Stainless Steel Braid? What Is It From?

Okay, I've searched for the answer, and haven't been able to find a conclusive answer, so I've earned my dumb question of the week...

I've got a list of the parts needed for my round 10-gallon MLT. The only thing I'm not sure about is the SS braid. I've got a couple of stainless steel washing machine hoses, will this work? Or can someone tell me what specifically I will need? Thanks!

I got mine from the connection on the back of a toilet. You can find it at lowes. It will come with female couplers on each end. Inside of hte braid is a nylon hose. Remove the couplers then the nylon hose before using.

make sure its stainless, the ones at home depot are not real stainless, they are a nylon braid or something that is made to look like stainless.

Either get a long one or connect two or three together. If you use it a shorter one you will have a slower runoff.

Your SS washing machine hoses are perfect, if they are actually SS and not the aramid braid SSRider mentions. Just cut the connections off and then push the braid. It'll expand and come off the inner hose.

most say that size isn't everything...that being said... I believe a 6-8 inch piece is all that is really needed. You will know if you have the real stainless when the sharp bits of wire poke your fingers during manufacturing. Washing machine hoses are usually stainless. Home depot sells sink supply lines that are a polymer braid sheath. Once you know the difference it is apparent. The stainless wires are very fine, the polymer is larger strands about like fishing line.

SSRider said:

make sure its stainless, the ones at home depot are not real stainless, they are a nylon braid or something that is made to look like stainless.

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Not entirely true. They have both, and they are marked as to what they are. Problem is they look the same, so don't just go grabbing, read the tag.

If tiny, sharp-ass ends are the telltale signs, then this is most assuredly SS. I cut the ends off for a length of about 8". Cool, thanks guys!

If you haven't done it already, make sure you PUSH the inner hose out, if you try to pull it out it will act like a Chinese finger trap.

From all my time working with the SS braids.... if you arn't bleeding by the end... it is not a SS braid

I've wanted to get the larger ones and give it a try sometime (The water heater supply? Washer supply?) but the one I got was actually 4' so I think that was for a sink, I was able to make two braids with it, for different coolers.

if you put a s/s spring in it to hold it open you can beat the hell out of it with a mash paddle without smashing it. I used one off a spiral notebook, real cheap and works great.

hammer one said:

if you put a s/s spring in it to hold it open you can beat the hell out of it with a mash paddle without smashing it. I used one off a spiral notebook, real cheap and works great.

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THAT is an interesting idea!

I don't think the spiral on a notebook is stainless. Leave it in water overnight to check for rust.

I like the water heater connection lines the best because the braid is nearly 1" in diameter.

I fed some vinyl tubing that I cut in half through there. No stuck sparges.

Bobby_M said:

I don't think the spiral on a notebook is stainless. Leave it in water overnight to check for rust.

I like the water heater connection lines the best because the braid is nearly 1" in diameter.

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+1 to both points.

I always question the necessity of reinforcing the braid; some will say the braid will collapse under the weight of the grain, but this is contrary to my experience when mashing 25 lbs of grain in a 10 gallon MLT. Overzealous stirring/stabbing with the paddle is responsible for squashed braids, not the weight of the grain. If you think about it, the grain bed (even towards the end of the sparge) is 'floating' a bit rather than compacting down into a solid mass. There's something to be said for not draining an MLT completely dry.

Agreed. Even with 25 pounds of soaked grains in the tun, the actual PSI on the braid is probably less than a pound.

For my bazooka screen I put a copper tube inside with a bunch of holes drilled into it, it would work as an insert for the stainless braid as well.

I've had issues with my braid "floating" up while stirring, which keeps me from completely draining the mash tun.

I'm thinking of getting some conduit clamps (Stainless, CPVC or something) and using some JBWeld to attach them to the bottom of the mash tun, and that will hold down the braid.



Edit: or I can just get some stainless and bend it in shape

+1 on the spiral notebook spring. Cheap insurance and more mass.

Look for an IceMaker hose, they're 4' long and only a buck or 2 more - you'd be set for life.

Just look close at the things and perhaps pick at them with a fingernail, the fake plastic braid is obvious under close inspection.

conpewter said:

I've had issues with my braid "floating" up while stirring, which keeps me from completely draining the mash tun.

I'm thinking of getting some conduit clamps (Stainless, CPVC or something) and using some JBWeld to attach them to the bottom of the mash tun, and that will hold down the braid.

Edit: or I can just get some stainless and bend it in shape

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I twisted my braid ~1" before the end and clamped a plug on the there. Could also be done with a SS Bolt. Cheap and Easy.

I used a 24" length of stainless braid from a water heater supply hose inside my 10 gallon Rubbermaid round MLT. 1 inch instead of half inch. Made it into a circle and clamped it to the outside of a 3/4" copper tee which in turn is connected to the outlet of the MLT. This stuff is stiff. Doesn't move, doesn't float, doesn't get stuck, drains perfect.

Is it really necessary to completely drain the MLT anyway? Just figure out ahead of time what your dead space is down there and run more strike water through.

slimer said:

I twisted my braid ~1" before the end and clamped a plug on the there. Could also be done with a SS Bolt. Cheap and Easy.

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All I did to the braid end on mine was fold it over a few times and put it in the vise to crimp. I used a water heater hose it was about 3 feet long and 1 inch in diam. Hasn't crushed even with 20+ lbs of grain with nothing supporting the inside.

In my post here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/yet-another-cooler-mash-tun-diy-more-ideas-95981/ I used stainless 18g wire and wrapped it around an extra fine point sharpie to make my "spring" and it works great. Wrap it in tight, then stretch it out to length. And yes I did bleed in the making of my braid.

I know this is an old thread but I had a question and I haven't been able to find the answer. When you guys mention a 1" hose are you talking about OD or I D? I have a nice chunk of 1" industrial braided hose I got from work. That 1" is the I D, the braid itself is probably closer to 1 1/2" or so. I want to put it in a 34qt coleman extreme cooler. Anybody forsee a problem with this. Any tips?

It will probably be fine. More surface area can only be a good thing.