WooHoo! 50 QT Igloo Ice Cubes at Target

I just got 2 50 QT Igloo Coolers from target. They are on sale for $19.99 each.

I see 10 gallon batches in my future!!!

good deal.

Thanks Ben for posting this. I'll be checking out my local target ASAP, and see if they have them. (HLT Baby) If anyone else is interested, they are also available online from Target, or through Target via Amazon.com, in case you need some books too.

McKBrew said:

Thanks Ben for posting this. I'll be checking out my local target ASAP, and see if they have them. (HLT Baby) If anyone else is interested, they are also available online from Target, or through Target via Amazon.com, in case you need some books too.

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Yea, I saw them on Amazon first. Then I noticed it was shipped through target...So I went to target.com and looked it up and the site said it was available at all the targets near me. I went to the closest one and they had 2 out on the shelves so I picked em up. I didn't see any more, but they may have more in the back.

I think through Amazon/Target online there was $16 shipping to me also.

Just so anyone that is interested knows, these coolers DO NOT have spigots in them. However, they do have the little indentation on the bottom just like the ice cubes with spigots.

bigben said:

I just got 2 50 QT Igloo Coolers from target. They are on sale for $19.99 each.

I see 10 gallon batches in my future!!!

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Does a 6-gal carboy with airlock fit in there?

I don't have a carboy, but im pretty sure it won't fit with the lid closed. It will fit width wise, if you just want to throw some icewater around it or something.

bigben said:

Just so anyone that is interested knows, these coolers DO NOT have spigots in them. However, they do have the little indentation on the bottom just like the ice cubes with spigots.

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Just answered the question I had. Thanks.

I'll drill a hole in this bad boy and add another stainless ball valve from the LHBS.

bigben said:

I don't have a carboy, but im pretty sure it won't fit with the lid closed. It will fit width wise, if you just want to throw some icewater around it or something.

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Isn't there a set of pics by Yooper with a self-made foam insulation lid around... typically the neck and airlock are poking through the new lid?

The 60 quart ones are the ones that people have built foam lids onto.

The 70 quart ones will fit a 6.5 with just a hole drilled into the top. they have them at costco right now for about 42 dollars. I bought two.

ArcaneXor said:

Does a 6-gal carboy with airlock fit in there?

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I think I have the same cooler, although I bought it from Walmart and it does have a spigot on the bottom. I can get a plastic bucket or a 6gal carboy in. By the way, the cord in the back is for an aquarium heater and the cooler is filled halfway up with water to keep fermentation at the desired temp. I assume that is what you are looking for.

Cheers,

I went to the local Target tonight and they had one, now they have none.

It will be easy to cut a hole in the side and add another weldless ball valve. I would have saved some serious cash on my MLT if this had been around a couple months ago.

I was gonna use one of my ice cube coolers(the model with the wheels) but the spigot hole was to high for my taste. So I found a rubbermaid 50qt with a sunken spigot hole so gravity will naturally go to it.

McKBrew said:

I went to the local Target tonight and they had one, now they have none.

It will be easy to cut a hole in the side and add another weldless ball valve. I would have saved some serious cash on my MLT if this had been around a couple months ago.

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So you just drill a hole and add valve to make a MLT?
cool

I was just looking at these at Target, based on Yooper's picture, but they were priced at 38.99 in mine. I'll have to check again, and bring an ad or online price and get one.

richab said:

So you just drill a hole and add valve to make a MLT?
cool

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It's about that simple. I'm actually planning on using this one for an HLT, but will run some heat retention tests on it to see if I need additional external insulation. The walls on this one seem to be a bit thinner than the cooler I used for a MLT.

You can go about the valve in a ton of different ways, and I originally built my MLT using the information in Flyguy's thread but then upgraded to a ball valve similar to this one and sealed everything up with a bit of food grade silicone. I also used a bazooka screen on the inside. If you decide to buy ball valves online, I'd recommend shopping around as Northern Brewer's are pricy.

Hey, I have a question....and I make make a new thread for this but I'll post it here first.

