Mashtun is Dying a Quick Death (Do yours warp too?)

Well this morning is a brew day and I am seeing that my mash tun is not going to cut it for another batch.

I am using an old Mountain Dew cooler (it was free ) and the heat from adding the strike water from my kettle (only have a mash tun and a kettle which i drain into the tun) is causing the mash tun to warp on the inside

I think this will be its 4th and final batch. How long to the Home Depot coolers last most of you? Do you eventually have the same problems?

I may go to another keg to mash in and just direct fire it with another burner.

I have a 5gal rubbermaid round that was given to me with the inside all warped up. I've put 15 additional batches on it so far. I figure it's good until it leaks or quits holding temperature. I also picked up a 10gal rubbermaid for an HLT (I only have 1 pot) and it warped up the first time I put 180F H20 in it. Still useable though.

Edit: I probably could have avoided warping the 10gal as it was winter and near freezing. I should have warmed the cooler up first with maybe some 100F water or so.

neither of my cooler MLT's have warped (both rubbermaid, 5gal and 10gal 'Home Depot orange' one)

I never hit it with boiling water though. I think a few people have found if you never let em hit 180F they don't get so soft to warp. I know I put my 165F strike water in the tun first, then add my grain to avoid doughballs, and that hasn't warped it).

My 10gallon Rubbermaid warped inside after about 3 batches. 10-15 batches on it still works fine. I need to upgrade from the 5/8 brass to the 1/2 stainless steel fittings at some point though.

i think you guys have nailed the issue here.

I am putting 180 - 185 degree water in there and waiting till it gets to my strike temp to begin my dough in.

I needed to strike at 169.5 today. I should have added my water to the tun at 175 or so and been able to dough in pretty quickly.

I was really trying to nail my process this time and i hit my gravity at 70% efficiency to the T. I am pretty happy and will still concider replacing my tun as i would be so pissed if it began to leak on me.

In addition i am thinking more and more about BPA and would prefer to be all stainless.

My rectangular Igloo cooler lauder tun is almost 15 years old and still going strong. Not had issues with warping, except a bit on the outside when I placed it too close to my burner.

Carter1932 said:

Not had issues with warping, except a bit on the outside when I placed it too close to my burner.

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that'll do it....

My 10 gal round rubbermaid cooler warped the first time I used it. There is a vertical "rib" that popped out on the inside, but after 100 or so batches I never had a problem.

My 10 gallon HD cooler warped after about 3 - 5 brews, then the "buckle" cracked top to bottom after about 10 uses. I now use an insulated converted keg... hasn't warped yet.

I have a rectangular Rubbermaid that I don't use anymore, why?

At some point early on I realized that they call it a "Cooler" for a reason. Much happier with the performance of a keggle, until clean up time.

Displaced MassHole said:

My 10 gal round rubbermaid cooler warped the first time I used it. There is a vertical "rib" that popped out on the inside, but after 100 or so batches I never had a problem.

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Same thing here; vertical warping that has never affected the cooler since. I've been using mine for a good 4-5 years like this.

malkore said:

neither of my cooler MLT's have warped (both rubbermaid, 5gal and 10gal 'Home Depot orange' one)

I never hit it with boiling water though. I think a few people have found if you never let em hit 180F they don't get so soft to warp. I know I put my 165F strike water in the tun first, then add my grain to avoid doughballs, and that hasn't warped it).

Click to expand...

Same here. I warped my first HD cooler by putting boiling water into it for the 'pre-heat'. I've since got into the habit of preheating with 160ish water and I've probably done 25+ brews in the new cooler with no warping at all.

I don't think these coolers are made to exacting tolerances. Some have had very good luck with them, I was not so lucky.
I never put boiling water in my HD cooler, I did however pre-heat using 170f.

I had a 5 gallon cooler that never gave me any problems.
Some seem to be indestructible, but not all.

both of my 10 gallon HD coolers warped within the first couple uses....been at least 100 batches since and they hold temps near perfect. I wouldn't worry about them warping, unless they stop holding temps.