Stupid question about washers, please help.

Ok, admitted equipment moron here.

I am building the 10 gallon cylindrical cooler MLT. I have all my parts except washers. At home depot, i can only find zync plated washers. I didn't buy them because I was worried they would be of insufficient quality for coming into contact with the wort. How important is this? Where can i find stainless steel washers? Do I only need the stainless steel for the inside?

Thanks.

Zync plated will rust. If you have more then one Home Depot, check differant stores. Check Lowes/ACE/True Value also. I had to shop around a bit but found Menards, Lowes and Ace Hardware stocked various sizes of SS washers, just had to find which particular store.

The other option is an industrial supply store like Graingers or McMaster Carr. They will have them, but will typically sell them in bulk.

Get the zinc washers if you really need to brew right now, but put some SS washers on order or pick up from your local Fastenal. Or, my preference is ordering from BargainFittings.com: Bargain Fittings. Brewing once or twice won't have any effect on your beer, but the zinc washers will eventually start to oxidize so get the SS washers for a more permanent solution.

Don't get zinc washers...that could be possibily dangerous.

Fastenal has the correct SS washers. Mail order or store.

Product Details | 5/8" x 1 3/4" 18-8 Stainless Steel Flat Washer | Fastenal

anytime I need stainless hardware I go to my local Ace Hardware, they always have a pretty good selection in stainless, both metric and standard.

azscoob said:

anytime I need stainless hardware I go to my local Ace Hardware, they always have a pretty good selection in stainless, both metric and standard.

Click to expand...

You're lucky....Each store or region must stock differently, up here it's all galvanized in that size, same with the big box stores. And it must be all over the place, that's why we have so many threads about this, and even in the "cheap and easy mlt" thread that is the largest difficulty, getting the 5/8 ss washers.

Just order from Bargain Fittings. They're so damn fast, they'll likely arrive before you hit submit on the order.

wow, I just figured that Ace normally carried the stainless selection. I never had problems getting stainless hardware in the Chicago suburbs, and now out here in AZ. my little town has a small Ace with a good selection of stainless, had a whole drawer full of 5/8" stainless washers that I used for my MLT cooler, 60 cents each