Technically this cooler is not a 'drink' cooler since there is no spigot. Is the inside material safe for being in contact with hot water???

Mine read something to the effect of FDA FOOD GRADE on the label.

McKBrew said:

Mine read something to the effect of FDA FOOD GRADE on the label.

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You're absolutely right. It does say "Liner Meets US FDA Safety Standards". Ok I feel better now.

So what size hole are you going to drill?

I think the ball valve I use is 5/8" on the threads. I'll measure it first. For the best success on this, I'd drill the hole only as wide as it needs to be to accomodate whatever valve/posts you are going to use. Part of the problem with pre-drilled coolers is the hole is often larger than the piece going through resulting in sealing difficulties, and extra washers needed to stabilize the valve.

McKBrew said:

I think the ball valve I use is 5/8" on the threads. I'll measure it first. For the best success on this, I'd drill the hole only as wide as it needs to be to accomodate whatever valve/posts you are going to use. Part of the problem with pre-drilled coolers is the hole is often larger than the piece going through resulting in sealing difficulties, and extra washers needed to stabilize the valve.

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Yea, my 5 gallon cooler had that problem. I had to use a bunch of washers and o rings to make it work.

I will definitely be checking my local Target. The wife is always wanting to go there so it shouldn't be difficult. It's about 45 minutes away for me



OH NO, Is this sale over? Online they are $49.99

The cooler on sale is the top one without the wheels. Still 20 bones.

FYI, they aren't "on sale". $19.99 is the normal price, and has been for some time.

If you want to drill them for a fitting, be aware that there is no insulation in the indented area--just two plies of plastic. The total thickness is under 1/4" or so, so you will not want a "kewler kit" type fitting designed for a thicker wall.

JUST finished mine..

I saw the 50Qt Ice Cube also at Target for 19.99, I picked mine up about 2 weeks ago!!

Here it is completed: (Didn't use it yet, hopefully in about 3 weeks)




-Craig

Very nice!!! What size hole did you drill, and what size bulkhead did you use through the wall?

Ooh, me too! Worked like a charm for my first 2 batches.

I just got this cooler today, and am trying to figure out how big to drill the hole. I am following this guide and bought most of the parts listed. I am just having some problems finding the stainless steel washers. I also noticed that I do not have the drill bit big enough to drill. S

Should I be going about this another way?

I used a hole saw... I thought the 7/8" saw looked too big to make a good seal w/ the O-ring so I used the next size down and spent some time filing the hole out until it was a pretty snug fit w/ the nipple. Don't go by my #s though because all my fittings were 1/2" nominal, not 3/8" like many people use.

One thing about that "cheap MLT conversion guide" as well as many of the "kewler kits" is that they tend to include 2 o-rings. IMO, this is unnecessary, as there should be no reason to seal the fitting to the OUTSIDE of the cooler. In fact, this can be problematic because if the inside o-ring is leaking and the outside one isn't, then you are leaking water/wort right into the space between the plies of the cooler without knowing it. If it's sealed up on the inside, you are good to go.

Depending on your parts, you may not even need the stainless washer. The stainless coupler on the inside of my cooler was just about thick enough to seal against the o-ring itself, with no washer. I didn't try it w/o the washer since I already had it in front of me, but I think it might have worked fine w/o the washer. EDIT - look at CyclingCraig's setup above. He didn't need the washer, or the external o-ring.

I also never bothered with the "lock nut" on the outside because the cooler wall is so thin on these Ice Cubes, the taper of the pipe threads on the nipple would not allow a good seal. Basically the lock nut got too tight on the threads long before it ever had any clamping force against the wall of the cooler. So I left that out and just used a stack of galvanized washers and used the ball valve itself to tighten everything up.

Yeah, I'm a dope and didn't think this through . Right after I posted, I went outside to see if my drill could even take a bit that large. That's when the hole saw hit me, or actually my spade bits. I guess I'm a little hyper about brewing my first all grain.

I still need to find some stainless washers. Homey D didn't have them, I'll check Lowes tomorrow.

