I just received my Megapot 1.2 and am having some leaking issues around the thermometer. I didn’t receive any installation instructions so I was just winging it. I got a thermometer, two o-rings, a washer and a hex nut. My impression was oring on outside, o-ring on the inside, washer then hex nut. Still leaks even with some teflon tape on there. Any ideas? Would love to hear them. :?:
The o ring goes on the outside of the pot, if you put it on the inside it will leak.
Good evening All,
I recently received an eight gallon Megapot 1.2 with valve & thermometer as a birthday gift from the family. But I am having huge issues trying to get the thermometer to not leak.
I’ve tried it per the Blichman instructions that came with the thermometer:
- Thermometer-washer-kettlewall-o-ring-nut LEAKS
I’ve tried it per the the Northern Brewer instructions listed above. From the drawing it looks like #2 is correct but the results have panned as below…
1.Thermometer-washer-o-ring-kettlewall-washer-nut (with wash inside nut groove) LEAKS
2. Thermometer-washer-o-ring-kettlewall-washer-nut (with nut groove facing OUT) LEAKS
I’m a bit beyond frustrated. The NB instructions say snug… just how tight should the nut be? Hand tight? Couple of turns, past hand tight? I was hoping to brew this weekend but I can’t resolve the leak that won’t happening.
Any thoughts? Thanks!
Hey Scott, and others that might run into the same problem-
Sorry if you’re having a tough time sealing up your leak. Depending on when your family got the pot for you, the steps might vary a bit. If you get in touch with us directly, we’ll help you out and make sure that you get the pot sealed up- leak and worry free. Here’s some steps that might help:
If you have a Blichmann Thermometer and the hole in your kettle is 1/2":
You’ll want to assemble it in the following order, from the outside of the pot. Thermometer, washer and o-ring, kettle wall, nut. You’ll notice the O.D of the o-ring is just smaller than the ID of the washer, the o-ring will nest right inside the washer and help keep it from deforming when you tighten it up.
If the hole in your kettle is 7/8":
You’ll want to assemble it in the following order, from the outside of the pot. Thermometer, washer, o-ring, kettle wall, o-ring, nut. These O-rings are quite a bit thicker than the above option and they’ll avoid deformation on their own. The nut should be installed with the groove facing the o-ring.
Tightness wise, I find it is usually just a tad tighter than hand tight. Get everything into place, snug it up just past hand tight, fill it with water. If you see any dripping, snug it up more with the water still in the pot, then wipe away the drip with a towel, if you see more water start to collect, then repeat as needed. If that’s not sealing it, there’s the rare possibility that we had an “oops” moment, and the hole in your pot is just a hair oversized. It should be exactly 1/2" or 7/8" (depending on when it was purchased). If you find it’s 9/16" or something, get in touch with us at brewmaster@northernbrewer.com or give us a ring.
Above all- It shouldn’t be too crazy hard to seal, if it is something could be up. We’ll make it right. You should be in the position of watching your beers ferment, not your pot leaking.
Thanks for the follow up!
This Megapot 1.2 was just delivered the second week of July. Couple of things I can tell you for sure since I’m not home.
A. Neither gasket fits inside the washer. Not even close.
B. I currently have it setup as suggested for the 7/8" hole. It still leaks. I can tell you from visual inspection the o-ring is deforming. From the outside of the kettle the o-ring is closer to wall on the top then on the bottom. That would suggest to me that the hole is just too big…
C. And went hand tight and then kept going. Leak continues…
Also wanted to confirm I indeed do have the Blichman thermometer. They bought the kit with valve & thermometer.
I’ve also sent a note to your email yesterday. Thanks for jumping into help!
-Scott
Hey Scott,
We can hook you up with whatever you need to seal that up. I just wanted to confirm here that one of us was able to help you via email, since I didn’t see it. One of the other guys could have grabbed it, though. brewmaster@northernbrewer.com
Yes, I did. Thanks for following up. I am waiting on a replacement thermometer in hopes that it fits better then the Bremometer that came in the kit.
How odd. On my Megapot, the only way I can avoid a leak is in this order: thermometer, o-ring, wall, o-ring, washer, nut. With the washer on the outside, as in the directions on the Northern Brewer site (link in an earlier post), I had no luck. For what it’s worth, the directions for my ball valve call for the washer on the inside. No leaks there, so I’m sticking with what works.
I had the same issue. I did two things to resolve it…
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Wrap the threads with the supplied Teflon tape.
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Make sure the inside o-ring is seated inside the nut. If you look at the nut closely, you will notice one side is flat while the other is indented for the o-ring to sit inside it.
Hand tighten plus a turn and a half and you should be all set!
