Would this coleman work?

Tonight I found a killer deal on the basic coleman 48 qt cooler at meijers. Everywhere I look people are using the coleman extremes. Any downside to using this basic one before I rip the spigot out? Anyone had bad failure or good success with it?

I have one of these that I made into a MLT already, but have not used it yet. I got the cooler for free, so I thought why not try it, I can always put the hardware on a different one if I don't like it.
I will be interested in comments, too! I have read from some people that are using one the same size with good success. The only issue I can think of would be how well it will keep the temps.

I'm told they work much better with the bazooka screens then other MLT because its kind of grooved into the bottom of the cooler, making a channel down around the hole where the spigot is. And I've seen a bunch of homebrewer videos on YouTube with the brewers using these types instead of the round Rubbermaid ones.

Btw what's the killer price if u don't mind me asking? I've been looking for one as well but we don't have meijers in my part of the country.

I put like 50 bathes through a cooler like that. Made loads of great beer, almost makes me a bit sentimental.

Seriously, if it fits your budget, buy it.

That cooler is fine and will work well. Sure you may lose 2 degrees...but really RDWHAHB...just plan on losing a tad and no worries.

Mine was red FWIW...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/ten-minute-cooler-mash-tun-conversion-125108/

I'd also recommend preheating it with some hot water before adding your main body and the grains. Everyone I've seen use them on YouTube has stated it makes a good 2-3 degree difference from hitting your strike temperature because they are rather large long ways as opposed to the round and tall ones.

I picked it up for $20. I've been looking at round 10 gal ones for like 50. So for a 12 gal at 30$ off, I consider that a killer deal. This is also the even cheaper one, without the grooved bottom. I let you know how it works.

A side question, has anyone put one of these together and used an silicone or epoxy to make sure there's a 100% seal? I picked up some #15 o-rings, just didn't know if an epoxy would add insurance. And would it give off flavors too?

Another side question. I got a 20" washer screen and I'd like to find a way to keep it in one place on the bottom. I'd like to make a tear drop shape and glue or whatever the screen in place, but again, don't want to use something that'll give off flavors or become separated from the heat of my mash.

I use that exact cooler, it works great!

Here it is, all put together! I'll post how it works after its first use!!

Skip the epoxy or any other sealer/adhesive. They probably aren't food safe, may contribute a chemical flavor, and will fail over time. You want to be able to take it apart and clean it if the need arises.

Those stickers make it awesome!

How are you going to close the top with the braid going over the edge?

I have the same one. Def +1 to the preheat... I also put a blanket on top of mine during the mash to try to help a little bit more.

I used aquarium silicone and some SS washers. here's the silicone: http://www.dap.com/product_details.aspx?BrandID=67&SubcatID=27
No issues with taste that I noticed. Says it's food safe. I wanted to make sure to coat the foam in the hole for the spigot so it wouldn't get exposed to wort then start to form mold.

So far I've only done three batches over about 4 months so I can't say anything about it holding up over a long time. The sealant was like $6 or $7 i think and I have a lot left over (probally enough to re-do it another 3 or 4+ times) so if i need to reseal I can.

kh54s10 said:

Those stickers make it awesome!

How are you going to close the top with the braid going over the edge?

Click to expand...

I only hung it over the edge to show the length. I can make a nice teardrop on the inside!