Ever solder NPT fitting to Keg?

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Discofro2
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Ever solder NPT fitting to Keg?

Post by Discofro2 »

I am making a connection to keg for my heating element. I have some questions and would like to hear your experience.

1. How do you make the connection from the fitting to the keg? Would you recommend butting the fitting to the keg and soldering the adapter (or flange) to the keg or insert the fitting into the drilled hole?

2. How do you keep the fitting in place and centered during the soldering process. I have seen some excellent videos online for keggles, however I will not have the advantage of an open top to work with.

3. Any recommended techniques?

3. What solder, flux, and gas do you like?

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still_stirrin
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Re: Ever solder NPT fitting to Keg?

Post by still_stirrin »

Here’s a starting point...food for thought. There’s more, much more...if you look for it.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 1#p7170599

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ben stiller
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Re: Ever solder NPT fitting to Keg?

Post by ben stiller »

Great info in that topic and the Harris Staybrite is so easy to use. I used a fitting with a flange and used a hole saw to make the hole.
The flange sits on the outside of the hole so no need to hold anything centered. Just lay the keg on it's side. The tip about the ring of solder around the flange is gold. If prepped properly the end result will look like a machine weld. Most important thing about drilling
stainless is to work slow and keep it really cool. I use liberal amounts of water and work slow. Once you harden stainless from heat it is a bitch to work with.
NcHooch
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Re: Ever solder NPT fitting to Keg?

Post by NcHooch »

I have a Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) that I use for brewing that still has the full top on it.
The electric element is simply inserted through a 1 1/4" hole I punched with a Greenlee chassis punch.
There's an o-ring and a thin stainless washer-type shim on the outside, and a nut on the inside, seals perfectly.
I can't for the life of me remember how I got that nut on the threads inside but it's definitely possible.

...may have taped the nut to a coat hanger or something to get it started...you dont need to be able to hold the nut cuz it jams against the curved inside of the keg once you get it started. :wink:
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Re: Ever solder NPT fitting to Keg?

Post by zapata »

For a large hole like an element I use a punch, and it isnt as hard to work through the intact 2" too opening as I originally expected. Hold the fitting in place with a toggle bolt or drywall anchor type setup. For elements I use a triclamp fitting that has a very wide contact area, so it sits on the keg wall, not inside it. For small fittings my prefered approach would be to drill and dimple as typically seen in homebrew keggles.
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