I have some questions regarding keggle construction. The first is when using a sight glass in the brewing vessel do people have trouble with it getting clogged with hops? If this is the case then I think I will skip putting one on and just put one on the HLT since there is nothing to clog it up. Also following that same train of thought do I want to put the sight glass below the false bottom of the Mash tun. I have watched the videos online of people brewing with sight glasses in all three vessels but havn’t heard anyone talk about the clogging.
I’ve been brewing with 3 converted kegs(keggle sounds like the exercise my wife did when she was pregnant)since 2000 and even bought a sight glass. But I really never saw a need to install it. I use the rings on the keg to mark 5 gallons and then extrapolate from there. When I fill the mash tun I’m using 5 gallon water bottles and have become pretty good at estimating water volumes. I normally collect 14 gallons of wort and boil down to 12 so I’ll collect 11.5 in the fermenter. I’ve done it so many times I don’t even measure anymore. Sight glasses just look like something that I’m going to break the first time I use them.
If you feel you need more control I would recommend getting a piece of stainless or copper rod from a welding shop and cut notches into it for whatever volumes you need.
I use a wooden dowl that was laying around unused that I notched at one gallon increments. I don’t use it after the fire is off, but have no need to.
I didn’t bother with a sight glass on my boil kettle - One less thing to get dirty. I have my long handled plastic spoon marked in one gallon increments which I use a dip stick.
Like you, I went ahead and put a sight glass on my HLT. I find this very convenient.
Ok thanks eveyone for the reply, that was kinda my line of thinking also. I will just use one on the HLT and use another means of measuring in the other vessels.