Mast tun design help

M making a mash run but want to do somthing different with the internal parts. I have a brass nipple on the inside of the cooler where I was planning on attaching a braid however has anyone uses somthing else instead if a mesh braid? I don't really want to use a cpvc manifold either. Can you use tubing like a silicone tube and just plug one end and somehow poke small holes? Or should I just go Witt mesh? I'm just thinking the weight of grain will crush the mesh tube or it will end up corroding

I batch sparge and I think a braid works the best. its also the cheapest and its easy to do.

just a 5 gallon rubbermaid poverty pail , a bargainfittings 2-piece valve kit and a toilet braid. works like a charm.

IMO a braid or copper manifold is the best way to go for your mast run.

IMO a braid or copper manifold is the best way to go for your mast run.

IMO a braid or copper manifold is the best way to go for your mast run.

Poking holes in silicone won't work. It's so flexible that the holes will basically close themselves back up. You would have to drill holes to actually remove some material.

Basically, any heat resistant material could make a manifold. The sky is the limit. It's just a matter of making a million little holes in it. (The braided mesh comes with those million holes already, so it is pretty convenient. ) If you are batch sparging, it's' pretty simple. If you are fly sparging, you'll want to look at some common configurations to make sure your design creates uniform flow.

+1 for copper manifold. Take a dremel or a hack saw and cut slits into it. They make excellent false bottoms and last forever.

+1 for the copper manifold. The silicone will just collapse. I used to use a SS braid but switched that out as well because I was leaving too much wort in the MT. I designed a square manifold that fits snug into a round cooler. I did not solder any joints and it slips right onto the nipple of the ball valve with a slight "snap" into place. When done mashing I can remove it easily, take it apart and clean it out and it almost completely drains my tun.

Anyone got pics?

I already have a ten foot piece of cpvc but not sure how to connect the manifold to the nipple or ball value

Are there any threads coming off of the valve inside of the cooler?

I have been using a stainless braided hose for years. No problems, easy to make, and cheap. Remember to pull the plastic liner out.

Brass nipple on inside

Thread a 1/2" copper fitting onto that nipple and make a nice manifold from there. Like someone said before, no need to solder since the fittings don't need to be water tight.

I used a braid and I"m extremely happy with it. Easy to do and fairly cheap.

Waterheater braid right?

benzy4010 said:

Waterheater braid right?

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yup, just like this

http://www.lowes.com/pd_379108-1870...water+heater+line&pl=1&currentURL=&facetInfo=

I found that washing machine hook up hose works great

Here is my manifold, I drilled holes into all the tubes and they are on the bottom, not visible, this set up leaves only .25 gallons of wort as dead space.

With a toilet braid will this be sufficient? Is that dip gonna cause a problem?

benzy4010 said:

With a toilet braid will this be sufficient? Is that dip gonna cause a problem?

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It works fine. every mash tun has some dead space.
add that volume to your sparge