Help Me Figure This Out

I'm trying to move steam from a tri-clamp port with a 1/2" silicone hose that fits onto a barbed triclamp fitting. At the end of this hose will be a female camlock. This will plug into a male camlock, which plugs into a tri-clamp fitting. In the next post I'll make a collage of these parts so you can better understand. Some questions/concerns:

0) The widest part of the bulkheads on my kettle (the flange where the meet) are 2" across. I assume this means I'm using 2" triclamp fittings? Most of what I'm seeing online is are called "1.5"", so I just want to be sure this is how it's measured and that I am in fact using 2" ports on the steam generator's end.
1) I want to eventually transition to welded bulkheads, so I want to buy weldless ones that are smaller in inside diameter than the welded ones. I'm thinking about maybe buying a 1.5" weldless initially, then when I finally can afford a welder going to 2". So then both camlocks would need to be 1.5" to start, so they play nice with the receptacles fittings until upgraded.

It's really hard for me to figure this shit out from online shopping online, so I appreciate any help. Just sorta thinking out loud too. The steam generator is already fully outfitted with tri-clamp ports that are 2" at the widest part btw. What I'm working on now is piecing together the connections and receptacle.

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  1. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    shit, please ignore where it says '1.5"' in the image I posted in OP. Anyway, here's the barbed fitting. hose just slides onto it and gets tightened down with one of those weird metal ring things.

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous
      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        that thing mounts onto a port like one of these, with a tri clamp.

  2. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    the receptacle end of the hose gets plugged into a barbed female camlock, which connects to a male camlock. from here you probably get the rest, the male camlock is triclamped onto the receptacles bulkhead / port, and wala.

    now just help me order the right things in a way that works with my plans to eventually do a welded fitting on the receptalce

  3. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    The nominal size of a (light wall) tri clamp ferrule is the outside diameter of the tube. The outside diameter of the flange is usually about 1/2" larger than the nominal size. Sounds like you have 1.5" ferrules there.

    Welding tri clamp fittings like that isn't hard if you know what you're doing and have the proper equipment, but you can make a mess if you don't know what you're doing or lack the proper equipment. Do you know what you're doing?

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      >Do you know what you're doing?
      Absolutely not, not when it comes to welding at least, so I want to start out with weldless ports and a punch. I can't afford to a welder or to hire one anyway, but I have to make about 5-6 of these ports on various stainless drums.

      Can you help me source a weldless fitting that will let me change over to a welded one later, without issue?

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        I weld stuff like this professionally. Welded fittings only, and I'm not involved in procurement, so I don't have a hookup on weldless fittings.

        Like this one for example requires a 1-3/8" hole, which seems like it'd leave enough to later upgrade to a welded fitting?

        https://eastcoasthoppers.ca/products/1-5-triclover-universal-heating-element-adapter?keyword=Weldless%201.5%20inch%20TC%20bulkhead

        That looks like it could work, though it appears to be made for attachment to a flat surface rather than a cylinder. The seal will depend on how well it can accommodate the required curvature, or how easily the receptacle conforms to the fitting. A 1 3/8" hole would allow a later surface-mounted weld. However, a flared hole can be preferable on thin material, and a 1" hole would be preferable for that. The receptacle may pull in visibly without a flare. What are its size, shape and dimensions?

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          >it appears to be made for attachment to a flat surface rather than a cylinder
          They usually come with a donut shaped o-ring that I think alleviates some of that issue. I don't know that I've seen a curved one.

          > A 1 3/8" hole would allow a later surface-mounted weld
          So you're saying, to be 100% clear, that the item linked (provided it's description is accurate), should allow me to later remove it and install a standard 1.5" welded triclamp fitting?

          >What are its size, shape and dimensions?
          It's a standard 55 gallon drum, stainless. So a cylinder of approx 22.5"W x 33.5"H.

          • 11 months ago
            Anonymous

            >So you're saying, to be 100% clear, that the item linked (provided it's description is accurate), should allow me to later remove it and install a standard 1.5" welded triclamp fitting?
            Yes. A 1 3/8" hole is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of a 1.5" tube, so the hole should be expanded before welding, but that can be done later.

            >It's a standard 55 gallon drum, stainless.
            Probably flexible enough to conform to a tight weldless fitting, though connections are usually made on the flat ends. Big enough that it shouldn't visibly bend from the weld, though a non-flared weld may visibly pull the side in a bit.

            • 11 months ago
              Anonymous

              >so the hole should be expanded before welding
              In addition to the above, flaring a 1 3/8" hole to 1.5" would relieve some of the tendency to distort. It wouldn't make the smooth contour typical of a proper flared hole, but that might be the way to go.

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          I called the company too btw and a left a voicemail explaining I later intend to replace it with a welded fitting. Hoping they get back to me today.

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        Regarding the equipment to weld something like that, if you don't have skillz already, you'll need a TIG welder with a controlled arc tail off to avoid pinholes, so budget for one with a foot pedal (or other controllable remote) or a machine with a programmable down slope (this is more for industrial machines - a Maxstar with an on/off torch remote is very nice to use but rather expensive). High frequency arc starting is very nice but not required for this. You'll need to protect the back of the weld, which is usually done with a second argon supply and a purge plate/plug. Flux is an alternative, but I've never used it for something like this. You'll need various other tools for preparing the drum. I'd use a step bit to make the hole, though a smaller hole can be ground larger if you don't have a torquey enough drill. A die grinder is very nice to have for working with small holes. A carbide burr and small sanding drum would let you expand the hole if needed. A knockout punch would be an alternative.

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          any recommendations for a tig? I can go up to 240v @ 50A.

          • 11 months ago
            Anonymous

            I use Miller Maxstars and Dynasties at work, and I have a Miller Multimatic 200 and a Lincoln Square Wave 200 at home. They're nice but pricey. I'm not familiar with more budget offerings, but there are supposedly decent ones to be had.

          • 11 months ago
            Anonymous

            Key is practice for many hours on similar scrap. Never learn on your workpiece. That's a major noob frickup.

          • 10 months ago
            Anonymous

            Eastwood have been around many years.

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      Like this one for example requires a 1-3/8" hole, which seems like it'd leave enough to later upgrade to a welded fitting?

      https://eastcoasthoppers.ca/products/1-5-triclover-universal-heating-element-adapter?keyword=Weldless%201.5%20inch%20TC%20bulkhead

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