Adding a Weldless kit to a brew kettle

[CliffMongoloid]

I am thinking about adding a weldless kit to my brew kettle and i have a few questions - for reference i have a Bayou Classis 11 gallon (i believe)

-Are all step bits stainless steel rated?
-How far up from the bottom of the kettle should the hole be drilled?
-Should you use a bazooka sceen to filter out trub?

Thank you in advance for the help. Im a little apprehensive about drilling into the side of my brew kette

 

[DoWBrewer]

I have drilled holes in both of my Bayou Classic kettles. I drilled both about 1 inch off the bottom. I also added thermometers. You will either want a screen or dip tube to deal with trub.

For drilling, I would recommend getting a regular titanium drill-bit to drill a starter hole and then use the step-bit for drilling the hole for your ball valve kit. I have used this step-bit from Amazon many times and it is still working great. It was much cheaper than what was available at Home Depot. You need tapping fluid to reduce the heat. I cannot emphasize this enough. The first whole I drilled I used vegetable oil. It took forever and could have damaged the bit or kettle. Once I bought tapping fluid it was very easy.

Make sure when you are drilling you take it very slow. Err on the side of having too much lubricant and going too slow. Stop frequently and test the size against the size of the kit you are installing. It is easy to drill too big of a hole. If I can do this (I am not handy) anyone can.

Good luck!

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

I added a weldless valve to my keggle yesterday and had zero problems. I just measured my brew kettle(not keggle) that has welded fittings and the center of the valve is 1 1/8" to 1 1/4" from the bottom. I used brake fluid to help keep my bits cool as you slowly drill. Almost any kind of "motor oil" will work for what you are doing. And seeing that you are drilling into thin wall stainless, any cheap Uni-bit will work. Search youtube videos as there are quite a few that will help you out. Check out the video of the valve being soldered on. You may want to go this route

 

[Alaugie]

Bobby_M made some good videos on how to do it.







Hope they help.