Igloo Ice Cube no Hold DIY {HLT}

RockfordWhite · 08-23-2008, 05:54 AM

So my target has the 50qt Igloo ice Cubes for really cheap (like 20 bucks), and i was thinking that would work just as well (and significantly cheaper) than a 10 gallon igloo drink cooler for my HLT. Is there any DIY about adding a spigot at the bottom since there is not a hole in them?

BuffaloSabresBrewer · 08-23-2008, 05:57 AM

My igloo cooler has a hole that fits a 1/2'' pipe nipple perfectly. I would drill a 1/2'' hole and then just go by the instructions other have posted on this site.
EDIT: I was about to do this but I happened to get a cooler I liked better for cheap.

pen25 · 08-23-2008, 08:31 AM

my 48 qt cooler has a spout you can remove. its a cube with no wheels.

billtzk · 08-23-2008, 08:42 AM

I made a mash tun out of a 48 qt like pen25. No wheels, remove the drain spout and you can directly install a weldless fitting with no further modifications. I made a simple manifold out of cpvc and it worked really great for batch sparging.

RockfordWhite · 08-23-2008, 04:42 PM

yeah i understand there are ones that have holes, i'm just saying, in this case it doesn't have any holes...

hammacks · 08-23-2008, 04:51 PM

I bought a cheaper cooler with no hole. I just drilled one out. The hard part is still getting a seal (obviously). I used some thick neoprene I had access to at work. I drilled out undersized so it is stretched over the nipple to nipple connector. I also used a thick piece of nylon (3/8" or so) as a washer for inside. On the outside I have a #9 oring and 5/8" washer.

As far as the brass hardware, I followed Flyguy's design.

SilverKing · 08-23-2008, 05:05 PM

Drilling a hole should be fine Rockford. The only thing to consider is the thickness of the insulation. On many of the coolers that have drains, there isn't any insulation around the drain. That makes it easy to tighten some pipe fitting down on some rubber washers for a watertight fit. However, some coolers have thicker insulation in the area you might want to drill the hole. Even some coolers that have a drain hole have thicker insulation around the drain.

long story short: decide where the hole will go and prepare to have over sized washers to create a base for whatever pipe fittings you use. If your washers/fittings are too small, they could deform the hole you drill and possibly "sink" into the insulation. I've only had this problem on coolers that have thicker insulation and are "5day" coolers, but it's worth considering on the Ice Cube. I think the "Max Cold" versions of the Ice Cube have thicker insulation.

I was able to find large steel washers and rubber washers in the nut/bolt section at Lowes, if you've got one around.

McKBrew · 08-23-2008, 05:08 PM

I have that particular Igloo Ice Cube. I wouldn't recommend it for a HLT unless you can wrap some additional insulation around it, it doesn't hold heat well at all, esp if you plan on brewing outdoors in cool temps.

camiller · 08-27-2008, 02:26 PM

I use that cooler for my mash tun. I drilled a 3/4" hole which made a good fit for the outside diameter of the 1/2" nipple. You will note that even though there is no drain there is still a molded in location for one(low spot in the cooler and thinner side wall), put it there. Be sure to leave enough clearance below the hole for whatever washer you plan to use inside. The SS washers I bought were just a little tight to fit the nipple, I ended up having to use a dremel grinding bit on the inside diameter to get them to work.

I haven't use it during cold weather so I'll have to do as McKBrew suggests and wrap a blanket around it in the fall.

**conpewter** · 08-27-2008, 03:41 PM

I did a similar conversion. I drilled the outer hole larger than the inner hole, then I was able to remove the insulation and the seal for my spigot is strictly on the inner wall of the cooler, this way I can tighten down with O-rings and not try to work out how the insulation will compress.