Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion - Page 11

ohiobrewtus · 06-21-2007, 05:58 PM

Has anyone tried this conversion on a 10Gal Igloo cooler? If so, were you able to get the 3/8" parts to seal properly or did you end up going with 1/2"?

Home Depot about 30 min from me had the 10 Gal Igloo on sale for $40 a couple of weeks ago so I picked one up. Yesterday I picked up all of the parts and started to assemble, but for the life of me I can't get a tight fit. The o.d. of the spigot threads for the Igloo is 3/4", as is the i.d. of the spigot hole in the cooler. I can get the ball valve and the female fitting (with washers, etc) to go nice and tight on the nipple, but the nipple is way to small for the hole so it just kind of flops around loosely.

I'm guessing that I'm just going to have to go out and buy all new parts that will fit. Any other suggestions?

I guess it could be the lack of ss washers. All I could find was brass and they don't go past the threads on the nipple.

[maybe I'll try to take some pics tonight when I get home]

FlyGuy · 06-21-2007, 08:01 PM

The ID of the spigot hole on the 10 gal Rubbermaids is 3/4" as well. However, I used 3/8" hardware because they fit perfectly in the factory seal that the spigot used. Otherwise, 1/2" parts would have been better.

Having said this, I know my fittings were not tight enough without the use of the washers. Some have reported that using a shorter nipple worked for them on other coolers -- it is all a matter of how thick the wall of the cooler is at the spigot hole. The outer washers simply provide a convenient way to adjust the tightness.

And you don't need to use SS washers on the outside of the cooler, just the inside parts that touch the wort.

ohiobrewtus · 06-26-2007, 04:45 AM

Thanks a ton, FlyGuy. After a couple of trips to Lowe's and Menard's I finally got mine all setup.

FYI, for anyone attempting this with an igloo cooler, I added the following (in order from inside to outside)

starting from the cooler back to the thread of the 1.5" nipple on the inside:

the rubber washer that came in the spigot gasket of the cooler
5/16" rubber washer (Menard's - this should fit *very* snugly on the 3/8" nipple)
8 5/8" stainless fender washers (Menard's - the only ones that I could find were literally only about 1/32" thick)

Starting from the cooler back to the thread of the 1.5" nipple on the inside:

5/16" rubber washer (Menard's - this should fit *very* snugly on the 3/8" nipple)
2 5/8" hardened zinc flat washers (Menard's - these suckers are 1/8" thick)

I just made these changes before I took off to coach my daughter's tee-ball game (tournament week), I came back 3 hours later and not a drop had leaked out. I'm very stoked aout going AG, so thanks again FlyGuy.

I don't have a boil kettle large enough to use for full boils yet (my current kettle is only 22qt), but I plan on using it for a PM this week as a trial run.

inside closeup:
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outside closeup:
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braid (20 inch):
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front view:
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Flyin' Lion · 06-27-2007, 02:54 AM

Well thanks to Flyguy for starting this thread. I have read through the entire thread before asking this question, the only SS hose clamps I could find were nickel plated. Is this going to negatively affect anything? I've got some time before I put this together, so if it's in my best interest to keep looking I can.

Itchin' to go AG, pretty soon now.

turfguy1969 · 06-27-2007, 05:46 PM

built mine two months ago. Thanks for the sharing of info! have yet to jump into the grain but have the ingredients.

FlyGuy · 06-27-2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyin' Lion

Well thanks to Flyguy for starting this thread. I have read through the entire thread before asking this question, the only SS hose clamps I could find were nickel plated. Is this going to negatively affect anything? I've got some time before I put this together, so if it's in my best interest to keep looking I can.

Itchin' to go AG, pretty soon now.

You don't want to use plated hose clamps. You might risk getting metallic off flavours in your beer. Even so-called stainless steel hose clamps led to problems for me (see post #62 in this thread).

My solution was to insert some high temp vinyl tubing inside the SS braid. I cut a whole bunch of holes in the tubing to allow the wort to drain through. The fit was pretty tight, and I was simply able to insert the tubing over the barb connector. It works great, and comes off easily for quick cleaning. No clamps required!

And hope you get your first AG batch going soon!

EDIT: If you use the tubing insert idea instead of hose clamps to secure your braid, you MUST use stiff, high temp, food grade tubing. This works exceptionally for myself and many other people. However, if you use rubber tubing, or soft tubing, or tubing that is not rated for high temperatures, it will collapse under its own weight inside the SS braid and cause a stuck sparge. Further, you do not need the tubing to reinforce the SS braid -- it should not collapse under the weight of the mash (if it does you either have a deceivingly similar-looking plastic braid, or the quality of your SS braid is too poor to use in an MLT).

mattyg · 06-27-2007, 07:53 PM

I'm thinking about putting one of these together here pretty soon. Thanks FlyGuy for the awesome instructions & parts list. You did all the hard work and we reap the benefits!

I remember reading earlier in the thread that someone proposed using a Tee type connector on the inside and running their stainless hose around in a circle vs. a straight line. This is presumably able to filter more volume faster. Whoever you are (I'm at work & can't go peruse thru 11 pages of posts) did you do this and did it work well?

photogscott · 07-05-2007, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattyg

using a Tee type connector on the inside and running their stainless hose around in a circle vs. a straight line. This is presumably able to filter more volume faster.

If you continuous sparge, a looped braid will work as long as the real-estate inside the braid is about equal to the outside. In other words don't line a braid around the edge of the cooler. This doesn't apply to batch sparging in which case, a straight braid works fine.

denimglen · 07-05-2007, 09:22 AM

Just a quick question or two.

After seeing how easy this is it's making me really want to go to partial mashes.

I'd probably make one of these but use a 5 gallon instead, would that be fine for partial mashes in general? I'll be boiling in a 5.25 gallon pot doing 6 gallon batches. I know a full wort boil is preferred but will I get away with this set up ok?

Thanks in advance.

FlyGuy · 07-05-2007, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denimglen

Just a quick question or two.

After seeing how easy this is it's making me really want to go to partial mashes.

I'd probably make one of these but use a 5 gallon instead, would that be fine for partial mashes in general? I'll be boiling in a 5.25 gallon pot doing 6 gallon batches. I know a full wort boil is preferred but will I get away with this set up ok?

Thanks in advance.

Yes, you can use a 5 gal cooler for PMs, as long as you mash at least a few lbs of grain in the recipe. A 5 gal cooler will actually hold up to about 12 or 13 lbs of grain, so you can even make 5 gal AG batches up to about 1.070 OG, if you get a bigger pot (or even a second pot to split the boil -- that's what I do in the winter when it is too cold outside to use the turkey fryer).

Cheers!