Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion

[Zokfend]

Funny, I get 0 dead space. The siphon action in the braid sucks out every last drop.

i don't see how that's possible, unless you have a non-perforated hose within your braid. or if somehow the grain bed "seals" around the braid (which i guess i can see that happening).

i did my initial calc with just water - i haven't even used my tun yet.

if the grain bed "seal" is true, then can i consider a ZERO dead space? anybody else?

 

[day_trippr]

i don't see how that's possible, unless you have a non-perforated hose within your braid. or if somehow the grain bed "seals" around the braid (which i guess i can see that happening).

i did my initial calc with just water - i haven't even used my tun yet.

if the grain bed "seal" is true, then can i consider a ZERO dead space? anybody else?

If you just pour standing water out through the ball valve you'd likely leave a lot more behind than if you actually siphoned or pumped the same valve outlet. I know on my 10 gallon Rubbermaid, if it wasn't for suction there'd be at least a quart of loss compared to the actual ~1/4 cup lost with my pump attached to the ball valve. The difference is predicated by the location of the ball valve above the cooler floor...

Cheers!

 

[Zokfend]

If you just pour standing water out through the ball valve you'd likely leave a lot more behind than if you actually siphoned or pumped the same valve outlet.

right, and bottle-bomber did described siphoning. i agree that siphoning simply cannot happen with a braid when only standing water is in the tun. so if there IS siphoning occuring, my guess is it happens because the grain-bed seals the braid to prevent air from getting into it (including the time when the wort level is underneath the braid). right?

The difference is predicated by the location of the ball valve above the cooler floor...

right, and i would think that everybody who used this guide and bought the same rubbermaid cooler from home depot would all have the ball valve in the same location as me (unless they drilled a new hole for it).

this post is really more directed at those users. sorry for any confusion. not sure i'd even know how to "pump" out the wort from the dead space. i'm just intrigued by how a braided hose can siphon when the wort level is below it.

 

[bottlebomber]

That sounds right. The grain is sealing it at that point, and all the sucking is happening from the bottom part of the braid. All I know is when I empty that thing there is no liquid at all beyond maybe 8 ounces

 

[Zokfend]

That sounds right. The grain is sealing it at that point, and all the sucking is happening from the bottom part of the braid. All I know is when I empty that thing there is no liquid at all beyond maybe 8 ounces

that is awesome. i would never have thought that. thanks a bunch. my first all-grain brew is next saturday, and i'm just a little nervous about it all.

 

[bovineblitz]

i'm curious, this setup leaves about 7 cups (or .44 gallons) of dead space if you set the tun flat. do the majority of brewers who use this setup leave the tun flat, and adjust the sparge water amount, or do you calculate your deadspace and also mash while tipping your tun? i'm just trying to set up my brewsmith equipment profile.

thanks.

I didn't like all the dead space so I bought a couple more pieces of brass so that I could angle the hose barb downwards and guarantee a siphon effect to get the last few cups. Wound up using a T cuz I couldn't figure out how to do it without the braid going off in an odd direction.

 

[inkman15]

So, I spent a whole day last week driving around my area to various Lowes and Home Depots to get all the fittings for this only to discover the whole "lead in brass" issue after the fact.

Done plenty of reading and while it's the consensus that it's safe to use these fittings after soaking them in the vinegar/hydrogen peroxide solution, I still don't trust myself to do that part correctly, so I'm going to buy all SS parts. I've located replacements for everything online except:

- 3/8” male barb adapter (Watts A-294)
- 3/8” female barb adapter (Watts A-298)

Can someone point me in the direction for SS replacements for these?

Appreciate your help

 

[mjtski]

Id like to thank the op personally for doing us all this service. It was more of an asset to the homebrew community thank you could ever have imagined.

My kit is together and I'm excited for my first brew with it, a pumpkin ale.

I ended up having to use 4 washers on either side (total of 8). Not sure why it took so many.

The only problem I have is a very very small leak at the ball valve, but ill easily fix that with another wrap of teflon tape before brew day.

Thank you again.

 

[bottlebomber]

Id like to thank the op personally for doing us all this service. It was more of an asset to the homebrew community thank you could ever have imagined.

