Warping Rubbermaid Coolers

Hi all,

I saw some previous discussion of Rubbermaid coolers warping when very hot water is put in them here: http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8846&highlight=rubbermaid+warp

But had a few follow-up questions.

1) Do those of you who use them as a mash tun pre-heat them with boiling water? This is what I did on my first use and it's what caused a bit of warping for me. I was able to do this on my old rectangular cooler with no problem.

2) Does the warping go away?

3) Does the warping cause any serious problems, or does it just not look pretty?

Thanks!

-Matt

I've never warped mine, but then again I don't put water in over 170 degrees in it. I preheat mine with a few gallons of very hot tap water.

I guess it won't hurt as long as it does not leak.

The first time I pre-heated my 10 gal Rubbermaid MLT, it warped a bit. It hasn't done so again ever since. I use water that is just less then boiling (around 190F) to pre-heat the cooler and it seems to work great.

Unfortunately, the warping won't go away, but it shouldn't get any worse either, nor should it affect the ability of the cooler to hold heat in any significant way.

EdWort said:

I preheat mine with a few gallons of very hot tap water.

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exactly what I did. 122F tap water to pre-heat. I lost a whopping 2-3 degrees during my hour long single infusion rest period. you don't need to super heat the cooler, just get it fairly warm so its not such a heatsink.

I used to preheat but became too much of a PITA.

Now I just up the temp of my strike water by 7-8 degrees and hit my numbers spot on. I have a 5-gallon and a 10 gallon and neither of them have warped.

FlyGuy said:

The first time I pre-heated my 10 gal Rubbermaid MLT, it warped a bit. It hasn't done so again ever since. I use water that is just less then boiling (around 190F) to pre-heat the cooler and it seems to work great.

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My Rubbermaid MLT warped as well on the first use even though the water was around ~175F. I guess it's no big deal. Hopefully it won't warp anymore.

I just heat my sparge water 10 degrees above what Beersmith calls for (so, usually around 170-something) and pour it in the MLT and let it sit for 5-10 minutes or so. It'll drop down nearer to the target, and then I fine-tune with a few ice cubes before I start adding grain.

Funkenjaeger said:

I just heat my sparge water 10 degrees above what Beersmith calls for (so, usually around 170-something) and pour it in the MLT and let it sit for 5-10 minutes or so. It'll drop down nearer to the target, and then I fine-tune with a few ice cubes before I start adding grain.

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I think my problem was using a bad thermometer. The dairy thermometer just doesn't cut it. I think next time I will make sure I stir up the water really well and then take the temperature with a digital thermometer.

I've warped a cooler once, but thankfully it wasn't my MLT because if the floor of the cooler is warped, I'm boned using the copper manifold. I use hot tap, but not full heat, just a shade under, maybe 160 degrees. Works like a champ Doesn't really take any extra time for me.

It's going to deform a bit on the first run or two because the plastic expands and has nowhere to go. Do NOT put boiling water in there though. There's just no reason to. Go up to 185F with your initial strike water if you have a cold cooler and just wait for it to get down to 169 or close, then add your grain.

Bobby_M said:

It's going to deform a bit on the first run or two because the plastic expands and has nowhere to go. Do NOT put boiling water in there though. There's just no reason to. Go up to 185F with your initial strike water if you have a cold cooler and just wait for it to get down to 169 or close, then add your grain.

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I was freaked out at first, but it seems like this happens pretty often.