What’s the best ball valve to get for a kettle. 2 piece, 3 piece? I understand the 3 piece can be fully disassembled but it looks like there are a bunch more potential leak points. Could I get away with a single piece ball valve like my cooler mash tun has? If it’s cleaned well right away? If I were to use a plate chiller I wouldn’t have to worry about cooled wort running through it.
I have the regular old traditional SS ball valve, and still works great… Sneezles61
I’ve got the same one. Never taken it apart, just clean it out with an old toothbrush after use. I understand that people have gotten infections with that. Mine gets so darn hot from the boil, it’s sanitized every brew day. Just keep the crud out, it works fine.
I have 3 piece ball valves I’ve opened them once. I clean in place after brewing by flushing and then recirculating boiling water from my HLT through through my pump, and plate chiller. I scrub the BK by hand rinsing and flushing the valve with boiling water from the HLT. I agree with your point that I’ll be pumping boiling wort through the valve anyway. No issues so far.
I’ve had a three piece on my BK for about 6 years without a leak.
I use an IC so the worts cold when transferred. Hot transfer shouldn’t be an issue.
The first time I took it apart, it had some black rubbery crud around the ball. Never had an infection from it, but now I take it apart between brews. It also dries it out.
For a brew kettle anything should be sanitized after boiling for and hour so you decide if the three piece is worth it. All three on my BK, MT and HLT are standard SS. The last one the wort passes through is the BK after boiling so I never worried about it.
Before my new brewery I had converted Sanke kegs with home made no weld brass valves from the hardware store. Never had a problem with them either.
