False bottom for keg mashtun

BrewMasterBrad · Post by **BrewMasterBrad** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:17 pm

I am looking at different options for converting a keg to a mashtun. Morebeer has this contraption. Anyone have any experience with this? I am open to suggestions if anyone has experience in this area.

By the way, Yeast Killer is picking up the steel for my Brutus brew stand today.

Brad

lars · Post by **lars** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:25 pm

BrewMasterBrad wrote: By the way, Yeast Killer is picking up the steel for my Brutus brew stand today.

Sweet! Are you going with stainless or mild steel? I ended up opting for plain old mild steel. Much less expensive. Just a quick FYI... the Brutus is WAY overbuilt. We ended up not putting in the vertical between the top and bottom because there is no way in hell it needs it. I could jump up and down on the thing all day long and it wouldn't even flex.

As for my MT, I'm going to go with a stainless braid with a piece of coiled copper wire inside it to keep it from collapsing.

BrewMasterBrad · Post by **BrewMasterBrad** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:31 pm

Mild steel. Stainless is just too damn expensive.

I'm not using the sealed tube for the gas. Just good old galvanized piping. I'm using NG with two 100,000 BTU burners from B3 that I bought from jward. One burner under the kettle and one under the HLT.

Brad

maltbarley · Post by **maltbarley** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:54 pm

Mine is set up very similar with this as the false bottom. With the inside tube I lose very little liquid to dead space.

A 10" screen seems a little small.

lars · Post by **lars** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:33 pm

I'm not doing the gas beam either. I bought all the galvanized pipe to do the job. Now I just have to find the time to do it!

backyard brewer · Post by **backyard brewer** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:15 pm

Lars wrote:I'm not doing the gas beam either. I bought all the galvanized pipe to do the job. Now I just have to find the time to do it!

You shouldn't use galvanized pipe with gas. The galvanize can flake off and clog the jets causing issues. That's why black pipe is the recommended pipe for gas applications.

It'll probably never be an issue, but that's what is recommended.

spkrtoy · Post by **spkrtoy** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:22 pm

I agree with Derrin. We never use galv. for gas because of the flaking issue. Life's too short to cause someone's new furnace to blow up on them. The same can be said for copper, except it can seperate at the seam over time.

lars · Post by **lars** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:58 pm

Uh, ok I thought the black stuff was galvanized. Either way... I bought the black stuff. So I think I'm in good shape!

backyard brewer · Post by **backyard brewer** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 5:24 pm

Galvanized pipe is silver and is....well.......galvanized! LOL. black iron pipe is all you need for gas. Copper works fine as well but is no longer to code for permanent installations. Turns out the oderant they use so you can detect a gas leak decays into nitric acid and eats the copper inside out causing pinhole leaks over many years. pinhole leaks + flammable gas = bad thing. In a system like a brew stand that wouldn't be under pressure 24/7/365 copper would probably last forever.

thetonka · Post by **thetonka** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:57 am

Use black pipe, it should be right next to the galvanized.

I tried to use the cross piece as the gas source for my stand, but I had problems with the fit of the fittings I used(my fault bought wrong sized hole saw

), and while I was trying to fill in the gas I got it too hot and cracked the fitting in the threads.

Black pipe is safer IMHO, unless you are really confident in your welding skills.

Brewcommune

False bottom for keg mashtun

False bottom for keg mashtun

Re: False bottom for keg mashtun