Mash ton recommendations for all grain brewing?

I'm currently brewing partial-grain recipes and want to transition to all-grain soon. I would like recommendations on a good cooler brand, size, and modifications for a mash ton? Extra info that might help: I'll be draining into a 7 gallon pot for full boil. Final batch size of 5.5 gallons.

I do 5 gallon batches and like my 10 gallon round cooler from home depot.
Depending on how you like to sparge you could get by with a 5 gallon cooler.

I started with a copper pipe manifold, with slits cut into it.
That worked well enough for batch sparging.
Lots of threads on this forum and lots of options.

IMO, it only gets tricky if you are trying to recirculate during the mash with a pump.
Then you want to ensure you have a good enough drain rate to keep the pump
from trying to create a vacuum under the grain bed.

But if you don't have a pump, just about anything will work that keeps the grains
from leaking out the valve.
I started with brass fittings. Cheap and easy to find at the local hardware store.

I have a couple of recommendations.


First -- Determine if you want to fly sparge or batch sparge. Answering this question will lead to some design considerations.
If you want to fly sparge, you will need to be concerned about your grain bed depths a ten gallon cooler from Home Depot will give a nice grain bed depth for both five and ten gallon batches.
Second, with fly sparging you will need a good laundering system. You will probably be limited to a false bottom or a manifold.

If you batch sparge, you are not constrained by the grain bed depth. What this means is that you have more options for coolers and laundering systems. You can more easily use round or rectangular coolers. Also you can use more lautering system: false bottoms, manifolds, steel braids, mesh screens.

I have the ten gallon cooler with a stainless braid. I also batch sparge and I love the results.

I hope this helps.

Hey guys. Thank you for the information and recommendations on coolers. I ended up purchasing a 10 gallon round cooler from home dept(#fg1610hdoran) but was curious if you could recommend the best spigot setup? I've found valve conversion kits online but am wandering if it makes more sense to buy valve and fittings separately? To answer the question above about sparging preference, i prefer to batch sparge. That being said, is a false bottom, braid, our pipe (copper, pvc, stainless steel) with holes best?

Check out these threads...I used them to build mine. I originally built a 5 gallon MLT with a stainless steel braid. Then I upgraded to 10 gallon MLT with SS briad. Now its the 10 gallon with 5 dollar false bottom. I also batch sparge.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/5-00-false-bottom-plan-340130/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/