Copper Manifold Build Questions

I'm trying to get a better understanding of the construction of a copper tubing manifold for the MLT before I start working on mine. I have a few questions and can't seem to find definitive answers to them so far...

1. If the tubing is not soldered together, what keeps it from coming apart when using the mash rake to stir up the grains?

2. What kind of connection is made between the manifold and the ball valve to keep them together?

3. What is the best process for removing burrs from the inside of the tubing after cutting the slits?

4. Is 1/2" tubing the preferred size or should it be larger?

JMSetzler said:

1. If the tubing is not soldered together, what keeps it from coming apart when using the mash rake to stir up the grains?

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My manifold fit tightly together without soldering. When heated the bonds seem to be tighter due to slight metal expansion.

2. What kind of connection is made between the manifold and the ball valve to keep them together?

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See my build here. I used a nipple connected to a female 1/2" pipe coupler.

3. What is the best process for removing burrs from the inside of the tubing after cutting the slits?

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I just took a long screw driver and rubbed the burrs out. If I had one a pipe cleaner would have worked just as well and been quicker.

4. Is 1/2" tubing the preferred size or should it be larger?

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I used 1/2" and had no problems with my first AG. Second coming soon.

I know a lot of folks here recommend no solder. All joints on my 1/2" copper manifold are soldered except where it connects to the MLT outlet fitting. I have never had any problem cleaning it with a good garden hose spray - 45 times. I don't want to worry about my manifold coming apart with some healthy paddle action.

I soldered my manifold together also, I don't want to go looking for pieces when I need to use it. I connected my manifold to the valve with a couple hose barbs and a short section of hose.

I also soldered mine. However I used a stainless small dia. nail and drilled a tiny hole where it connects to the ball valve. I just use the nail as a clevis pin. No problems after about 20 batches. Cleaning is a snap with hose and a little oxyclean.

avaserfi said:

My manifold fit tightly together without soldering. When heated the bonds seem to be tighter due to slight metal expansion.



See my build here. I used a nipple connected to a female 1/2" pipe coupler.



I just took a long screw driver and rubbed the burrs out. If I had one a pipe cleaner would have worked just as well and been quicker.



I used 1/2" and had no problems with my first AG. Second coming soon.

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+1 on this, except I used a chain saw file to knock the burrs off of mine. Any small round metal file will work.

avaserfi said:

See my build here. I used a nipple connected to a female 1/2" pipe coupler.

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Is that just a loose connection or is it fastened together some way?

gonzo brewer said:

I know a lot of folks here recommend no solder. All joints on my 1/2" copper manifold are soldered except where it connects to the MLT outlet fitting. I have never had any problem cleaning it with a good garden hose spray - 45 times. I don't want to worry about my manifold coming apart with some healthy paddle action.

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Thanks for the response. This is sorta what I was hoping to find out

JMSetzler said:

Is that just a loose connection or is it fastened together some way?

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The manifold is loosely attached to the coupler, but the coupler is screwed to the nipple so there is a watertight seal on the cooler. I hope this makes sense.

Check How to Brew - By John Palmer for how I made mine. I think in one of the Appendices Palmer shows you what parts to solder to help prevent it from coming apart. You can also use some copper wire to make two loops that slip over each end.

And FWIW, I prefer small holes instead of slits. I'd get a lot of grain particles with the slits, with the holes, barely nothing gets through.

This is how I made mine..

kebrown said:

This is how I made mine..

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I saw those videos on YouTube and watched them several times. They are very helpful! I will be using some of those techniques.

The biggest issue I have left in this process is deciding which cooler style to use. I like the advantages of the 10g cylindrical coolers but I also like the ease of manifold design for the cube or rectangular coolers.

I'll also ultimately end up with two different MLTs. I'm going to start with the larger (10g) capacity MLT and then I'll build a smaller capacity one as well.

Mine is partially soldered, but breaks down well for cleaning.

Broken down...


Assembled...

I finished building my MLT quite a while back but never got around to testing it or making photos, but I made some images today...







I put about 5 gallons of water in it a little while ago and looked for leaks and didn't see any. I drained it to see how much water would be left behind, and only had 8 ounces after the cooler drained through the bulkhead. I'm heat testing it as I write this. I heated up 5 gallons of water to 170° F and dumped it in the cooler. I closed the lid for about 5 minutes and then took a temperature reading of 165.2° F, so I'm letting it sit for an hour before I check the heat loss. I know there will be a higher than average loss since there are no grains...

I drilled mine on a CNC Mill and used several steps to clean up the burrs.

Drilled holes.
Used 1/2" drill to scrape burrs from inside the pipe.
Used dremel to clean out the drilled holes again.
Round file to file inside of pipe again
flat file to clean up outside of pipe
sandpaper to clean entire pipe outside.

Took a bit of time, but I didn't want any burrs at all that could grab hops and grain particles and leave behind to spoil.

I did not solder any portion of my manifold and it simply stays in the cool all the time. My drain was connected to the manifold by a plastic hose, that allows me to lift up the manifold and move it out of the way to wash the cooler completely.

I used a band saw to cut slits in mine on the bottom side and cleaned out the burrs with a file. I soldered mine as you can see, but I used compression fittings that are thumb tight and easy to get on and off if i need to get it apart...

This project along with my chiller has gotten me started with sweat soldering though. These don't look all that great but they work and I'm confident that I can fit these joints together again when I build my smaller MLT in a 5-gallon cooler.

I still need to do some work on this large MLT though. There is no insulation in the white lid and it loses a good bit of heat through the top. When I use it for my first AG brew in a couple weeks, I'll probably just drape some towels and/or a blanket across the top to help with that. I'm going to look for some sort of spray can foam insulation that I can use to fill the lid though. I figure I can drill some little holes in the lid and fill that bugger up with foam insulation of some sort and get it more insulated. I'm also going to look for a large piece of styrofoam or foam rubber that I can use to make an insert inside the MLT to kill the dead space...

I didn't solder mine, as I wanted to be able to take apart and change if the design wasn't very good, but my efficiency and use has been great, so it's staying. I have had no trouble with the joints not being soldered, and it's not like I don't know how to sweat fittings. I redid the plumbing in our whole house with copper.

I thought The Pol had some really good info on his site:

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