Here is the Home Depot parts list:

• Watts A-388 (Blue Top Bag) 1/2" X 3/4 Nylon Barb to MIP Adapter: $1.36
• Watts A-677 (Green and Yellow Top Bag) 3/4"FH x 1/2"FIP Tapped: $3.26
  (I think my bag was labeled wrong, should say "1/2 MIP", but part number is correct, see link below for the part details)
• O-Rings from Misc Sink parts section (#15 O-Ring): $1.97 pk of 10
• Big Fat washer from Nuts and Bolts Asile: $.84
• Watts A-815 (Yellow Top Bag) Pip Reducing Cupling 1/2"FIP X 3/8"FIP: $4.37
• Watts A-786 (Green Top Bag) Brass Pip Nipple 3/8" MIP x 1-1/2": 2.67
• 3/8" Ball Value (Brass) (By the copper pipe fittings section): $5.97
• Watts (Yellow Top Bag) A-294 Hose Barb Adptr 3/8" Barb x 3/8" MIP: $???

Total cost about $23.00

Install in that order, where the o-ring is the last thing on the inside of the cooler and the Washer is the first thing on the outside of the cooler.

Here is the Part that goes thru the wall of the cooler (It pretty close on the lenght, you will have to push a little to get the reducing coupling on, on the outside of the cooler:

http://www.watts.com/pro/_productsFull.asp?pid=6512&ref=1

I used a "Unibit" to drill the hole:
http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/jhtml/detail.jhtml?prodId=IrwinProd240001

Not sure if I went 13/16" or 7/8", (Pretty confident I went all the way with the bit and used 7/8") but when you pick up the above part, just make sure you get a Drill bit that is slightly larger than the threads of the watts piece, should just barely slip thru the cooler wall.


Hope this helps some of you guys
-Craig

I just picked up my cooler this past weekend. Can't wait to get it put together. Probably do a couple for PM's using it before going all grain, since i still only have a 5 Gallon brew pot.

Hey for those that have drilled a hole in this cooler...how thin is the wall where the spigot is. I want to get all stainless valves and stuff, and I am trying to figure out what I need.

If I just use one of these on the INSIDE of the cooler(with an o-ring and maybe a washer), will it reach to thread into a ball valve on the outside?
https://morebeer.com/view_product/17421

bigben said:

Hey for those that have drilled a hole in this cooler...how thin is the wall where the spigot is. I want to get all stainless valves and stuff, and I am trying to figure out what I need.

If I just use one of these on the INSIDE of the cooler(with an o-ring and maybe a washer), will it reach to thread into a ball valve on the outside?
https://morebeer.com/view_product/17421

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SixFoFalcon said:

If you want to drill them for a fitting, be aware that there is no insulation in the indented area--just two plies of plastic. The total thickness is under 1/4" or so, so you will not want a "kewler kit" type fitting designed for a thicker wall.

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I'm not sure if the threads on the fitting in that link will be quite long enough when you factor in an o-ring and washer.

are these the same ones?

http://www.target.com/Igloo-Ice-Cub...=UTF8&index=target&rh=k:igloo ice cube&page=1

If so, I may buy one.

Brew Dude said:

are these the same ones?

http://www.target.com/Igloo-Ice-Cub...=UTF8&index=target&rh=k:igloo ice cube&page=1

If so, I may buy one.

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Yes exactly the same.

Easy to drill as well, it's just over 1/4" thick in the side where you'll likely put the spigot.

beergears said:

Isn't there a set of pics by Yooper with a self-made foam insulation lid around... typically the neck and airlock are poking through the new lid?

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Shoot, for $20 a crack, take the lids off of them, flip one over, and stack them on top of each other...done.

Edit: Doh!! I thought I quoted the whole comment. I mean in regards to fitting a 6 gal carboy and airlock inside for temp control.

Is 50 qt big enough for a 5 gallon batch of AG?

Brew Dude said:

Is 50 qt big enough for a 5 gallon batch of AG?

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50 Qt will easily handle a 5 gallon batch of probably any beer you will ever make. It will work for quite a few ten gallon batches as well.