You forgot the third method - mounting the mill to a piece of wood and then setting that on top of any unmodified bucket. I didn't like the idea of cutting up a bucket or permanently mounting the mill inside one, so I built this. I like that I can take it off the bucket and it stands up on its...
I've been doing this successfully since I started this thread. No problems with clogging since I leave all the hop trub in the kettle. Never had a blowout or any other issues. I don't use a strainer or anything else that isn't part of the keg.
The yeast will be equally dispersed in each keg...
The lid is too small to have gas in and beer out simultaneously. You may have to rig some kind of way to QD the gas in and beer out through the same port, and repressurize after each pour.
If I were going this way, I would attach a handle or something to the false bottom so that you could pull it out from under the grain after mashing. This way, you could let it all out the bottom without having to tip it. Otherwise, I don't know how you're going to connect the manifold to the...
Here is the manifold for my new mash tun. The cooler wore out, so I'm going to be using the former HLT keg for mashing. I'm calling it the Figure 8 Manifold. I kept it small so that it would stay lower and have less dead space below it. About 6 1/2" square.
It says maximum temperature output is 140 F. I'm sure it can be hacked to go higher, but that will void the warranty. Also, the sticky wort issue should not matter as these things (at least the ones they use in my office) are triggered on by the flowing fluid, so ought to turn off when you...
If you can fit the 6.5 gallon carboy in there without the airlock, do it. Just put some foil over the top. Active fermentation will push the gas out and keep positive pressure inside.
Keep in mind that surrounding the screen with a pipe will block the openings and obstruct your flow. You could either use the screen or a slotted pipe. To prevent collapse, go with the pipe instead.
Go Orediggers!
For future reference, you'll need to clean the surface to be soldered with sandpaper beforehand. Also, only apply heat to the fitting. When the solder will flow into the joint just by touching it to the fitting, then the entire thing is hot enough. Don't use the flame itself to melt the solder.
It won't matter. As long as the whole coil is immersed in the fluid, it will chill the same. For best results, either stir constantly while chilling, or use a pump to recirculate and create a whirlpool effect.