Warped Rubbermaid Cooler

I did my second all-grain over the weekend and while cleaning out my Mash tun I noticed the liner in my 10 gal rubbermaid cooler warped. I did a search and looks like a few other people had this problem also. I figure as long as it doesn't crack it should be fine, are there any other concerns with it warping? I'm a little disappointed that my new shiny cooler warped.

I had the same problem with mine, I switched to a 100qt extreme and haven't had a problem after 5 batches. I wouldn't there would be a problem, I just worried about what it could leach if it were hot enough to deform.

I have a slight warp on mine as well. No problems 9 batches later.

I have a huge warp in the wall of my cooler. Ya, it did effect my volume a small amount, but whatever...

i've got a couple warps in the side of my 10gal round cooler. it seems that this happens to round coolers more often. i've noticed that this kind of plastic hardens quite a bit when exposed to heat from a flame. i've been thinking about building a new 10g mashtun and was thinking about taking my blow torch to the inside walls a bit to harden it up. might also be asking for trouble!

I guess a little warping is a small sacrifice for good beer.

The second time I used my 15gal Rubbermaid cooler I heard a lot of cracking noises. But noticed nothing when I took the grain out. I think the inside insulation was cracking. The walls didn't warp or anything. I've used it a few times since then.

TerryWendel said:

The second time I used my 15gal Rubbermaid cooler I heard a lot of cracking noises. But noticed nothing when I took the grain out. I think the inside insulation was cracking. The walls didn't warp or anything. I've used it a few times since then.

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i do believe it is the insulation because i've had coolers and insulated coffee containers do this as well with hot liquid as well as cold liquid

Ah. I'm glad it hasn't lost any of it's insulating properties. Works just as marvelous as the first time around.

My 10G round cooler warped and got one bulge after 2 brews and another after the 4th, but is still doing a great job of not leaking and holding that mash temp for 60 minutes.

yeah i think its just the insulation expanding from the heat.

More specifically it is probably expansion of air trapped in the space between the inner and outer walls.

Might be a good idea to drill half a dozen tiny holes around the base into the cavity between the outer shell and the inner liner, to prevent the buildup pressure in that space.

MajorWoody said:

More specifically it is probably expansion of air trapped in the space between the inner and outer walls.

Might be a good idea to drill half a dozen tiny holes around the base into the cavity between the outer shell and the inner liner, to prevent the buildup pressure in that space.

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now that makes even more since. don't know why i didn't think about trapped air

Dog House Brew said:

I had the same problem with mine, I switched to a 100qt extreme and haven't had a problem after 5 batches. I wouldn't there would be a problem, I just worried about what it could leach if it were hot enough to deform.

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I worried about this same thing enough to decide to mash in a stainless steel kettle wrapped in a couple woolen blankets.

I called Igloo support once to ask why they don't list their coolers as being hot-liquid compatible and they said it was particularly because of issues with warping.

I just got some 10 gallon Rubbermaid coolers (from Home Depot $40/each) and am worried about these coolers warping as well. For those whose coolers warped, how bad was the damage? Is it worth it to still use the round coolers or are there better coolers to mash in? Do these coolers last or will they need to be replaced after a couple years b/c of the warping?