Mash tun cooler conversion/screen question.

I picked up a 10-gallon cylindrical rubbermaid cooler for Home Depot and put a weldless ball valve on it with a torpedo screen; the problem being, the torpedo screen didn't fit completely and I had to bend it a bit to make it lay mostly flat on the cooler bottom. Will this kink have an effect on performance? Pictures:

Top-down view:


Side view 1:


Side view 2:

Anything sticking up will suck air before the wort is all out, losing the siphon. So I'd try to crimp the end, rolling it up, so it lays as flat as possible on the bottom instead of sticking up.

Mine is the same way.
You need to bend, it but it needs to curl around the edge.

Don't worry about loosing siphon though. It's a screen and enclosed suction ends where the screen starts.
You can't maintain suction through a screen.

45_70sharps said:

Mine is the same way.
You need to bend, it but it needs to curl around the edge.

Don't worry about loosing siphon though. It's a screen and enclosed suction ends where the screen starts.
You can't maintain suction through a screen.

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Didn't see this until I'd already enacted Yooper's advice, the screen is beyond that now; I bent and flattened it over with a channel lock:

Top-down:



Side 1:



Side 2:




Going to start grinding grain in a few minutes, I'll report back how she flies after the mash.

Yes, that should work.

I don't know the reasoning behind 45_70s response, but in my experience when a bazooka sticks up, it starts sucking air before the wort is completely out, and breaks the siphon. Maybe it's not a true siphon, but I think it is. I've had that issue a number of times with a bazooka tube in my BK. Once you get to where the top is exposed, and start sucking air, the flow will stop. But if you keep it as low as possible, you'll get maximum extraction.

As long as the bottom of the nipple that the screen is clamped to is lower than the liquid level, and the grain bed permits flow, it will flow fine.
You cannot get a siphon through an open screen.
If you have a spare bazooka screen, try placing half of it vertically in water and try sucking water through it.

Either way, you want as much surface area of it in the bottom of the tun as possible.
The more screen down low you have, the less chance of a stuck sparge.

Worked like a dream. 80% mash efficiency, missed BeerSmith's predicted gravity by .002. Thank both of you for being awesome!

I'm glad it worked out for you.

Now if I can find time to brew in the next couple days life will be good here also.

I've used this screen without modification inside a round 10 gallon cooler before. You probably could have gone with the 6" version of the one you modified too.

spittingglass said:

I picked up a 10-gallon cylindrical rubbermaid cooler for Home Depot and put a weldless ball valve on it with a torpedo screen;.............]

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PM me if you want a domed false bottom for that rig. Just upgraded some stuff and don't need it. You can get it for postage.

Golddiggie said:

I've used this screen without modification inside a round 10 gallon cooler before. You probably could have gone with the 6" version of the one you modified too.

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That looks like a good one.
I wanted a false bottom, but figured the cost wasn't worth it.
I ended up with the same one as in this post because while I was shopping for a cooler the best price I found was on amazon. They also listed the parts to convert to a mash tun and I ordered it.
The oversized one works well at least. I may look at something like this when I convert the 5 gallon one that I have.
I want a spare smaller tun for when I'm using a small enough grain bill.

45_70sharps said:

A
You cannot get a siphon through an open screen.

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Ah, I see what you mean. Except, yes you can! If the wort covers ALL of the screen, it'll still "suck" it out. Once you have even a minute portion sticking up and sucking air, it stops. That's why I said to get it lower, as you will get far more extraction. Try it and see!

That's why I have my bazooka tube in my BK as close to the concave bottom of my keggle as I can. If a portion sucks any air at all, the flow stops. As long as the entire tube (screen) is covered, the wort flows.

spittingglass said:

Worked like a dream. 80% mash efficiency, missed BeerSmith's predicted gravity by .002. Thank both of you for being awesome!

Click to expand...

Package on its way. Hope it serves you as well as it has me.

I use the same screen in my 5 gallon cooler. I just rolled it up on the end a few times until it fit. It has worked perfectly.

Based on the way you've got that bulkhead installed (locknut inside), you could have removed the coupling and washer and just reclamped the mesh tube over the exposed male threads that you'd be left with. Then you'd have all mesh from wall to wall.