Hot Water Donkey from Beer Keg

Submitted: Thursday, Nov 12, 2009 at 14:23
ThreadID: 73712 Views:16962 Replies:13 FollowUps:9
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I just posted this question on the Caravanners Forum, then thought it is 'on topic' for EO (relates to camping) and there are some smart people here, so I'll ask it here also.

I've got my hands on an old beer keg that is in good condition. I am looking to make a hot water donkey from it. The keg seems to be aluminium. The idea is that it will be put on a small stand and a fire will be lit under it to heat water for showers etc when bush camping for an extended period in one place.

I'll need to connect two hoses to it, one for cold water in at the top and and one for hot water out at the bottom. For the moment, I'm assuming I'll be able to pump cold water into it under pressure, so I'll have pressurised hot water out as well.

I'm figuring the main mods I need to do are:
1. Connect (drill hole and weld) appropriate fittings to the side near the top and bottom. I'll need to connect copper pipe to both of these for the first 40 cm or so (due to heat), then convert to plastic, garden hose or other from there. My main issue is to select the right fittings. Can copper be welded direct to aluminium? Or do I need to connect brass, stainless steel or something else to the keg initially. Concerns are both physical strength of the connections and the effect of using dissimilar metals.

2. Put a pressure relief valve of some sort in the top of the keg in case I get it too hot - I don't want it to blow up!!! I'm figuring I can get a simple pressure valve of some sort from a plumbing supplies place than can be screwed into a hole drilled in the top.

Are there any issues with the ball valve in the top of the keg where the spear (?) is attached to extract the beer? I'm figuring it can be left alone and should not be concern. The keg is stamped with words to the effect of ' safe operating pressure for this container is 500 PSI'.

Anyone got any thoughts and advice on this. Not the end of the world if it does not work, but it seems a good project if I can sort it out.

Norm C
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