Immersion heater sealing issues

[dan162]

Has anybody had experience with fitting A standard immersion heater (2/3")to a s/steel keg ?

I'm struggling to get a water tight seal , I have tried a back nut with washers both sides but because of the shape of the keg and the fact they are to thick to flatten I can't get a good enough seal . I have also tried a mechanical flange but that gives me the same issue .

Ideally I would like to get a s/steel boss welded on to the keg but I can't weld and don't know anybody who does !?

My next attempt was to buy some thick silicone sheets and try to make some washers but before I do I was wondering if anybody had already been down this road and could offer some well needed advice ?!

I've attached pictures of the sort things I've used if it helps .


[IMG]//images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/01/02 ... f24c7f.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]//images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/01/02 ... bcf677.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]//images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/01/02 ... e0d9e5.jpg[/IMG]

[Fil]

the everlasting gasket should do the trick.. its a US distillers trick for making inert
bespoke gaskets, and if anyone is more anal about the materials used in a build than a brewer its a distiller..

cut a template from stiffish card the centre hole a tad bigger than ideal (a tad in this case being upto 1mm or thereabouts)

get some ptfe tape and start wrapping the card template round and round like racing bike handle bar tape threading the reel through the centre hole working arround the the whole thing, after a couple of full round wraps you should start tp notice the centre starting to puff or cushion out a bit keep going till the cushion is 2 x or more the largest gap between your locknut and barrel wall when dry fitting.

wrapping under tension will seal in the card core, and when heated the tape will try to contract a bit more to make that seal permanent, the cushion effect is afaik down to tiny airpockets trapped by the wrap and will form a nice soft seal for your gap, if attempt #1 fails rewrap #2 with an additional roll of tape

[dan162]

Thanks fil, I like the sound of this method il give it a go .

[Brewedout]

Not tried method above, nor with stainless vessels. However, silicone sheet cut into shape worked faultlessly on my mash tun and boiler.