside
down" position when hand tightening the locknut by hand. When you can't
tighten anymore by hand, turn the thermometer clockwise with a wrench on
its hex into the upright position. This is much easier than turning the
locknut against the rubber gasket. PLACEMENT!!! Please consider the fact that you may want to brew a smaller 5 gallon batch even though kegs are capable of 12 gallon batches. Do not install your thermometer higher than the 5 gallon level.
Sightglass Instructions:
1. LOCATE the preferred center point for the sight glass bulkhead hole. First, make sure the interior stainless steel washer
will not rest against the bottom curvature of the keg. The whole
assembly needs to be on a flat area of the side wall.
2. Drill a
clean 1/2" (better) or 9/16" diameter hole in the sidewall of your
metal vessel, preferably with a step or “uni” bit. Tip: Start any hole
with a small 1/8" pilot hole as most larger bits are not great at
getting the initial hole through the metal. Deburr any sharp edges from
the hole by either running the step bit from the inside or by using a
metal file or sand paper. Be extremely careful working on the drilled
hole until the sharp edges are smoothed out.
3.Unscrew the threaded bushing from the elbow fitting and remove the silicone gasket.
4.Leave the metal washer(s) on the bushing and insert it through the hole in the vessel from the inside.
5.Push
the red silicone washer over the threads on the outside of the vessel
all the way tight to the sidewall. (most people ignore this and complain
about leaks. We assume that if you're already reading this, you'll
probably get it right so thanks for that. Again, the gasket goes on the
OUTSIDE of the pot.
6.Hold the elbow fitting and tube in front of
the threads and turn the bushing from the inside to thread it in. The
silicone washer should crush slightly between the fitting and the vessel
wall but do NOT over tighten. It is better to undertighten and adjust a
bit tighter later if it leaks. Note that the silicone gasket should be
the only thing between the fitting and the outside wall of your vessel.
You should NOT use teflon tape or any other type of thread sealant on
the threads of the weldless bushing. The seal is made with the gasket.
7.
Make the tube straight up and down (plumb) and mark a spot to drill the
1/4" hole at the very top of the vessel for the eyebolt. Leave one nut
on the eyebolt threads, slip the loop over the top of the sightgass
tubing, insert the eyebolt threads into your 1/4" hole, and thread the
second nut onto the threads from the interior of the vessel. The
distance the tubing is held from the vessel can be adjusted before
tightening everything up. On a straight pot, be sure to locate the hole
as high as you can without the interior nut interfearing with an inset
style lid. On a keg, you can locate the hole at about the middle of the
top skirt avoiding the rolled edge at the very top.
Tip: Take the
time to make sure the tube is straight. I know you're anxious to get
the job done but if you eyeball it badly, you'll regret it every time
you brew and see a crooked tube.
CALIBRATION INSTRUCTIONS for all kit types:
1. Level the
vessel, apply a vertical piece of masking tape to the side of the tube,
and add a carefully measure gallon of water at a time noting each gallon
on the tape. Empty the vessel and remove the sight glass. Cut the
number strip into individual numbers, remove the rigid paper off the
number, apply at the correct level on the tube. Remove the clear top
masking leaving ONLY the black vinyl number behind. (It's probably
better to view the video to get this). If you are adventurous, you can
apply the decals directly to the sight glass while calibrating the
level, but we find it's much easier to get a clean straight application
with the tube laying down horizontally.
2. If you make a mistake
applying the vinyl numbers, you should be able to scrape them off with
your fingernail without damaging the tubing. However, do NOT use any
solvents or adhesive removers except for rubbing alcohol on a paper
towel and some elbow grease. Unfortunately if this happens, you'll have
to buy another strip of numbers.
LENGTH TRIMMING INSTRUCTIONS for all kit types:
If
after initial installation you find the tubing is sticking up past the
top of the vessel, you may want to trim it flush to make it look better
and avoid snagging.
1. Mark the cut line with a sharpie marker or
piece of tape. WARNING, if you are using tape to mark the cut line, be
sure to note which edge represents the cut line or you may cut the
tubing short by whatever the thickness of the tape is.
2. Remove
the kit from the vessel, laying the tubing down on a piece of cloth to
avoid scratching, and cut the tubing with a hack saw or other
fine-toothed trim saw. You can also use a tubing cutter designed for
copper pipe to make a score cut around the tubing and then snapping it.
In either case, you can clean up the cut edge with a piece of sandpaper
wrapped around a block of wood.
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Great Product, Great Service!! 
