Why kegs for distilling boilers? Some home distillers use milk cans, others use pots or barrels. You cannot go past a beer keg used or new! They are usually around 14 or 16-gauge Stainless Steel, so they will last you a lifetime. You can do anything to a keg from a four-inch clean out, chopping it in half and welding another keg on top to make it 30-gallons.
The only downside to a keg is it is hard to clean out. That is why I suggest weld a four-inch ferrule to the top of the keg and a four-inch clean out on the side of the keg, so now you have two points of entry to clean the keg. You can order a keg with clean out from us, or even a window clean out kit. If you do not have clean out, you go to car wash and use a high pressure hose.
Have a look at my Deluxe Lazy Boy. You can choose to make your own keg boiler by tig welding. If you know someone that can weld, you can order the fittings from us, and then have them do this for you. You can make these electric by placing heating elements on the sides that screw into a coupling that is welded to the keg. Or you can use this with a stand over propane or open fire for those more experienced. Kegs are cheap to get, you have to release the pressure. There are plenty of youtubes on how to do this. To remove the spear and sanke.This is under a lot of pressure. If you do this incorrectly, you can hurt yourself or someone close. Take precaution. That is why I do these for you.
Does it look nice? When a keg is polished, it looks brand new, they come up quite nice. You can also request a never before used keg, not even for beer.
They are easy to repair if anything happens. Mostly they are maintenance free. I sell refurbished boilers, but lately I have been sending out brand new ones, never before used. It is just when I run out I use used kegs, so I always state they are refurbished, just in case. Is there a risk of scorching? Very low unless you have a high BTU burner going full-tilt and less than 1/3 liquid in the boiler. When you get to 202-204 you are into your tails end of the run.