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Upgrades to my brew kettle

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I recently purchased a larger kettle for brewing. Today I added a few accessories to make it more functional. With this upgrade and my new mash tun, I’m finally where I want to be with my small home brewing setup. 

Here’s the adventure in pictures.

The brew pot with ball valve and thermometer
  
Measuring where to drill
  
Points measured. Top one is thermometer, bottom is ball valve
  
I used a nail to punch a divot so the drill bit didnt wander
    
I realized after this I should start with a small bit for a pilot hole
      
Thermometer pieces together, the wall of the pot goes between the two silicone gaskets
  
Thermometer threaded awaiting tightening
  
Ball valve construction
  
Finished and tightened
  
Testing for leaks. Both holes had slow drips.
  
Added more teflon tape and some small adjustments to fix the leaks and it’s finished!
 

Some things I learned for next time:

  • Use a masonry bit to drill the pilot hole. I killed three regular drill bits trying to cut through the stainless steel.
  • WD-40 is not the best option for drilling oil, but it does help.
  • Put more weight on the drill than you think. If I could have sat on it I would have.
  • Make the ball valve as low as possible. I probably could’ve dropped it another 1/2″ lower and still had a good seal. 
  • Use the Teflon tape liberally. I had leaks at both holes that were fixed with 10-15 more wraps of tape. 

I’m really looking forward to using this on my next brew day. Now I can see the temperature at a glance. I also don’t have to lift 3-5 gallons of liquid and try to dump it through a funnel into my fermenter.

It should go a lot smoother.

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