Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion

[FlyGuy]

flyguy - thanks for this and other great diy projects. i built mine using 3/4" water heater hose and the braid didn't come out looking too pretty after removing the hose. is this a problem or do you think this will work? thanks.

Yikes, that braid got really beat up. But unless it feels really flimsy, so much that it might collapse in the mash, I bet it works just fine.

Cheers!

 

[duffman2]

Hey FlyGuy I just finished my first MLT and wanted to thank you for this really cool project. I had no idea how I would go AG, but now I'm ready to jump headfirst into it!

Your instructions were simple and everybody's feedback helped me out a lot. I used a rectangular Igloo cooler and the only troubles I had were getting the right combination of gaskets and washers to keep it from leaking.

But I'm up and running now and there's no turning back!

Thanks again and cheers!

 

[chunk]

Yikes, that braid got really beat up. But unless it feels really flimsy, so much that it might collapse in the mash, I bet it works just fine.

Cheers!

it doesn't seem to flimsy and seems to support downward pressure applied by hand. my concern is the size of some of the gaps but i think i will give it a whirl. now i just got to find the time to brew.

 

[FlyGuy]

Hey FlyGuy I just finished my first MLT and wanted to thank you for this really cool project. I had no idea how I would go AG, but now I'm ready to jump headfirst into it!

Your instructions were simple and everybody's feedback helped me out a lot. I used a rectangular Igloo cooler and the only troubles I had were getting the right combination of gaskets and washers to keep it from leaking.

But I'm up and running now and there's no turning back!

Thanks again and cheers!

Great stuff -- I hope that first brew in the new tun goes well!

 

[Whiskey]

Is there much benifit from creating a circle of braided hose around the bottom of the cooler opposed to the single straight hose that is used in the OP's conversion?

I have about 20 batches on a circular braid, never had an issue with it. In my opinion it works better, the braid seems to be a bit sturdier and it does not get in the way when stirring. I did add a stainless washer to the center of the braid to keep it from floating. There should be a picture in my profile.

 

[lizardeye]

Well, these are Canadian dollars, but here goes:

- Rubbermaid 10 gallon round beverage cooler - $34.99
- all stainless steel ¼” hose clamps x 2 - $0.66/ea
- brass square head plug (Watts A-737) - $1.09
- ½” x 12” (or larger) braided stainless steel supply hose - $4.99
- 3/8” female barb adapter (Watts A-298) - $1.72
- 5/8” stainless steel fender washer - $0.39
- 3/8” MIP x 1-1/2” brass nipple (Watts A-786) - $1.49
- 5/8” O-ring (preferably heat resistant, if you can find one) - $0.59
- 3 x 5/8” fender washers - $.29/ea
- 3/8” threaded ball valve - $6.89
- 3/8” male barb adapter (Watts A-294) - $1.89

Total cost: $56.23 CDN, which is about $8 USD.

No seriously, it would be about $46 US.

If you buy something similar from places like morebeer.com, it would be over $100. It took all of about 5 minutes to assemble everything (although I did do a few trips to Home Depot to find the parts to make it all work).

Northern Brewer has a kit similar to this (complete w/barb) for $43.99 USD. That doesn't include the cooler, of course.

 

[FlyGuy]

Northern Brewer has a kit similar to this (complete w/barb) for $43.99 USD. That doesn't include the cooler, of course.

Yes, crazy isn't it? For about the same cost as just their add-on kit, I built my entire MLT, including the cooler.

Now go look at how much the LHBS's charge if you want to buy the entire MLT pre-fabricated!

There is a lot of money to be saved if you can find the parts yourself and spend 20 minutes putting them together. I was lucky in that I found all the fittings (except the SS braid) at my local home depot.

 

[Gritsak]

I'm finishing up my build and want to slip something into the steel braided line to prevent collapse...is there any reason why a copper pipe with a bunch of slits cut into it wouldn't work? I know Copper is fine in the boil pot (wort chiller), but want to make sure it's OK to use in the mash.

TIA

EDIT: just remembered that people make copper manifolds for MLT coolers all the time, so it should be fine.

 

[FlyGuy]

I'm finishing up my build and want to slip something into the steel braided line to prevent collapse...is there any reason why a copper pipe with a bunch of slits cut into it wouldn't work?

Apparently a slotted copper pipe works really well. A copper or stainless steel spring works very well too.

 

[Revvy]

I'm finishing up my build and want to slip something into the steel braided line to prevent collapse...is there any reason why a copper pipe with a bunch of slits cut into it wouldn't work? I know Copper is fine in the boil pot (wort chiller), but want to make sure it's OK to use in the mash.

TIA

EDIT: just remembered that people make copper manifolds for MLT coolers all the time, so it should be fine.

I just took out the original inner hose and drilled a bunch of holes in it til it looked like a machine gun barrell. Then I boiled it for about 10 minutes to help break all the loose threads off it and make sure there was not fibers or anything. And slipped it back into the ss braid. I used a t to mount my braid in a circle, and have never had problems with the braid collapsing.

