EBIAB Keggle - Will this work?

[Totally]

I have a few questions about this keg that I came across. I would like to convert it into the start of my EBIAB setup. It's a 58 litre (15.3 gallon) keg.

First of all it has a plastic wrapping around the top and the handle area. Could I just cut this off? I am guessing the keg is the same shape underneath and would still have the stainless handles there? Has anyone seen kegs with this plastic and removed it before?

The other issue is the bottom of the keg, it seems to be a convex shape with a small flat portion in the center. Has anyone seen a keg with this shape before, I am concerned that it might not be very stable without some support around the bottom.

I have seen that some people cut their kegs to be "bottom drain" style. Maybe that would be better for this keg, are there any issues anyone can see using this keg for a single vessel EBIAB system in either configuration?

Thanks for any experience or thoughts people can provide.

 

[Totally]

From looking through more keggle builds I now believe this keg had a rubber/plastic bottom skirt that has been removed at some point.

The keg in this thread is similar to mine. In post #9 the keg is shown with both top and bottom skirts on as as polished after removing the bottom skirt. It looks very similar to mine.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=516182

I am thinking even more about doing a bottom drain, though I will probably just use a 2" TC clamp with a solid cap. I will put a regular dip tube and valve into the side for recirculation and wort draining. Maybe pull the TC cap off for cleaning.

For me bottom drain will be more about keeping the keg standing stable and cutting open the stainless end without having to cut all that rubber/plastic off.

Thoughts?

 

[Totally]

Found another image of this style keg here in this ad for a tri clamp bottom drain kit. This one is even the same colour.

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-Sanke-Keg-Bottom-Drain-Kit.html

I will probably proceed to cut the bottom out but I am concerned with how hard it will be to find a flat spot to drill for the element and drain through the plastic. I want to get them as low as possible of course and will probably have to see inside before I can tell what it looks like in there.

I read some posts about using a hole saw to get through the plastic before drilling the stainless. This could work if I can find a flat spot in there but I will need two more drill bits slightly larger than the holes I suspect to let them mount correctly.

 

[Totally]

Going for it.

Starting my build thread over on Electric Brewing.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=7942940