 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/6/2012(UTC)
Posts: 26
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"Newb here, was gonna build my own until luckily I found Brewhaus. This stills are far better and cheaper than I could make on my own.
Could someone enlighten me to the pros and cons of going with the high-capacity keg kit versus the high-capacity with the 15 gal premium kettle? I have an empty keg sitting around and the thought of saving $150 is enticing, but on the other hand, I want something that is going to perform well.
What sort of prep has to be done to the keg? Do you cut the existing nipple off? How does the keg get cleaned out?
Thanks, and I look forward to learning so much more about distilling."
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 Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/16/2010(UTC)
Posts: 453
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You can get an adapter from BH that fits the keg and it works with their column. The thing with the keg is: 1. It's heavier. 2. you will always have to work through the hole in the keg to clean it, etc. The BH Premium cooker has a big hole in it to clean it up and it's a lot lighter. Other than that not much difference in the way they would work.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/4/2012(UTC)
Posts: 303
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" Originally Posted by: rasher  What sort of prep has to be done to the keg? Do you cut the existing nipple off? How does the keg get cleaned out? You need to remove the valve stem from the keg. Search Youtube and you will find how to remove it (it isn't hard to do, lay it on its side and press the handle of a screwdriver on the ball to release the pressure, then remove the spiral keeper ring, then rotate the stem counterclockwise until it stops, then lift out). Cleaning is another matter. That opening is little! See http://www.brewhausforum.com/showthread.php?t=2135Muadib"
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Rank: Guest
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Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
Posts: 5,254
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Well a couple of things that jumps into my mind in addition to what was previously provided is..with the beer keg you are nearly stuck with using propane as a heat source because of the round bottom. It do not play well with flat hotplates. If the keg you have has a name of a beer company on it..it belongs to them not you. Now they will sell you one but they cost about five hundred bucks. The thirty bucks is just the deposit fee. It isnt the sale of the keg itself. In the meantime you are just in possesion of a hot keg..lol. Chances of person having trouble over it..slim to none hopefully:)
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/6/2011(UTC)
Posts: 161
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what i did to clean mine was used like 5 capfulls of lysol concentrate filled it all the way with water and let sit overnight then i dumped and rinsed a few times thenm i used a bunch of oxyclean in it and did same then rinsed a bunch of times then i used it and now i have booze :) and this keg sat half full of beer for 6 months so it was pretty dirty
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Rank: Guest
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Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
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Wow bet that was a stinky one. Great job on cleaning it up. Never would have thunk of the Lysol concentrate.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/6/2011(UTC)
Posts: 161
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buddy uses it in his clothes wash machine so had a bunch there thought was great idea
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Rank: Guest
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Putting that on the agenda. I supposedly have one coming that the plumber is building. It has a little stinky Miller in the bottom but was still pressurized and not to bad when I dropped it off. No telling what it will be like when he gets finished. I told him to take his time figgering it would be cheaper..lol.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/6/2011(UTC)
Posts: 161
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mine was half full of the best beer ever (pabst blue ribbon) for 6 months
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Rank: Guest
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Sorta sad to waste good beer like that. Must have been some lightweight frat boys who had possession of the half full keg. Way I was taught is its better to throw it up than to throw it out.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/6/2011(UTC)
Posts: 161
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well was a festival we have evry year 40 kegs up in woods that one got5 dropped at buddys place and we all was too hung over to drink it so sat in the sun and got bad
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Rank: Guest
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Well yelp them kinda tragedies can happen. Least you got a great boiler out of the deal. Me and chum had a half full model one time but it ran out of Co2 and we couldnt dispense it. He decided to shoot air from his air compressor down in it. Worked like a charm till the next day. It was flatter than a flitter.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/6/2012(UTC)
Posts: 26
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"I think I'll probably just go with the premium kettle so I can get an easy-to-clean good start to my new hobby and save the beer keg for a future hi-cap beer stripper or something.
Next question:
Will the 1500 watt burner that brewhaus sells actually work well enough with the hi-cap column, or should I have a NPT fitting custom added to the kettle for an internal heating element?"
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Rank: Guest
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Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
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Never used one of the internal heating elements so it's hard to pass judgement on that aspect of the issue. Do seem like a very kewlish idea. Will say the hot plate works well once the internal thermostat is bypassed (takes about 2 mins to take one nut off the bottom and re-route the wire that leads to the thermostat back to the hotplate utilizing the existing connectors). Then you need a router controller for the hotplate to plug into so you have some non cycling heat control. Harbor Freight peddles a 15 amp version of the controllers for twenty bucks. Not sure how long they will last. I snagged a 20 amp version from Rockweller for about fifty bucks. It gets hotter than a two dollar pistol when it use. Not sure how long that one will last either:) How much do it cost to get rigged up for the internal element? Does it require 220 or 110 voltage? Thanks.
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