No i dont mind dicking with it, i can definitely get the SS braid and kink the end... thing is... thats 1/2" and everything i read like that MAIN basic DIY says 3/8" Would I have to drill my cooler if i bought that one you mentioned? Also wouldnt I have to make a lauder tun with that pvc manifold or copper? I cant just buy 2 of them spigots or id have 2 mash tuns right? Also, that brass ball valve... are these the SAME ones you can get at a hardware store for alot cheaper than 31 bucks??? Or are they special?
Awww, I see the confusion. No, you don't need a mash tun AND a lauter tun......it's one thing. One cooler, a mash and lauter tun (MLT). You could build two seperate igloos one for each.....but it would be a PITA and no reason for it.
The hole in your igloo will likely be 5/8. You won't need to drill anything, a 1/2 inch fitting is perfect. If you get 3/8 steel braid, you'll have to step from a 1/2 down. You can get 1/2 inch braid as well, it doesn't have to be 3/8.
You'll have EITHER a manifold, OR a false bottom, OR a SS braid on the bottom of the MLT. This is to keep the grains from draining out during the MASH process. You may have another manifold on the top, OR use a sparge arm, OR just use a hose from the hot liqcuor tank (HLT) depending on whether you batch sparge or fly sparge.
Basically, if you build your own, you're going to get a ball valve, a bulkhead fitting (that will pass through both walls of the cooler), a 3/8 fitting (for the external tubing, you can use a 1/2 fitting here as well for bigger tubing), assorted washers and orings to seal it, and an adapter that will go from whatever you use as a bulkhead fitting to your manifold/steel braid on the inside of the cooler. It takes less time to assemble than to describe it.
Here is a pic of mine looking down the inside of the cooler:
On the outside is the ball valve.
With your 3 Igloo coolers, you only need to build one into a MLT. Another one can be your HLT, which is basically just a container for holding hot water. On the HLT, all you need is the ball valve, no manifolds, false bottoms, any of that.