Cooler MLT: leaking inside cooler walls

So I put together my 10gal cooler MLT, and after testing for leaks I was happy to see no water leaking anywhere outside the cooler. But I did notice my cooler was a bit heavier. I took apart the weldless fittings and found that a fair amount of water had seeped into the cooler walls.

I tried to drain out the water as best I could and reassemble everything and test it again. I still got water on the inside of the cooler.

Anyone else have this problem? Is there a good way to (A) dry out the cooler and (B) prevent leaks in the future?

Where are you located? If it is somplace humid, it may be impossible to get all the water out from inbetween the walls and you could end up with mold/mildew.

Your fittings are obviously not tight enough and not sealing properly. What are you using for your drain valve? As far as draining it, your best bet would be to drill some drain holes just through the outer layer, on the bottom of the cooler. Maybe a half dozen or so 3/16 holes would allow it to drain.

Good luck with it!

Check out BobbyM's No-Leak MLT bulkhead design. It's what I used for my Coleman Xtreme modification and it works great. Additionally, I coated the inside insulation with silicone caulk to ensure that if anything gets by the seal, it won't be soaked into the insulation.

I live in socal. Not too far from the beach. It's normally a tad humid but it's been a bit cold here (down right freezing by local standards!)

I think I just didn't tighten it enough and I might not have used enough tape. I think the silicon caulking is a good idea.