Cooler for MLT?

Hello! I'm at Target and they have an igloo ice cube (50 qt) and an igloo maxcold (40qt) cooler. Would either of these work for a RIMS or HERMS? Would the cylindrical coolers work better?

Thanks!


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Jerry

If you're just getting into all-grain, I wouldn't worry too much about building a RIMS or HERMS setup. Get your basic all-grain process down before jumping onto something that ambitious. But yes, you can use coolers for either one.

You are asking about the MLT? It shouldnt matter much, BUT I will ask this. How will you plan to return you wort to the top of the grain bed in a large rectangular cooler?

In my beverage cooler (cylindrical) I whirlpool it around the top so that it is distributed evenly across the top of the grain bed. I can imagine this would be more difficult in a rectangular cooler.

My opinion differs... If you think you are going to want a RIMS or HERMS, go ahead and build it. They make the process much simpler and make the brew sessions more repeatable. By doing this, you can concentrate on other variables, because the RIMS and HERMS removes so many others.

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

If you're just getting into all-grain, I wouldn't worry too much about building a RIMS or HERMS setup. Get your basic all-grain process down before jumping onto something that ambitious. But yes, you can use coolers for either one.

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I am just getting into it. I just want to make sure that whatever I get now will be compatible with future possibilities

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Jerry

jerryalan said:

I am just getting into it. I just want to make sure that whatever I get now will be compatible with future possibilities

--
Jerry

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Good idea $$

The Pol said:

You are asking about the MLT? It shouldnt matter much, BUT I will ask this. How will you plan to return you wort to the top of the grain bed in a large rectangular cooler?

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I was thinking about building a sparge manifold mounted in such a way where I can adjust the height so when it's recirculating during the mash I can lower it into the wort.

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Jerry

I found an old 56 quart Rubbermaid cooler in my garage tonight (rectangular style). It has some scratches inside from normal wear and tear. Those scratches should be ok though since all the bad things will be boiled away though, right?

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Jerry

jerryalan said:

I was thinking about building a sparge manifold mounted in such a way where I can adjust the height so when it's recirculating during the mash I can lower it into the wort.

--
Jerry

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Be careful. You do not want small holes in that return manifold. There is plenty of grain and husk that gets recirculated for the first 10 minutes and it could easily clog.

jerryalan said:

I found an old 56 quart Rubbermaid cooler in my garage tonight (rectangular style). It has some scratches inside from normal wear and tear. Those scratches should be ok though since all the bad things will be boiled away though, right?

--
Jerry

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Yup, anything pre boil, really isnt that important.

The Pol said:

Be careful. You do not want small holes in that return manifold. There is plenty of grain and husk that gets recirculated for the first 10 minutes and it could easily clog.

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Well, manifolds are fairly cheap so I could just build one specifically for recirculating and when/if I convert to fly sparging then I can look into another solution.

Any suggestions?

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Jerry

jerryalan said:

Well, manifolds are fairly cheap so I could just build one specifically for recirculating and when/if I convert to fly sparging then I can look into another solution.

Any suggestions?

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Jerry

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Honestly, I just use a 1/2" ID line as my HERMS return line, and I use that same line for fly sparging. For fly sparging you do not have to "sprinkle" the water. I mean you are just sprinkling water on top of water, right?

The Pol said:

Honestly, I just use a 1/2" ID line as my HERMS return line, and I use that same line for fly sparging. For fly sparging you do not have to "sprinkle" the water. I mean you are just sprinkling water on top of water, right?

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Good point. You just made my plans much easier, thanks!

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Jerry

Yur welcome.

Here is what I use.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#loc-line-coolant-hose/=41mz0v

jerryalan said:

I found an old 56 quart Rubbermaid cooler in my garage tonight (rectangular style).

Click to expand...

I was reading Palmers website about building a mash tun (http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixD-3.html) and am now wondering if my 56 QT (14 gallon) cooler is too large? Would I be better off investing in a 10 gallon cylindrical cooler instead?



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Jerry