warped MLT

I just did my first all grain today. All went well. When I was cleaning up I saw that my cooler had a warp in it. I searched Fly Guys post and saw that a few others had this problem. My questions are does this happen often? Should I try to return this or is it normal? And lastly will it eventually crack?

It's probably warped because you put hotter water in it than was intended by the manufacturer of the cooler. Mine warped after about 5-6 uses, when I poured in almost-boiling water to preheat the cooler. Oops!

I don't think you can return it as a defect, because it's not designed for hot water. Mine warped about 2 1/2 years ago, and it's not cracked yet- so I think it'll be fine!

Agree with Yooper. Must have happened when you preheated. I warped my HLT using water hotter than 180. Unlike Yoop, I developed a crack a few batches later that is now protected by electrical tape. I'm sure the adhesive in that tape will kill me eventually, or at least, someone is going to claim it will.

I agree with these assessments. The hottest water I put into mine (standard HD/Rubbermaid 10 gal cooler conversion) is 170F, and I get a warp or "ripple" in the side. Gotta happen....the plastic has to expand when that water hits it, and it's got nowhere to go, so it warps. The warp comes right out when I'm done.

As "Yooper Brew" pointed out, these are coolers, not "hotters." Same reason I injected insulation into the lid; the lid doesn't come insulated, because cold doesn't rise, but heat does.

Mine started warping after about 5-6 brews... Cracked after the 12th. Didn't leak but.... I don't really know what the insulation is made of or what it will do chemically when it makes contact with by mash. So... I simply bought a new one and chucked the old. It took less than 5 minutes to do the swap out since the parts were already pretty much toghether... I think it's a pretty common and expected thing...at least with the round coolers. In the beginning I was preheating the cooler with really hot water (read that as almost boiling).... Now I only preheat to about 10 degrees above my mash temp. Hopefully that'll give me a longer life-span for this one....

I usually pre-heat with 175 degree water. On my first AG I accidentally poured in 185 degree water, and what do you know, I got a warped bubble. Mine hasnt cracked yet, and I'm on my 10th AG batch.

Maybe someone has a solution for fixing the crack; some sort of heat resistant food safe caulk/sealant.

Same here - I have a big ol' square cooler and it started warping after the 2nd or third batch - no cracks yet, though.

joety said:

Maybe someone has a solution for fixing the crack; some sort of heat resistant food safe caulk/sealant.

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Maybe a type of Epoxy that is non pourous once cured?

If you get a crack, you can use one of JB Weld's products to repair it. I repaired a favorite coffee cup once, that had a big piece missing, using JB Stick, and it took the heat (even microwaving the cup) and did not add any off flavors as far as I could tell. I cannot remember if the package specifically said it was safe for this purpose, though. However, looking at their site, they have this product:

http://www.jbweld.net/products/water.php

Which IS made to be used in potable water, so it could be a good solution for packing those cracks. I saw a few competitors products that said they were safe for use on plumbing as well.

rico567 said:

I agree with these assessments. The hottest water I put into mine (standard HD/Rubbermaid 10 gal cooler conversion) is 170F, and I get a warp or "ripple" in the side. Gotta happen....the plastic has to expand when that water hits it, and it's got nowhere to go, so it warps. The warp comes right out when I'm done.

Click to expand...

I have the same thing... there is a large bubble on the inside where the cup-holder bracket is attached to the outside. I noticed it after about 10 batches, but even after 20, it appears to be stable.

I had it happen to me also with my first HLT. Since then I just use hot tap water from the faucet. My tap water get to about 130 or so and the Coleman Xtreme holds the heat in w/o warping

I grabbed a leaky 10 gallon Rubbermaid from a neighbor and sealed the crack with aquarium caulk which is supposed to be food-grade. Worked like a charm.

If you have a crack and don't seal it, I'd be worried about fluid soaking into the insulation in the sides (it can hold quite a bit). I would guess after a while it will start to stink.

Mine's been warped for nearly 10 years. No big deal.

Can that aquarium caulk handle 175? That's about as hot as I go anymore.

someone on this forum was successful in returning a warped one to Home Debot for an exchange.

I can't remember which thread it's on, but it's out there.

I'd feel guilty doing that. Something tells me Rubbermaid wasn't thinking Mashtun or Hot Liquor Tank when they engineered those things.

My Home Depot 10 gallon water cooler MLT warped after the 1st brew. I had to tighten down the bulkead, I can hear water inside the insulation now, but no cracks yet.

I only have 5 brews with this setup. Crossing fingers, I don't have cracks anytime soon.

joety said:

I'd feel guilty doing that. Something tells me Rubbermaid wasn't thinking Mashtun or Hot Liquor Tank when they engineered those things.

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Well maybe they should lol.