DIY mashtun... DONE!

Just thought i'd share my sucsess
it's a 5 gal cooler because i will be using it for just partial mashing. Kept it on the larger side so i could dabble in all grain once i perfect partial mashing more. small all grain, but dabbling never the less .

took me forevah! well, 2 days to track down somewhere that had the coveted SS washer locally. Ended up going to ace hardware, they were only .58 cents a piece. a tad smaller then the fender washer by about 1/2" so i went with it. Tested it, leaked a bit. Tightened it up more, no leaks! so we have... SUCCESS!



it shows a few drips 'cuz i had it sitting in oxyclean for awhile and had just emptied it out. and by doing that, i found out i only have about a quart of equipment loss. even more success!

Thought i'd share!

Now i gotta figure out what recipe to try...

Thinking a clone of bridgeports cafe negro or lagunitas a little sumpin clone... votes?

oh and... THANKS FOR THE WRITE UP FLYGUY!

Nice work!!

What kind of false bottom/manifold are you using?

Congrats - next thing you know you'll be eyeing larger coolers and kettles

Nicely done! Did you buy all SS parts and if so, did you get the SSvalve at Ace as well?

By the way, I vote for a Little Sumpin - had my first one a few weeks ago and it was great!

thanks for the replies!
I got most of the fittings at lowes, but alas, they did not have a washer above 1/2"... and my father had put my dremel in the back of his storage unit, so i didn't have anything to make it bigger sadness!
but the only thing i had to get at ace was the washers, but could have picked up everything there easily. I Got 4 washers just incase

Needless to say, i may, for the lack of partial mash recipes. And find it quite boring to have 2 cases of the same brew, i may just jump into 1/2 batches for cost cuts, and always have something new on tap (err, bottles, ya know )

and for the false bottom/manifold, i'm using the bazooka type tube (ss water delivery tube thingie cut on both ends)

What size is the valve and fittings. Many use 5/8 while others go with 1/2.

I made several all grain beers in my old 5 gal cooler. BM's Centennial Blonde was one of them. I think as long as the grain was less than 8-9 pounds I was able to brew it . Looks good, congrats on the build.

i used 5/8ths for those fittings, first time building something for a brew day, so i wanted to stick with instructions that are known to be working and not having to chance it not functional. (just incase )

And i will keep in mind the 8-9lb mark, thanks much! that helps me out a bit to see what i can plan ahead of time for AG brewin!

I thought 5 gal coolers tap out at about 15 lbs of grain? I've made up to a 12lb grainbill with no issues.