Sight Glass Questions

[sremed60]

I want to install a sight glass on my boil kettle, and eventually on my HLT, but would like to know everything there is to possibly know about sight glasses before I spend the money.

There seems to be two styles:
A. Has a port at both the top and the bottom so as the fluid is filling up the tube the air it is displacing is pushed out the top back into the kettle.
B. Just has a port at the bottom so the fluid is going into a sealed tube and the air has nowhere to go but back down through the fluid.

I like A, (but have no idea why). I guess the displaced air being pushed out unrestricted makes more sense to me, but I really don't know the physics of it.

I've seen some of the B style where the end of the sight glass extends past the top of the kettle. Again, I'm not sure why but that doesn't appeal to me either. For me it has "BREAK ME! BREAK ME!" written all over it.

I like the ones where the glass tube is encased in a stainless tube with slots cut into it. Those seem to be the most rugged, durable and ascetically pleasing. But I've only seen those on the B style. To have that available in the A style I suppose manufacturers would have to make them available in 1/4" incremental sizes, and that's probably not too practical.

Any knowledge and/or tips on this subject are appreciated. My pot is a 9 gallon Bayou Classic 1036, (14.25" tall). My objective is to install a sight glass that is functional, durable and ascetically pleasing that doesn't cost more than my house did.

 

[Hello]

I actually had the same thoughts as you nearly to the very last point. Break me was really the reason I never went with the glass. For less I could do the volume markings, but I just never got up the desire to do it for some reason. Therefore, I went with the sight tube. I cannot break it and I installed it in less than 20 minutes. It is the first time I decided to pull the trigger on the site tube.

The right word is flex sightglass:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/flexsight-l.htm

All pieces needed to get it installed are there.

 

[TeamAshBrewing]

I plan on doing welded fittings into both HLT and brew kettle. I will put in Style "A" as you put it. It will be glass until I break it. Then I will get the brewhardware one as noted above.

 

[sremed60]

...Therefore, I went with the sight tube. I cannot break it and I installed it in less than 20 minutes. It is the first time I decided to pull the trigger on the site tube.

The right word is flex sightglass:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/flexsight-l.htm

All pieces needed to get it installed are there.

I saw that. I've been watching his videos since I got into this. He seems to know his stuff. That flexi site tube he sells fits 2 of the 3 criteria I was hoping for. It's durable and doesn't cost much. Ascetically it's not really what I hoped for, but I suppose what it looks like is the least of my concern. It is more than likely the way I'm going to go, mostly because of the cost. I'm not to keen on the silicone o rings on the tube for volume markers, but you can't have everything I suppose.

 

[lupulinaddict]

I liked the ss covered ones too so I bought one a few weeks ago. I can't help with any advice on how well I like it because my pots are at the welders house. If it helps you, I did find a new to me online brew supply store called brew to grow that had it for the cheapest price I could find. http://www.brewandgrow.com/weldless-sight-gauge.html
The 11" is what I got, and to ship it to ca it was like $6? The picture shows the larger one, I think, because mine only has one slot and it also has a little 1/8"-3/16" nipple on the top cap. It also doesn't come with stickers for the volume increments, but I got the stickers from stainless brewing for a couple bucks. They have a sight glass setup too similar to the one hello mentioned, not flexible though. Good luck.

 

[jddevinn]

B does not work with any pumping or draining

 

[Cajun_McChicken]

Is your pot SS or aluminum? If it's stainless you could etch the volume markings on the inside of the kettle for all of $3 for a battery and some qtips. Search the forums for the stainless etching thread for more details (sorry I don't know how to link to the thread from the mobile app).

 

[Hello]

I saw that. I've been watching his videos since I got into this. He seems to know his stuff. That flexi site tube he sells fits 2 of the 3 criteria I was hoping for. It's durable and doesn't cost much. Ascetically it's not really what I hoped for, but I suppose what it looks like is the least of my concern. It is more than likely the way I'm going to go, mostly because of the cost. I'm not to keen on the silicone o rings on the tube for volume markers, but you can't have everything I suppose.

You do not need the o-rings. In fact, I didn't get them, I purchased mine with the stickers. I don't like the o rings because I always thought it was possible they could slip. The stickers were the way to go for me. I am all electric, so I don't worry about flames hitting the sides.