EZ seal bulkhead fitting

[mwill07]

https://www.minibrew.com/collections/easy-seal/products/easy-seal-weldless-bulkhead-fitting?variant=25687127174

anyone have any experience with these? in a nutshell, it's a weldless SS fitting that threads from the outside.

I've been thinking about using a SS keg as a fermenting vessel without cutting the top off - allowing cool stuff like fermenting under pressure without having to do too much rigging. Basically, I'd remove the spear and seal it up with something like this.

it would be awesome to have a tap on the side for transfers and sampling, but traditional bulkhead fittings require access from inside to turn the nut - this looks like it could fit the bill nicely and remain sanitary.

 

[day_trippr]

I would not have high confidence in being able to drop the flanged piece into a Sanke and get it pulled through. Then there's the sanitation problem going forward - while I love weldless on hot-side applications I'm not wild about them on the cold-side.

You might consider this, instead. Seems like it provides the platform with a host of solutions...

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/sankefermenterkit_pressure.htm

Cheers!

 

[mwill07]

I would not have high confidence in being able to drop the flanged piece into a Sanke and get it pulled through. Then there's the sanitation problem going forward - while I love weldless on hot-side applications I'm not wild about them on the cold-side.

You might consider this, instead. Seems like it provides the platform with a host of solutions...

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/sankefermenterkit_pressure.htm

Cheers!

it might not be easy, but here's my thoughts:

1. tie a nut to a string.
2. feed the nut thru the keg opening and fish it thru the drilled hole.
3. feed the other end of the string thru the base part, and drop into keg.

the base part would run down the string and end up pretty close to the hole. I could probably use some needle-nose pliers to finish feeding it in. This should work pretty easily.

I hear ya on possible cold side sanitation issues.

The top that you linked is interesting, that's something I'm considering. I'm not sure how that would work WRT pulling samples in a sanitary manner. At the end of the day, that's what I'm looking for - fermenting in a impermeable vessel, under pressure, and a simple, easy way to pull samples without exposing the wort to oxygen.

 

[day_trippr]

Ok, so you probably have a viable method for pulling the fitting through.
I reckon the other half of the equation is getting the fitting inside the keg to begin with.

Once the spear is pulled out of a Sanke keg, what's the ID through the hole?
If that fitting requires a 1-1/8" ID hole in the keg wall and looks like this...

...I wonder what the OD of the flange is, and whether you can actually fit that through the top of the keg.

The fitment I linked is the same you linked, just with a bunch of accessories included.
Seems like that dip tube port with a ball lock post adapter would provide a way to draw samples...

Cheers!