Equipment when going all-grain

I'm contemplating switching to partial grain, or even all grain at this time, but I need to know what additional equipment I'm going to need. So far I've got the below:

* 30 qt or so turkey fryer with propane cooker
* wort chiller and pre-chiller since I live in Texas
* Mash ton and sparge tank (Should I buy this or make my own?)

What else?

make your own mash tun. Its aloooot cheaper. NORTHERN BREWER: Weldless Fittings

If you build your own Look into the DIY: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/

You also wanna pick up Ph 5.2 buffer for the mashes to make things easier. Go to walmart for the turkey fryer and pot for less than 40 bucks. You can get by with an extra pot- you dont need to have a sparge tank.

My setup had a cooler from walmart with weldless fittings and a bazooka screen instead of the braided SS hose. I have a boil kettle and another pot for water and thats about it. Its also a good idea to have a stick or something calibrated to see how many gallons of runnings (i notched a spoon). Thats about it unless im forgetting something big.

Oh and get some iodine to check for starch conversion on your mashes and a good thermometer. I bough a nice digital deal. Heres the one i bought
[http://www.northernbrewer.com/pics/fullsize/proaccurate.jpg]

With regards to the weldless fittings, is the bronze valve kit okay or do I really need stainless steel?

You'll be fine with bronze, but eventually you'll probably end up with a lot of other stainless equipment. At that point you won't want one bronze valve with an entirely stainless setup and you'll replace it. It costs a little more now, but you won't replace it later.

If you wanna go brass/bronze, I believe you need to "pickle" them in vinegar and hot water.

I usually just go for stainless since its easier to deal with.

My MLT consists of:
$40 - 10 gallon round cooler from Home Depot
$39 - Weldless Stainless Kit from Greatbargains.net
$39 - Stainless false bottom from More Beer

That was it for me...

The bazooka screen works fine too and it will save you some cash...

Brett3rThanU said:

I'm contemplating switching to partial grain, or even all grain at this time, but I need to know what additional equipment I'm going to need. So far I've got the below:

* 30 qt or so turkey fryer with propane cooker
* wort chiller and pre-chiller since I live in Texas
* Mash ton and sparge tank (Should I buy this or make my own?)

What else?

Click to expand...

You're going to want something to check your water/mash temperatures, a paddle or the like for stirring your mash to prevent dough balls, and the regular equipment such as fermenters and the like which you probably already have. Brass works fine and will outlast you and your brewing days and unless you're a little too anal about your equipment, the brass will suffice nicely.