mash tun manifold design
 

need help with the design of my manifold for the mash tun

will be purchasing the Coleman 70 quart extreme. Interior measures 24½ in wide and 10½ in deep on the bottom

calculations from Palmer's How to Brew, I've figured my spacing between 3 legs at X=3, so the distance from the wall is X/2 = 1½

wouldn't be a problem if I could find a ½" CPVC cross fitting. the middle leg would plug into one end, the pipes out to the side legs would fit on either side and the connections to the spigot and out would be on the opposite end.

can't find one. I found stainless cross fittings, which I could use with stainless to CPVC fittings, but all that would double the cost of the manifold

so, without a cross fitting, here's the design I came up with:
(pipes are GREY, T sections BLUE, elbows GREEN)
Attachment 93009

my other design is going straight out the spigot from the middle leg with caps at the end of the outer legs. disadvantage of this design is the length of tubing the wort has to travel from the ends of the outer legs
(capped end in RED)
Attachment 93010

any suggestions for better design?


"use a bazooka screen" is NOT a good suggestion, nor a better design

This is mine, all copper, no solder so it can be taken apart to clean, holes are drilled on the underside about every 1/2". Works great!

Here is mine. Didn't use solder and made cuts every half inch with a hacksaw.

Your first design looks good... Just lay it out in the cooler (the joints) before you start cutting, and make sure you have clearance to get to the outlet port on the cooler...

There is no one 'right way' . . .
I would put your cuts or holes on the underside of your pipes...

Looks good!

What's the general consensus on holes versus slats?

Getting ready to ditch my braided coil.

personal preference. for me, both are within tolerance

I haven't decided which yet

I like holes but see no reason to be all dogmatic one way or the other... :)

I first tried slots but it severely weakened the design, so I drilled lots (I mean lots!) of 1/16" holes. Must stronger.

I use the same cooler and made up the manifold with '90' and 'T' fittings only (with the exception of the bulkhead fitting out of the Tun)
I used 1/2 cpvc and did not glue it up... it's a friction at room temp but tightens up nicely when heated to mash temp- never had it come apart during a mash and pulls apart for cleaning easily later.
I used 4 tubes across the long dimension of the mashtun, with the outer lengths about 1" from the walls and the inner tubes about 1" from the outer tubes
Tried to do an illustration using text but it didn't come out right... don't want to confuse the issue.
I have never had a stuck mash using this manifold and would recommend it as a simple, easy to clean option for a rectangular cooler like the coleman
I'll try to add a picture or two in a subsequent post

a couple pix, assembled and broke down for cleaning