Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion - Page 209

**CGVT** · 02-08-2012, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by i4ourgot

so you are using the ss braid with nothing under it or supporting it from collapsing?

Yep. Just like the original design

.

It has worked perfectly since I changed it to what I should have started with in the first place.

When I stir my mash I try stir on either side of the braid and not hit it with the paddle, but I don't know that it really matters.

**eyedoctodd** · 02-10-2012, 04:00 AM

I had been looking around for info about how to do the 10-Gallon Rubbermaid cooler Mash tun conversion for 1/2" fittings instead of 3/8 and the info is spotty and scattered far and wide. Figured I would post what I came up with for my system that I'm very happy with and post the links to where I found it all. With this setup, you do NOT need the white rubber seal that comes with the cooler, nor any additional O-rings to help a 3/8" nipple "fill out" the stock hole on the cooler once the original spigot is removed. It is all-stainless/all high-temp safe as far as what touches your mash/wort. Since the internet is already rotting my brain, I don't want any additional chemicals leaching into my beverages to make it worse.

Outside Hardware:

You could use any 1/2" MPT barb fitting you want to connect hose direcly but I went with the F-style Camlock so I would have that kind of connection everywhere:

(One) 1/2" Ball Valve from bargainfittings.com:

(One) 3/4" cut washer from Home Depot:
Sku#248762 $0.40
(measures 52 mm wide overall diameter with 21 mm inner diameter, about 2.5 mm thick.)
(For reference, a web source would be here.

Inside Hardware:

(One) 1.5" Long 1/2" Diam SS pipe nipple from bargainfittings.com

(One) 1/2" Inner Diameter silicone washer from bargainfittings.com:

(One) 1/2" (large diam for cooler bulkeads) SS washer from bargainfittings.com:

(One) 1/2" SS Female threaded hose barb from bargainfittings.com:

A stainless braid and hose clamp would be fine here for batch sparging but I went with a false bottom because I intend to fly sparge eventually.

False Bottom: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004B7GIV8/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details from Amazon with 3/8" SS Barb:

I connected the 1/2" bulkhead barb to the 3/8 barb on the false bottom with
about a 6" length of 3/8" ID thermoplastic hose from rebelbrewer.com:

The hose fits very tightly around the 1/2" barb and moderately tightly around the 3/8" barb, which allows me to remove the false bottom for cleaning. I have not had to use any hose clamps on it.

I was able to reduce my mash tun deadspace (undrainable liquid volume) by half (from 2 quarts down to one quart) with one simple addition to my mash tun:

I used a short length (~1.5") of regular 5/16" vinyl siphon hose, trimmed one end as shown in this pic and wedged the other end into the bottom port of the false bottom. This effectively maintains a siphon for longer and lets you drain down closer to the bottom without choking off flow. Depending on how domed your false bottom is, you may need to adjust the length of this small piece of hose so that it is just flush with the cooler bottom when in place. You don't want it preventing the SS false bottom from making good solid contact with the cooler bottom all the way around, yet if you make it too short, you lose some wort by having the siphon break sooner. Obviously this works best if your cooler is on an absolutely flat surface. I plan on finding a piece of copper or SS tubing to use instead of the vinyl hose so that I can be sure it won't collapse in any way.

Hopefully this helps some of you save some of the time I spent digging and researching, and buying extra unnecessary washers and fittings.

Todd

hough77 · 02-10-2012, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyedoctodd

I had been looking around for info about how to do the 10-Gallon Rubbermaid cooler Mash tun conversion for 1/2" fittings instead of 3/8 and the info is spotty and scattered far and wide. Figured I would post what I came up with for my system that I'm very happy with and post the links to where I found it all. With this setup, you do NOT need the white rubber seal that comes with the cooler, nor any additional O-rings to help a 3/8" nipple "fill out" the stock hole on the cooler once the original spigot is removed. It is all-stainless/all high-temp safe as far as what touches your mash/wort. Since the internet is already rotting my brain, I don't want any additional chemicals leaching into my beverages to make it worse.

Outside Hardware:

You could use any 1/2" MPT barb fitting you want to connect hose direcly but I went with the F-style Camlock so I would have that kind of connection everywhere:

(One) 1/2" Ball Valve from bargainfittings.com:

(One) 3/4" cut washer from Home Depot:
Sku#248762 $0.40
(measures 52 mm wide overall diameter with 21 mm inner diameter, about 2.5 mm thick.)
(For reference, a web source would be here.

Inside Hardware:

(One) 1.5" Long 1/2" Diam SS pipe nipple from bargainfittings.com

(One) 1/2" Inner Diameter silicone washer from bargainfittings.com:

(One) 1/2" (large diam for cooler bulkeads) SS washer from bargainfittings.com:

(One) 1/2" SS Female threaded hose barb from bargainfittings.com:

A stainless braid and hose clamp would be fine here for batch sparging but I went with a false bottom because I intend to fly sparge eventually.

