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dead spce in converted kegs

econolinevan

Master Brewer
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May 10, 2009
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I just converted two 15.5 gallon kegs into my mash and boiler.  I ended up with 2 gallon, 8 onces dead space in each.  Seems a little excessive, but I would not have been able to put valves any lower in kegs.  Has anyone out there who has converted these kegs experienced similar?
 
Did you use a side dip tube or is it down the center?  That and putting hose on end of ball valve and tipping to get extra wort out helps.
 
In my brew pot, I have a bazooka screen and yes I could tip and get a little more out to go through my counter chiller, but my mash tun utilizes a pick up tube and  mash screen purchased from morebeer as a keg converter kit and once you get to the level of the valve, your done.
 
Friend of mine hand-crafted this bazooka-type thing from stainless mesh that angles down to very bottom of keg/boiler. 

He uses enough leaf hops to provide a filter over the mesh and it filters wort very well. 

I sort of do the same thing with a s/s scrubby fit snugly over the out-tube-coupler, but still sacrifice ~1 gallon, even with tilting.  I brewed with lots of leaf hops yesterday and was amazed with the wort clarity and the amount of leaf-hop trub below the valve.
 
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