 

[Gritsak]

I tried drilling the inner hose first, but my bit was crappy and i ended up with a ton of stuff on the inside of the tube. I should have tried boiling, but didn't think of that.

Just finished it up...it sitting in the kitchen now filled with hot water and no leaks so far! Waiting on my digital thermometer and scale to come in the mail, then we'll see how it works (trying the infamous centennial blonde for my first AG). Thanks for the awesome instructions.

 

[sethga]

Thanks for the instructions. Put mine together yesterday, and did my first all-grain batch. No problems.

I did have an issue finding the 5/8" fender washers like some others.. and saw the "build a bolt" kit that had them in there right above all of the open bins of washers. Seems others in the thread were just as lucky

 

[zinger084]

I am getting these parts this weekend. FYI for others... Menards has a huge selection of Stainless Steel parts that I just realized lately.

 

[SouthernYankee]

Yup lesson learned, well short of. So I built my mash tun about two weeks ago and followed it to a tee. All except the inside washer. Which I used zinc instead of the SS one. I couldn't find one in SS at any of my local stores. After putting it together and giving it a test run. All was well. I then put it down in my basement since I'm still getting all my equipment together for All grain. Just the thought of adding zinc "bugged" me. After reading a lot of post from the good folks on the site. I should of known better. Well, It got to the point where I just ordered some SS washers from McMaster-Carr. Today they arrived and upon taken the fittings apart the zinc washer had rust on it and was corrosive. So there you have it...NO Zinc.

 

[ruffdeezy]

I previously had bought a premade 5 gallon rubbermaid mash tun. It was pretty much maxed out when sparging a few times so I decided to upgrade to a 10 gallon cooler. I found the cooler for only $49 at toolup.com and got one in blue. I also ordered a 12 in ss false bottom for mine and took the other parts off the 5 gallon. Can't wait use this thing. Hopefully next weekend.

 

[scrambledegg81]

Easy filter/mash screen idea:

I bought a mash screen with the intention of using it in place of the SS braided tubing, and also got some 3/8" high-temp thermoplastic tubing to transfer wort with.

Long story short, the tubing seals the end of the mash screen perfectly. I just rolled the end of the screen back until it was short enough to fit in my MLT (takes a small bit of effort), cut slots in the tubing, fit everything together, and awaaaaaaay we go:

*Note: you could probably get away with just using enough tubing to seal the end to the mash screen...*

 

[flyweed]

Ok, got a question for you guys building these. I may be dumb..but how do you use them? I have only done extract or "partial mash" beers...where I would steep some grains in a grain bag for 30-40 minutes, and then sparge them (rinse with water) and then put all that in my brew kettle, add the extract and boil it for another hour or so...cool, top off with cold water, cool, pitch yeast, and ferment.

So what can you do with this MLT that you can't with the above method? I wanna try an all grain beer sometime, but is this ALL you need to do it? Any help or guidance would be great.

Dan

 

[Reedwalker]

You are referring to Brew In A Bag Flyweed.

Apparently in Australia it is a popular method of homebrewing. I know Basic Brewing Radio did a podcast on it. Can't remember where to find it within the archives at the moment.

 

[HSM]

You do not need this:
5/8” O-ring (preferably heat resistant, if you can find one)

Not sure why this is included or listed, but you don't need this. I ended up using 4 fender washers, no leaks.

 

[FlyGuy]

You do not need this:
5/8” O-ring (preferably heat resistant, if you can find one)

Not sure why this is included or listed, but you don't need this. I ended up using 4 fender washers, no leaks.

I think I mentioned somewhere in the thread that the part is optional. It is simply there to help prevent a leak from the inside wall of the cooler making its way into the space between the inner wall and outer wall (which could damage the cooler). It all snugs up everything inside, making a more even fit and decreases the chance of leaking.

 

[archiefl98]

I think I mentioned somewhere in the thread that the part is optional. It is simply there to help prevent a leak from the inside wall of the cooler making its way into the space between the inner wall and outer wall (which could damage the cooler). It all snugs up everything inside, making a more even fit and decreases the chance of leaking.

I say it's not optional at all -- it's in there because otherwise it wouldn't be a FlyGuy™ Brand MLT, just some DIY thing that you did on your own.

Yeah, I left the o-ring out on one of mine too and no leaks.

 

[zinger084]

So I started thinking... what is the inside of these made of? Are they BPA free? Can you then use them as a primary fermenter?

 

[Beezer94]

HDPE
Yes
A $7 HDPE bucket would be a better primary/secondary and easily made air-tight with lid and airlock.

 

[chunk]

Yikes, that braid got really beat up. But unless it feels really flimsy, so much that it might collapse in the mash, I bet it works just fine.

Cheers!

i used my mlt last weekend and that beatup screen worked like a champ. thanks again for posting these instructions.

 

[climberguy]

great post it worked great i put it together forgot to use teflon but i had no leaks so i left it the way it was . the 5/8 stainless washer is hard to find i used a 3/4 it seems to work

 

[petep1980]

I am so going to try to rig this up before my next all grain. Thanks for all the help.

