Any chance we could get the MatMill Lauterhexe kit with NPT fittings?
Is that just a 3/4" tee with 1/2" bulkhead reducer in BSP that I would need to adapt or find in NPT?
We don’t sell it in NPT yet, but I have been thinking about manufacturing our fittings and the Lauterhexe in NPT.
For now, you could still buy the Lauterhexe and buy a BSP ball valve and camlock type A. The rest of your system can still be NPT.
I could do that… Unfortunately I have everything else already in NPT. I’m trying to use Kal’s configuration with a tee for the temp sensors between the valve and quick connect.
I think all I’ll need is a straight thread adapter in 1/2 NPT male to 1/2 BSP female in stainless. Now if I can only find one for under $40 each… Off to surf Alibaba…
http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/bsp-to-npt-thread-adapters-straight_1910639047.html
I sent them a request for quote…
Quick question…maybe a dumb question. Are the threads on the fitting parallel (BSPP) or (BSPT)? I’m assuming tapered.(?)
At the end of the day I may just try to mate the NPT/BSP and seal it with teflon tape. That ‘should’ work based on what I’ve read considering the low pressure nature of the connection and the 1/2" size we’re working with.
The fitting is BSPP, not tapered. This is because it is longer than normal to have room for the locknut.
But if you are screwing a tee on it, this might not be a problem, because tees have short thread usually. BSP into NPT is easier than the other way around, due to BSP having a smaller thread angle (55) than NPT (60).
Thanks. I think I’ll try it that way.
I did find the right adapter too, if anyone is interested:
http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/SS_9037_Male_Pipe_NPTF_x_Female_BSPP_p/ss-9037.htm
SS-9037-08-08 SS-9037-08-08 | 1/2" NPTF Male x 1/2" BSP Female (316 Stainless)
I received NPT Lauterhexes today 
https://store.brewpi.com/featured/brewpi-matmill-lauterhexe-kit-npt
I will get dip tupes, kettle inlets, whirlpool inlets and HERMS coils in NPT in about 3 weeks. I just got the fittings, but they still have to be assembled with tubes.
This question goes for both the Lauterhexe and other kettle fittings from the BrewPi store, like the whirlpool inlet. I have original generation Blichmann Boilermaker kettles, and I am curious if anybody knows whether the hole near the bottom of the tun (where Blichmann installs the valve/dip tube) fits the Lauterhexe without modification and would attach to my stock ball valve. I think the existing hole there is 13/16". I’d love to pull off a tool-free swap of the false bottom for the Hexe.
13/16" = 0.8125", and 21mm = 0.827". Fairly close but I don’t know what the tolerances are for weldless fittings like the Lauterhexe.
My mash tun also has a 13/16" mounting hole, punched near the top, ostensibly for a Blichmann AutoSparge. But maybe I could swap my mash tun and my boiler, and this upper hole is where I would attach the whirlpool inlet. The kettle is 23.5" tall so I think the 45cm whirlpool attachment would be appropriate. I assume getting the submerged part of the inlet semi-close to the bottom of the kettle is preferred.
13/16" is 0.4mm smaller than 21mm. I doubt it won’t go through. I can measure one for the exact dimension tomorrow.
I have 13/16" holes in my kettle, at least they are made with a 13/16" hole punch. They are probably a tiny bit bigger, because the tool is not perfect.
If you look at the thread spec for NPT:
http://www.trentonpipe.com/ti_threadformdatachart.html
You can see that for 1/2" the max diameter is 0.84".
Because of this, our NPT fittings have a custom thread that we designed ourselves.
The minor diameter in standard tapered 1/2" NPT (the valeys), but the major diameter (the tops) is limited to 20.955 mm (0.825").
See the photo below: you can see that the thread becomes less sharp near the head. The first few threads are sharp and have an outside diameter of less than 20.955 mm, because of the taper.
The reason for this, is that with a standard NPT taper and a 3/4" length, the outer diameter would become bigger than 21mm and not fit through a 21mm hole. By limiting the outer diameter at 20.955 mm, flattening the thread tops, the fitting will fit in any standard NPT tapered female part AND will go through a 21mm hole without issue.
Coils, kettle inlets, diptubes and whirlpool inlets with NPT fittings will be ready in about 3 weeks. I know I promised them earlier, but the manufacturer closed for holiday and the guy that has be test coil bending skills just returned today.
I have confirmation from Blichmann Engineering that both the bottom drain valve hole and the pre-punched AutoSparge holes on their G1 (first generation) and G2 pots are all the same: 13/16".
For those of you considering whether to replace your Blichmann false bottom with a Lauterhexe, and/or thinking of installing a tangential inlet assembly in the AutoSparge hole and turning that pot into a boil kettle, I will likely do this myself and will report on the results (once the BrewPi store has NPT fittings all around).
I have measured an NPT Lauterhexe and it is 20.75mm, so it depends on how tight those holes are.
13/16 would be 20.63mm. It will probably just fit, otherwise you could just use some sandpaper to take 0.1mm off.
I am very happy to report that the NPT whirlpool inlet sold on the BrewPi.com store fits quite nicely into the 13/16" hole in the top of my Blichmann Boilermaker kettle. Please see pictures (and don’t judge me re: the filthy mash tun!). No sanding or other work needed.
In my case this hole was originally cut at the factory to fit a Blichmann AutoSparge. But I intend to swap my boil and mash kettles, so that the new whirlpool inlet can be used for the boil. I can contemplate this swap because I use another sparge option these days and no longer use the hole high up on the mash tun.
The same size 13/16" hole typically is also at the bottom of a Blichmann Boilermaker to connect a weldless dip tube to a ball valve. So any of you with dreams of using a MatMill NPT Lauterhexe instead of the stock Blichmann false bottom should feel confident that the NPT threads will fit through the hole without further modification to your kettle.
