For Those of You with Cooler MLTs...

I put together my cooler MLT last night. After tweaking with it a bit, it works flawlessly...no leaks, etc.

However, the valve is so stiff that I have to physically hold it or the plastic supporting it will bend (not permanently, but the fairly thin walls of the cooler don't have enough strength to stand up against the force required to actuate the valve). Nothing dramatic, of course, but the basic point is that I have to hold the valve when I'm opening or closing it.

For those of you with a cooler MLT, is this fairly normal?

Just used mine for the first time yesterday.... Had to hold the valve also or the cooler seemed to 'flex'. Not a big deal... I doubt it will break or leak but, for the first time I was really paranoid.

nope , mine is easy. Are you using a ball valve?

I can open mine without holding it if I want to; the plastic does flex a bit but not enough to concern me in my case. I typically hold mine just to be extra careful.

It's a ball valve. The force required to open it isn't so much that it requires a herculean effort, but it's stiff enough to cause the cooler to flex, as the others have said. Just wanted to verify the cooler I'm using is up to the task -- seems as though it is.

Mine bends a little as well. I just hold it to be safe.

I Never had the Problem How Ever Have Known a few people that have had the Stiff Problem with the Ball Valves. They Took some FDA Approved Lube (Keg Lube) and took a Q-Tip or something to reach the Ball when closed and put a small amount on it, which helped it out a bit.. Worth a try perhaps!

Mine used to be tight, but it isn't anymore... and it leaks now too. I just hold the valve body while turning the operator. You're supposed to do that for "proper" (read Navy) valve operation anyways.

My old cooler mashtun used to flex a little when I turned the ball valve, but the new one doesn't. I found that putting a washer on the outside of the tun stiffens the connection and reduces (eliminates) the flex. Pics and details here: Wade's Homebrew: New Mashtun!

Mine flexes as well. I put big steel washers on the inside and outside of the cooler for a little reinforcement.

I used these valves for other thing. They will loose over time.

It also depends on the ball valve you use. CPVC is the toughest to turn IMO. Only problem with getting brass/stainless on there, is if you still have to hold the valve to turn it, the valve can be just as hot as the mash!

I have the same issue with my MLT cooler. It's just a little stiff such that there's more give than I'm comfortable with, so I hold it to make sure no leaks occur. I have 3-4 steel washers on the oustide. I wasn't able to find SS washers for the inside, so they're a food grade rubber kind (including the original that came with the cooler). I think that's also part of my problem. But, hey, it worked on my last batch.

Once I found SS washers for the inside mine firmed right up. Solid feel and flawless operation.

Southwood said:

Once I found SS washers for the inside mine firmed right up. Solid feel and flawless operation.

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Where did you find them??? Believe it or not, I just cannot find SS washers that fit over a 3/8" nipple that goes through the cooler wall. On the outside, I ended up using plated steel washers that fit, but they're not food grade, so they probably shouldn't be used inside.

brelic, not sure where you are, but I found mine at an ACE hardware here in Columbus. Try to find the kind of place where you'd go if you only wanted to buy 3 nails instead of a box. Good luck!

Well, first brew day with the new MLT under my belt. I went at the thing with a wrench for about an hour trying to get it as tight as possible...now the flex is minimal. Even so, I still held the valve when opening and closing...and yeah, that sucker got hot!

80% efficiency...the MLT will play for itself in no time, considering I was getting ~60% efficiency with stove top AG.

mine is all guest fittings (sp?) so it bends and moves around no problem. a bit of a pain with only one hand, you MUST hold the cooler when trying to turn it, but i love the simplicity of the setup.

I took a piece of oak, drilled a hole of the size of the pipe and ran the pipe through it into my cooler and then used two wood screws to attach the piece of oak to the cooler. Gave me good support and my ball no matter how hard to turns never flexes the cooler.

The valve will usually open a bit easier after it is warmed by the hot mash water as well as over time with use.

Southwood said:

brelic, not sure where you are, but I found mine at an ACE hardware here in Columbus. Try to find the kind of place where you'd go if you only wanted to buy 3 nails instead of a box. Good luck!

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East coast, Canada. I tried Home Depot, Home Hardware, and several other more local hardware stores. I even tried a specialty plumbing store.

If someone is willing to send me some, I will gladly reimburse you for it.

Have you guys tried loosening the nut on the valve lever? My ball valve is not that stiff at all.