Edit: How do you guys clean these out when you're done. Do you just rinse out the cooler, then let some water run through it then forget about it?

 

[sferrari]

Does anyone have a good source for a cheap stainless spring that could be inserted inside the braided hose to keep it from collapsing? I got the 10g rubbermaid drink cooler which I want to use to build a RIMS eventually. This is the best I could come up with.

Amazon

Whaddya' think? They're stainless and relatively inexpensive. The springs I was looking at were 20 inches so they could be cut in half for two MLTs. Sharing is caring, right?

 

[jheist]

Just wanted to say thanks! Used this last weekend for the first time and it worked awesome! Thanks Fly Guy.

 

[Montanaandy]

Well I changed out my old SS braid for a Watkins SS braid (Lowes) and so far so good. Seemed to be a bit sturdier and perhaps a higher grade of SS than the Ace Hardware brand. The first batch I brewed with it came off without a hitch so hopefully this will solve the problem that I had been having. I did not manage to poke any holes in the braid & I did not put any wire inside the braid - just cut off the ends, removed the poly tubing insert, folded the frayed ends in, attached & clamped the plug/weight at one end and clamped the other end to brass. Montanaandy

 

[shadowmage36]

FlyGuy, you rock! :rockin: I just finished up my very own 10-gallon MLT using your simple step-by-step instructions.

Here we are holding steady at 5 gallons in the tun with no leaks:

Here's the whole assembly undergoing the overnight 5-gallon leak test:

Aaaaand....here's me, saying thanks for an awesome build thread. (Yes, that's an authentic Irish driving/golfing/old-man hat. Cut me some slack, it was a Christmas gift!)

Thanks again, FlyGuy! I fully intend on having this beast operational within the week. Now all I need to do is figure out what to brew as my inaugural AG recipe...the possibilities are ENDLESS!!!

 

[msa8967]

Is this safe for mashing? In order to get a firm seal in my converted cooler I had to use a 3 inch diameter rubber washer fitted around the pipe inside the cooler. I used some food safe silicon caulk between the side of the cooler and the on the washer. I couldn't get this to seal by just using the SS washers because of the pipe size being 1/2 inch instead of 3/8 in.

Will the rubber washer used to seal this affect the chemistry of the mash?

 

[shadowmage36]

Well, there's a funny story about that, actually...

I wound up having to go out and find a stainless steel 5/8" washer anyways. Upon adding hot water to the mash tun to preheat it, the rubber washer deformed and the whole thing began leaking like a sieve. So no, rubber washers are not safe for mashing. Rigid nylon would be, but not rubber. I wound up finding a build-a-bolt kit in stainless that I used the washers from.

On top of that, though, I found out that the whole thing cracked around the inside. The whole way around. I think my pre-heat water was too hot, and caused the plastic to buckle and crack. So now I need to silicone it before using it again...Either that or buy a new cooler...Not sure I want to spend that kind of money right now, but we'll see. I'll probably buy the silicone later this week and seal it, then wash it out a few times with soap and water before next brewday in two weeks or so.

 

[Montanaandy]

"On top of that, though, I found out that the whole thing cracked around the inside."

Return it and get a refund or a replacement. It should not crack with hot water 200' >. Montanaandy

 

[msa8967]

Thanks for advising me about not using the rubber washers. I may just have to get a new cooler to try to use instead of this one I bought at a garage sale for $3.00. Anyone have an opinion on using a cylindrical cooler (like Rubbermaid) versus a rectangular cooler?

 

[bgough]

Thanks for advising me about not using the rubber washers. I may just have to get a new cooler to try to use instead of this one I bought at a garage sale for $3.00. Anyone have an opinion on using a cylindrical cooler (like Rubbermaid) versus a rectangular cooler?

Both coolers will work fine. I prefer the cylindrical b/c I could just buy a SS false bottom and not have to build a manifold to get good drainage. Some folks just use a SS braid, but I can't imagine it would be nearly as efficient as a false bottom or a properly built manifold

Oh yeah, and IMHO cylindrical=better for fly sparge
rectangular=easier to batch sparge

 

[ruinationpress]

Is this an option for a rectangular cooler as well? Versus a harder to put together copper manifold?

 

[baron]

I finally made it out to Fastenal and bought the SS Washer (pack of 10).

I've got to get these built soon (MLT and HLT) so I can brew my American Cream Ale from Northern Brewer.

Really looking forward to brewing my first batch of AG.

 

[illinoisbuck]

hey guys just picked up a 10 gallon rubbermaid water jug. is this the same as the orange beverage cooler. it is red. has anyone used one of these for the mlt? dont know if it is insulated the same??
thanks
Buck

 

[Jawbox0]

Yep, same thing. It'll work great.

 

[Sneed]

illinoisbuck,

I have the same one. Converted it last weekend and used it for the first time today. Worked great.

[edit] Added photo. There's the MT sitting on top of my new freezer! Today was my first all grain and first batch to go into the freezer.