Upgrading My Boiler - The Way It Should Have Been!

[zed255]

I did much of the prep work and I have a neighbour who co-owns a custom stainless exhaust shop, so the actual welding was gratis for past and future neighbourly favours . I have enough practice with TIG welding that I do my own welding now, but he'd handle anything I was unsure of.

Costs? I really don't recall the exact numbers, but I can say the 6" parts and the heavy walled 3" ferrule were pricey. I have since seen cheaper sources. For example the 6" cap was around $80 CAD and the heavy 3" ferrule was about $45 CAD that I used to make the 6"-3" cap reducer. I recently found exactly this item ready made for about $55 CAD. The 6" ferrule and clamp were not too bad, they couldn't have been or the cost might have stuck in my mind. I also would likely not bother with the heavy walled 3" for the reducer if I were to build another as the standard wall thickness would have been plenty strong.

So, I get off really easy on the welding costs. No, wait, I bought a welder, cylinders, consumables... No, I paid more for welding than anyone , but the skill and experience is priceless .

Sorry, no exact bill of materials and costs. The whole project has been a gradual evolution and very organic in nature.

[The Baker]

Three legs is better than four on uneven surfaces.

And you could make a trolley with wheels (on adjustable legs) or just with adjustable height legs
but that would work with internal electric heating not with external heating.

I made a trolley from discarded four inch freezer panelling.
Cut a hole in the top and carefully made a shape in the little-white-balls-stuck together insulation to match the dome in the bottom of the keg.
(Mine doesn't have the squared-off 'shell', it was old and battered with a full 'shell' so we cut it off).

Geoff

[zed255]

Umm, my build is three legged with two adjustable, but thanks for the tip.