False Bottom: Video Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004B7GIV8/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details from Amazon with 3/8" SS Barb:

I connected the 1/2" bulkhead barb to the 3/8 barb on the false bottom with
about a 6" length of 3/8" ID thermoplastic hose from rebelbrewer.com:

The hose fits very tightly around the 1/2" barb and moderately tightly around the 3/8" barb, which allows me to remove the false bottom for cleaning. I have not had to use any hose clamps on it.

I was able to reduce my mash tun deadspace (undrainable liquid volume) by half (from 2 quarts down to one quart) with one simple addition to my mash tun:

I used a short length (~1.5") of regular 5/16" vinyl siphon hose, trimmed one end as shown in this pic and wedged the other end into the bottom port of the false bottom. This effectively maintains a siphon for longer and lets you drain down closer to the bottom without choking off flow. Depending on how domed your false bottom is, you may need to adjust the length of this small piece of hose so that it is just flush with the cooler bottom when in place. You don't want it preventing the SS false bottom from making good solid contact with the cooler bottom all the way around, yet if you make it too short, you lose some wort by having the siphon break sooner. Obviously this works best if your cooler is on an absolutely flat surface. I plan on finding a piece of copper or SS tubing to use instead of the vinyl hose so that I can be sure it won't collapse in any way.

Hopefully this helps some of you save some of the time I spent digging and researching, and buying extra unnecessary washers and fittings.

Todd

That's sweet! I wish I did 1/2" from the beginning, there wasn't much info at the time. There is not much plumbing that deals with 3/8" anything, so it's hard to upgrade or build off the inside of the tun.

CidCitrus · 02-11-2012, 02:43 AM

Does anyone know if the Igloo 10 gallon seat top cooler will work with this hardware? I can't find the Rubbermaid cooler anywhere and already bought all the hardware.

**eyedoctodd** · 02-11-2012, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CidCitrus

Does anyone know if the Igloo 10 gallon seat top cooler will work with this hardware? I can't find the Rubbermaid cooler anywhere and already bought all the hardware.

CitCitrus, it's impossible to know without your spigot hole size and wall thickness measurements. This page at bargain fittings does break it down somewhat in an attempt to help you size it out for one of their bulkhead kits, so you could maybe measure your cooler wall and hole and check there as a reference. http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=6

Unfortunately, I did not measure those things on mine as I initially used Fly Guy's 3/8 fittings and when I went 1/2" I just eyeballed the difference.
If anyone else is in the process of doing this conversion and hasn't put it all together yet, maybe they could post what cooler they have and what the measurements are fort that cooler.

**eyedoctodd** · 02-11-2012, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CidCitrus

Does anyone know if the Igloo 10 gallon seat top cooler will work with this hardware? I can't find the Rubbermaid cooler anywhere and already bought all the hardware.

Also, I found this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002N9F4/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00002ND6U&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=064E4BH3FBRQBMHJD28P
It's about $66 shipped if that's in your price range. Probably can find it cheaper without shipping, or of one of the other coolers works and has the same spigot sizing, you're golden.

CidCitrus · 02-11-2012, 02:55 PM

Thanks, I'm just having trouble finding any ten gallon coolers at all and would have to order the Igloo for pickup at wal-mart, so I wouldn't be able to measure it until I got it. Home Depot has the Rubbermaids listed in their stock but they can't physically find them and the website says they're an in store item only. I might just have to bite the bullet and spend the extra 15 bucks to have it shipped.

muttieb · 02-12-2012, 04:42 PM

will these parts work with a 10 gallon round Igloo cooler. Sorry I know its probably somewhere in this thread but reading through the 200 plus page thread is too much right now.

evandena · 02-12-2012, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CidCitrus

Thanks, I'm just having trouble finding any ten gallon coolers at all and would have to order the Igloo for pickup at wal-mart, so I wouldn't be able to measure it until I got it. Home Depot has the Rubbermaids listed in their stock but they can't physically find them and the website says they're an in store item only. I might just have to bite the bullet and spend the extra 15 bucks to have it shipped.

My HD couldn't find them either. Turns out they were in the cleaning supply section, on an end cap, waaay up top behind some smaller coolers.

**Sharkman20** · 02-13-2012, 02:51 PM

I'm doing this conversion with the original specs from page one, only I've gotten everything in stainless steel. The ONLY part I cannot find anywhere online is a FEMALE stainless 3/8 to 3/8 barbed hose fitting. I'm using it on the inside to connect to my stainless false bottom connection via a 3/8 tube. Does anyone know who might carry this?

I've checked bargainfittings, buyfittingsonline and some other sites but no luck.