I got a 10 gallon cooler-based all-grain system with brass ball valves a year ago, and I’m finding that since I batch sparge, I don’t use my hot liquor tank at all. I was wondering whether I could use the brass ball valve from it on my boil kettle. Does it have to be stainless steel?
Doesn’t have to be but… You can find SS for $15 on sale sometimes. Ease of cleaning/freedom from corrosion is worth $15 to me.
I’m a big fan of the 3 piece SS ball valves for ease of cleaning. If you shop around you can find them pretty cheap as well.
Boil kettle valve does not have to be stainless, but as you see form the other posts, many prefer it. I have brass ball, er . . . I have a brass ball valve on my brew kettle.
I clean my brew kettle and run cleaner through the valve after every brew. And, of course, it gets boiled when I brew. So, I don’t believe cleanliness is an issue.
Are you taking your valve apart to clean on a regular basis? If not, do it once and see how much nasty junk gets trapped between the ball and the seals. You’ll be cleaning it more regularly then. :shock: The three-piece valve makes that task a little easier.
