Kettle Build Recommendations

[spears104]

I recently acquired a large fabricated pot that I would like to make into a kettle. This will allow me to move up to full wort boils or even larger batches.



The pot was fabricated out of 316 SS. The bottom is flat. The welds look like they were stick welds so they can't be sanitized, that is why I want to use it for a kettle and not a mash tun. I calculated that it will hold approx 50 litres.

I was trying to determine what else I should build/ install on it. I was going to build a hop spider out of a couple of long bolts a piece of 3 inch SS pipe, plus the mesh bag.

For the drain should I install it as flush to the bottom as possible or should I install it a couple of inches off the bottom and tube down to near the bottom? (To get it away from the heat. I was going to install one of the much discussed no-weld drain valves and thought the o-ring might catch hell from the burner.)

If I use a hop spider should I install some type of screen to help keep trub out of the fermenter? the design of the drain will influence what I can use here. I see NG has some kettle screens that could work with the drain if it was mounted flush to the bottom.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks,

Jason

[mr x]

You can use that for a mash tun. Jimmy and RobD are the hop-spider pros.

[Jimmy]

I'm still not sold on the hop spider..I'm pretty sure it lowers the IBU's quite a bit. On top of that, it can be a pain to drain when it's full of wort & hops.

Haven't really found my solution yet though, other than draining it all in to the fermenter.

[GAM]

You will boil after the mash so sanatary welds are not required.

Sandy

[spears104]

I realized the weld comment was wrong after I submitted it. I still want to use this as a kettle as that's my next step on my path to all-grain.

[akr71]

As far as the valve goes - I installed mine ~2 inches from the bottom. Not because of any heat concern, but so that the hops & trub have somewhere to settle in the hopes that most of it doesn't end up in the fermenter.