Since I brew many smaller batches I’d like to convert a small food-grade bucket to a bottling bucket–less awkward, easier to clean. What size drill bit will make that hole? (I’m terrible at measuring/matching this sort of thing, as I learned when I tried to buy a bit to create an airlock in a food-grade lid.)
Depends on what your gonna use…
???
Drill a 1 inch hole. 
for a bottling spigot.
Thanks!
Edit: occurred to me if I get a step bit I’ll also be ready for when I start drilling holes in kettles. Thanks x2.
one of the things i have been meaning to do is to rill a small hole near the bottom of the bucket with a grommet in it then slide the bottling tubing through this hole. can then get the pick up way closer to the last little bit. so far has not been worth the effort to do it but i will soon.
Wouldn’t that leak?
no. i actually used grommets and hose in an apple juice lid for a 1gallon keg. held 22 psi. that is what gave me the idea. not really much different than running a hose through a bung.
How high you drill your hole in the bucket depends on the size and shape of the spigot.
Some spigots have long downspouts (to facilitate transfer hose attachment).
You have to factor that length into the height of the hole.
I’ve had some plastic spigots with downspouts that were practically flush with the bottom of the bucket.
If one is not careful lifting the bucket and setting it down, then a lot of weight and stress can be placed on the spigot and can result in a catastrophic crack or rupture and loss of beer (and a really big mess to clean up). This is really easy to do when plastic is cold–it tends to crack rather than give/bend. I’ve cracked a bulkhead and had a leaky spigot until I figured out why it happened.
If the hole has already been drilled, and the spigot downspout is flush with (or extends beyond) the bucket bottom, then just re-orient the spigot at a 45 degree angle. It’ll still work fine. Some spigots have a vent hole (through which O2 can enter the beer during transfer). If yours has one, I’d use a sanitized PVC glove + thumb to cover the hole during transfers.
Don’t try to go as low as you can–you want some dead space in the bottom for yeast and trub collection.
To minimize waste and get the last little bit of beer (and often the topmost layer of yeast–good if you’re harvesting), you can always tip the bucket towards the spigot as you’re finishing up.
I personally would not try the grommet and hose idea.
why not try it. i have all kinds of buckets to test it on. you can get it lower because the spigot does not need to be at the bucket. also this is a bottling bucket not the fermenter there really should not be much yeast or trub in the bottom.
i do agree that watching the spigot and stress on it is important though. my bigger buckets that i bought when i started had spigots in them and they are a little low. they always had to be propped up on a block or board to keep them from being under stress. they do rotate though as well