15 Gallon MLT

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arturo7

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Here is my new MLT.

The vessel:
60 liter HDPE drum
Purchased this used for $15, it was used once to ship cooking oil. After a decent cleaning with Oxy, there was no residue and no smell.

60L_HDPE.jpg



The insulation:
1" flexible polyurethane foam
Purchased from McMaster-Carr for about $30, item # 9385K23. I'm guestimating that this gives me about the same R-factor as a cooler.

1in_insulation1.jpg



The assembly:
The insulation is held in place with cargo straps. This makes it easy to disassemble for cleaning and storage. I've done four 10 gallon batches in it. It has lost not more than one degree of mash temp.


mlt-01.jpg



I'll mount a proper themro on it someday. The bulkhead and valve are from Brewmaster's Warehouse. I'm still experimenting with the manifold/false bottom.
 
I use a 55 gallon HDPE barrel for my MLT. These barrels are thick and easy to make a bulkhead for. I use a herms and I don't insulate. I love mine and I think you will be quite happy with yours.
 
what kind of manifold/false bottom are you going to make for it? looks nice, well done. post some pics when you get a chance.....:mug:
 
Great to see this. I have a few HDPE malt containers, used from the LHBS. I was thinking about using one for a MLT too. The insulation is what gets me a bit.. Seems almost the same price as a cooler, so I'm on the fence. Maybe if I got a good deal on insulation it would make more sense...
 
RC, the cost may not be any lower than a cooler but I wanted to do 10 gallon batches in a round tun.
 
Nati, eventually I think I'll end up with a perforated stainless steel false bottom. Right now I'm using high temp tubing and a vegetable steamer.
 
What kind of R value would one want for Tun insulation? What kind of R value does a cooler have? What kind of R value do foam camping pads have?
 
RC, my estimate of the R-value of a cooler is 4-5. This is not based on any hard data. The insulation used on this vessel has an R value of 4 at 1" thickness.

No idea about the R-value foam camping pads, but I imagine one would work quite well in this application.
 
Right now I'm using high temp tubing and a vegetable steamer.

Never thought about the steamer! Great idea. I just had my first stuck mash/sparge. Are you using the circle type of steamer that folds in on itself, or just a steamer basket from a pot?
 
Dave, I was using the cheapie steamer that folds up.

However, as of my last trip to the LHBS, I upgraded to a stainless steel false bottom.
 
What about just using reflectix? Don't people use that on their keg tuns? I see somewhere that it has around an R-8 value, but people talk about it's r-value being dependent on usage.
 
Yea, I'm thinking I should look for a small cheap section of reflectix, or the camping pad deal. If I can pick up enough insulation for say 10$ or so, then it would seem to be cost effective to use the round HDPE container... I like this idea :)
 
Yeah, there are less expensive ways to do it. And believe me, I can be a cheap SOB. (check out my sparge device) I looked at the Reflectix and a few other options, but the insulation properties can be drastically different depending on how they are applied.

I knew the urethane would do the job, no need for experimentation. At the end of the day I figured it was worth the extra 15-ish bucks. Which, considering total brew rig costs, ain't that much.
 
How well does it hold tempature ? Does it lose more than 2 degrees in a hour? :)
 
Hi.

I saw a similar drum at the market not that long ago for about the same price, and I was thinking of using it as a fermentation vessel. I had some hesitations at the last minute, not knowing if it was food safe...the blue color leaching into the beer, etc...so I didn't buy it...this would be more useful than the 3 or 4 standard 5 gallon buckets I use, which take up a lot of horizontal space in my chamber

Any thought?
 
The one I have was used for cooking oil. If in doubt, get the manufacturer's name and product information from the bottom of the drum then check it out on their website.
 
The one I have was used for cooking oil. If in doubt, get the manufacturer's name and product information from the bottom of the drum then check it out on their website.

I tried all that, I came up empty handed...the one I saw may be used for water...i figure if its HDPE, i'm all good....however I also don't want to risk it...
 
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