My kit is together and I'm excited for my first brew with it, a pumpkin ale.

I ended up having to use 4 washers on either side (total of 8). Not sure why it took so many.

The only problem I have is a very very small leak at the ball valve, but ill easily fix that with another wrap of teflon tape before brew day.

Thank you again.

I would also like to extend thanks. I just did a pumpkin as my first brew in this rig too! The Samhain recipe on here is excellent

 

[DoctorDuvel]

So I was talking with someone at the LHBS and they said that the foam insulation in the walls of the cooler can deteriorate (due to exposure to the high temps of mash). This raises a flag, as I've been trying to figure out why most of my beers over the last few months have been fermenting down too low - a lot of heat is being lost and prematurely brings the mash temp too low - well, that's my theory. Is anyone else experiencing this sort of thing after over a year of use of their mashtun cooler?

 

[Aschecte]

So I was talking with someone at the LHBS and they said that the foam insulation in the walls of the cooler can deteriorate (due to exposure to the high temps of mash). This raises a flag, as I've been trying to figure out why most of my beers over the last few months have been fermenting down too low - a lot of heat is being lost and prematurely brings the mash temp too low - well, that's my theory. Is anyone else experiencing this sort of thing after over a year of use of their mashtun cooler?

does a thermometer confirm you are loosing heat during mashing over the 60-90 mash ? I'm by no means a expert but I have never heard of styrofoam being effected by 150 - 160 degree water ie. your 200 degree coffee cup doesn't melt also reusable travel cups are insulated with styro and you get many years of service from them ..... just my .02 .

 

[Skarekrough]

Did we ever end up with a verdict on the SS tubing? Does it need to be reinforced with notched tubing inside of it and does the tubing it came with work for that function?

I've got everything else together and it looks great!

 

[bottlebomber]

Did we ever end up with a verdict on the SS tubing? Does it need to be reinforced with notched tubing inside of it and does the tubing it came with work for that function?

I've got everything else together and it looks great!

Im going to say no reinforcement. I've had this baby packed full of grain and water, and stirred the heck out of it and the braid does great. I think putting things inside the braid would just create a place for things to hide out and mold later, when you can't clean them out.

 

[bovineblitz]

Did we ever end up with a verdict on the SS tubing? Does it need to be reinforced with notched tubing inside of it and does the tubing it came with work for that function?

I've got everything else together and it looks great!

The notched tubing idea was rejected somewhere in the first half of the thread.

Several people, including myself, have used a SS spring inside the braid to keep it from collapsing. It's been working well.

 

[DoctorDuvel]

does a thermometer confirm you are loosing heat during mashing over the 60-90 mash ? I'm by no means a expert but I have never heard of styrofoam being effected by 150 - 160 degree water ie. your 200 degree coffee cup doesn't melt also reusable travel cups are insulated with styro and you get many years of service from them ..... just my .02 .

i have noticed that when i take the lid off at the end of mash, if i move the thermometer around, i'll get cool spots - definitely cool enough to affect the final beer. what's probably happening is liquid is getting to the foam through where the washers are, and if the liquid is hot and sugary, then that's probably causing corrosion. i've seen foam scar from hot food plenty of times, i don't think it's far-fetched to think it could happen in the mash tun.

i have examined everything in my brewing process for problems - thermometers, mashing and mash temps, sparging, recipes, etc...nothing seems wrong, and since this is a recent phenomenon, the only thing that makes sense is the mash equipment

 

[Skarekrough]

Just wanted to throw this out there....

My local Home Depot only has the Faucet Connection hose in Polymer Braid, which I believe won't handle the weight.

The local Lowe's DOES have SS braided faucet connections. They were under $6.

Thanks for everyone's help. Tonight I think it will get fully assembled and were looking at Sunday for an Imperial Stout as an inaugural brew!

 

[inkman15]

Reposting with hope for a reply:

So, I spent a whole day last week driving around my area to various Lowes and Home Depots to get all the fittings for this only to discover the whole "lead in brass" issue after the fact.

