Home Depot 10 gal Hole Size

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swmass

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Hey all, been brewing for a few years and am moving to all grain. I've got all the hardware to make a mash tun, I planned on using it for a 100 qt coleman. Now I think I'd prefer to use the old orange home depot cooler.

All of my hardware is 1/2 inch. I have seen several conflicting threads, with dates both new and old, that state the hole size of the 10 gallon home depot cooler as 3/8 as well as 1/2. Others have said there is a "new" version of the bucket that calls for 1/2, then some people still insist they use 3/8.

I am heading to the home depot in the morning and was wondering if anyone here has first hand experience building a mash tun with a 10 gallon home depot cooler in the last year or so and what is the proper size hardware to use?

I've also read conflicting information on the rubber piece inside the hole... I'd prefer to use the rubber piece that comes with the cooler so if anyone has any updated info on that I would appreciate it. Sorry if this is a repeat... I've been searching for the answer for over an hour now and can not find it.
 
I believe it depends on the cooler. What I've read is that Home Depot uses different brands of coolers and just stamps its logo onto them, although I may be mistaken. A good way to do it: If you have a local HD, go there and check the size of the hole, either with calipers or with the nipple thread. If it online, ask the specific seller.

Worst case scenario is you end up with a cooler with a hole that's too small for your gear. You could always drill or sand it a bit wider
 
Just got back, it fits the 1/2 hardware perfectly. Even found 3/4 inner diameter SS washers with the perfect outer diameter for the cooler (at a small shop in town, not at Home Depot) I'll post a few pics later to help others determine what type of cooler they're buying.
 
I use the big orange 10 gal cooler and have made many awesome beers with it. But if I had to do it over again, I would go with something that has more capacity. In fact I have been looking at 120qt coolers to replace old faithful.
 
I use the big orange 10 gal cooler and have made many awesome beers with it. But if I had to do it over again, I would go with something that has more capacity. In fact I have been looking at 120qt coolers to replace old faithful.

agree with the bigger size. the HD cooler is good for most brews but for the heavier grain beers (Barley Wine, etc.) it can get pretty tight.
 
How much did all the parts cost you? I have a 10 gallon yellow igloo cooler I am about to convert
 
They were in the ballpark of 35-40 dollars. Seems expensive for a few fittings but thats how much they are. I used brass. Here is a good link to all the parts https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=23008

Heres a before/after pic of the cooler I bought in Sept 2016 from home depot which had the larger hole.

Cooler.JPG


MLT.JPG
 
If you're in the USA (you get flat rate shipping) bargain fittings is a great place to buy a stainless steel setup. Just get the 2-piece ball-valve instead of the 3-piece (3-piece is sexy and easier to sanitize but you shouldn't have to sanitize it all that often, it's pre-boil gear) and it will be ~$35 with shipping. Add another ~$10 for a bazooka tube or be ready to spend a lot extra on a false bottom. A bazooka tube should be fine if you plan on batch sparging.

Edit: here: http://www.bargainfittings.com/inde...t&keyword=Cooler&category_id=0&product_id=251
 
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