Cooler Mash Tun build

Here Is a photo of my 52qt Coleman cooler mash tun. Does the spacing look okay? Is the gap in the back going to promote channelling? Should I redesign?
Just seemed like an easy way to put together, and easy to take apart and clean.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

It looks fine. You should get many good brews out of it. I'd remove the labels before using it though--just kidding.

Thanks cluckk. I will surely take the labels off first. Just needed to get some input before I soldering some of the pipe together.
Cheers!

Some people will forgo the solder so they can disassemble and clean the manifold. As long as your fittings are tight you shouldn't need to solder them.

Also ensure it is lead free solder. Dementia makes home brewing less fun.

ApothecaryBrewing said:

Some people will forgo the solder so they can disassemble and clean the manifold. As long as your fittings are tight you shouldn't need to solder them.

Also ensure it is lead free solder. Dementia makes home brewing less fun.

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Thanks. Understood. I will be sure the few parts I do solder are lead free. Didn't even think about that.
Cheers!

It's going to work great, been using a similar design for a long time & many batches without any issues. Just be careful when you stir your mash that you don't dislodge the components, especially where the manifold joins the valve outlet. Are you going with slits or holes on the manifold? I did slits, lots of dremel activity but I'm very happy with the results. Only about 1.5l of dead space, so it's very efficient.

CastleHollow said:

It's going to work great, been using a similar design for a long time & many batches without any issues. Just be careful when you stir your mash that you don't dislodge the components, especially where the manifold joins the valve outlet. Are you going with slits or holes on the manifold? I did slits, lots of dremel activity but I'm very happy with the results. Only about 1.5l of dead space, so it's very efficient.

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I was planning on using a hacksaw to make the slits, but I bet a Dremel would make better looking cuts. I would love to see a pic of yours, if you have one.

I think a Dremel would make thinner slits so there is less room for debris to make its way into the manifold.

I used a similar design and can second the comments about being careful when stirring. My second batch I dislodged the manifold from the valve. I had to dump the grians and strike water in my kettle, clear out the manifold and valve and dump everything back in the tun when it was clean. Somehow ended up with my highest efficiency ever.

If you can get your valve to come in at a slight down angle, so that you have to push it up slightly to slot the manifold, then the manifold will be held tight against the bottom of the tun when assembled.

I used the dremel for slotting and it worked like a charm.

can you please post a pic of slots using dremel. my LHBS told me they would be too wide and I should use a hacksaw.

cluckk said:

I think a Dremel would make thinner slits so there is less room for debris to make its way into the manifold.

Click to expand...

Yes, exactly. I started with a hacksaw but it was a PITA, so I switched. Only went through 2 or 3 cutting discs, plus, it was also much easier to manipulate the copper to cut it without having to keep it clamped. Will post a picture in a bit.

Also, as joyceman suggests, I used a 45degree connector to connect the manifold to the valve, since my cooler doesn't have a channel. I think the connector has a slightly larger diameter female end, can't remember what the piece was called.

Heres mine, notice i have a 45 degree down angle on mine.

Note the size of the slits
slits:



I went with PVC on the joints, it hasn't made any detectable difference in my beers. I get very little grain in my run-off, typically have to vorlauf less than a quart until it runs clear.

Thanks everyone. Your designs look great. And thanks for the pics. Very helpful.