Boil Kettle Upgrade Questions

No, yes, no, IMHO

I don't think any upgrdes are all that necessary. The exception being a 3 tier system where your HLT is so high up that a built in thermometer makes sense (and mabe a sightglass). If you do install a thermometer make sure to get the short one that won't interfere with your IC (much). I have found a simple strainer sitting on the fermenter bucket to be mo betta than a bazooka screen inside the kettle. Cheers

 

To be a little clearer, increased volume is usually a good thing, but it really depends what you will be boiling on (the more vigorous the boil, the more you need the extra capacity to prevent boilovers). The most important upgrade for 5 gal batches for me was the "sandwiched" SS/AL/SS kettle. It provides excellent heat dispersion and is a must (IMHO) if you use LME or liquid sugars such as Lyle's or honey' The spigot would be nice, but it's not like it's a fermenter : ) Cheers

Also, if boiling on a gas stove inside, the geometry/size of the kettle is important for maximum use of your burners (2).

 

I have a 20 gallon pot that I bought cheap, but with no ports, either. I am going to install a bulkhead so that I can have a drain valve. I have decided to hold off on any additional ports for a built in thermometer, as I have a Thermopen and really only use the big pot for the full kettle boil, anyway. I heat strike water in a separate, somewhat smaller pot.

By the way, I love the larger pot! My only issue has been when I had to move it onto a burner once when close to full. If I had the drain valve on it, I could have had an easier time of it. 18 gallons of pre-boil wort is heavy...

 

I wanted to add that I have not done it yet, but I did just get the bulkhead fitting yesterday. I brewed today, and when things are quiet next week, I plan to drill the hole and install the fitting and valve.

That said, I have used this pot for a couple of years. I rack with an auto-siphon after chilling. But today may have been the last day for that. Next time, if all goes well, just open the valve, and let it drain a bit faster.

 

I have a bazooka tube on mine, and like it for the most part. Hop sludge does clog it up towards the end, and it takes effort to knock it off to get that last half gallon. I like it, and don't see many other methods that work better. It's great to not have to hand dump the wort into the fermentor. Without the screen, hops would clog the port anyhow, and you still have to battle it.

 

I have a 15gallon pot with a thermometer. What a waste. A sanatized thermopen is way more accurate. As far as a bazooka tube, what a waste. I put a 90 fitting at my spigot and use hop sacks to prevent hop sludge from blocking my outlet. If you worry about hop utilization, dont. My hop bombs are still as hoppy as ever.

 

I have a 15 gallon boil kettle with a ball valve (backed by a bazooka screen) and thermometer, each attached to a welded port. The bazooka screen is very effective for whole hops. Not for pellet hops, I always bag pellet hops when I use them. I actually like having the thermometer for monitoring the approach to boiling and the wort during cooling. Cheers!

Edit: The probe on the thermometer is short enough that it does not interfere with the immersion chiller that I use. The bazooka screen is more of a pain to make work with the chiller, but it can be figured out.