Need to replace my Cooler Mash tun

I have an igloo square cooler mashtun that I use with a bazooka tube. The bazooka is not ideal in keeping out all the grain. Even after vourlofing plenty I find I have to use a colander when pouring off into the kettle too keep excess grain out.

The reason I'm writing this is because I have to replace my cooler it got warped to the point it doesn't close so I lose a lot of heat. So either I get a round cooler with a screw top or a square cooler with a latch.

for the round cooler I can get the false bottom.

I'd like to hear what you guys have and what works best.

I do only 5 gallon batches. I guess if I get the round it would be the 10 gal

Square coolers IMO are superior, I have had mine for almost 3 years, it is just now beginning to leak around the ball valve, but I think I can fix it with some PVC, and Great Stuff.

Plus you are really limited with a round cooler unless you don't want to do 10 gallon batches of mid-gravity ales your okay.

In addition, I use a 3/4" water heater supply braid, and have had absolutely no issues with lautering.

Even with 24lbs of grain on it, no problems, I have only had one stuck sparge due to a considerable amount of wheat in the tun, but otherwise really no issues, costed about $12.

FWIW, I use a 52 qt Coleman Xtreme, and I usually brew 10 gallon batches. 5g batches works well with the 52qt size, but take a little longer for mash temps to equalize, and loses about 1 degree over an hour opposed to when I mash for 10g, unreadable temp loss over the 60 minute mash with my Thermapen.

Schnitzengiggle said:

In addition, I use a 3/4" water heater supply braid, and have had absolutely no issues with lautering.

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+ 1 on the 3/4 water heater supply braid. I use a Rubbermaid (10 gallon) cooler for my mash tun. I installed the water heater supply braid as outlined in John Palmer's book. 5/8 inch connections are readily available and the braid holds up well to the weight of the grain, etc. Love it.
Mark

If you're certain you won't be trying to do big @ss 10 gallon brews, it's hard to beat the 10 gallon Rubbermaid. Plus there's an epic thread covering all the "how to build it" aspects...

Cheers!

I like the square ones. These are 10gal models. The lids were hollow, so I drilled a couple of small holes and then filled them with Great Stuff foam. After that set, I drilled another hole for my RIMS return hoses and another that I can insert a long thermometer into.