Done plenty of reading and while it's the consensus that it's safe to use these fittings after soaking them in the vinegar/hydrogen peroxide solution, I still don't trust myself to do that part correctly, so I'm going to buy all SS parts. I've located replacements for everything online except:

- 3/8” male barb adapter (Watts A-294)
- 3/8” female barb adapter (Watts A-298)

Can someone point me in the direction for SS replacements for these?

Appreciate your help

 

[integra93ls]

I can get them for you at my local home depot n send them to you. Other then that try a local plumbing store or. Heating n ac store

 

[inkman15]

I can get them for you at my local home depot n send them to you. Other then that try a local plumbing store or. Heating n ac store

You can get SS versions? I'm sure I could get them if I knew what I was looking for, but I'd be happy to throw you some cash for the parts if you have them. PM me.

 

[MrOrange]

Man this is awesome considering most ten gallon kits cost over $200.00 for MLT and HLT

 

[integra93ls]

You can get SS versions? I'm sure I could get them if I knew what I was looking for, but I'd be happy to throw you some cash for the parts if you have them. PM me.

oh im sorry i thought you were looking for them in brass. sorry i read it wrong. but hey ill check to see if they have it in ss. i dont think they even make it in ss but i might be wrong.

 

[XtremeBrew]

I picked up 2 5gal coolers at Home Depot, but the diameter of the hole where the spout is is much larger than every cooler mash tun build I've seen. The opening is just over 1/2" in diameter and I can't find anything to fit snugly in it. All parts are 1/2" or 3/4" so I'm stuck. Any ideas?

 

[bottlebomber]

Any ideas?

You could return them, and buy a 10 gallon cooler...

 

[XtremeBrew]

.....yeah, its the same size opening. I already checked. So that's not gonna help me much.

 

[bottlebomber]

.....yeah, its the same size opening. I already checked. So that's not gonna help me much.

That strange... I just did this build a month or so ago with a Home Depot Rubbermaid (are you sure its rubbermaid?) Cooler, and it worked like a dream. I think you should just buy the materials as listed, and make the build. Its the washers and gaskets that are sealing the rig, and the nipple that's passing through their smaller openings

 

[XtremeBrew]

Yeah its the Rubbermaid ones. They're the only place I could find the screw on top version too, so I guess I'm going to have to rig it up somehow and just make it work

 

[bottlebomber]

Yeah its the Rubbermaid ones. They're the only place I could find the screw on top version too, so I guess I'm going to have to rig it up somehow and just make it work

Your good to go, just go through the build. Let me guess, it has a Home Depot decal on the front on a square embossment. This is the exact cooler I used, I have done three batches so far and it works great.

 

[day_trippr]

Your good to go, just go through the build. Let me guess, it has a Home Depot decal on the front on a square embossment. This is the exact cooler I used, I have done three batches so far and it works great.

+1

I have the same 10 gallon Home Depot/Rubbermaid cooler, outfitted with an off-the-shelf Gott-style cooler bulkhead/ss ball valve assembly similar to this one:

Been brewing with this cooler MLT rig for about a year now with an FB and it still works great, no leaks inside or out...

Cheers!

 

[XtremeBrew]

Thanks. I'm going to end up using 1/2" parts instead of the 3/8" ones because of space issues. The 3/8 are just way too small for this cooler I have. Even the 1/2" leaves just a bit of wiggle room too much for my paranoia. Hopefully I will have all my parts in a few weeks and start my brewing reeducation with AG

 

[MichaelBrock]

I don't think your cooler is unusual. The hole in your cooler is almost certainly the same as everyone else's. If you dig through this thread you'll find that many people report the same fit issues. The "wobble" issues some people reported are undoubtedly due to this poor fit. Some people have gone with 1/2 inch fittings but apparently the hardware is harder to find. I considered it but ended up going the traditional route and it worked out with no leaks or wobble, had no problems finding the washers (the Home Depot 'build a bolt' kit fit perfectly, the washers looked like they were made to fit the indentations in the cooler). You just need to make sure everything is tightened down pretty well.

 

[gcdowd]

Ahhh mine keeps leaking. The stainless steel washer on the inside is not flush against the plastic, which is how I suspect it's leaking. I tightened everything as best I could, am I missing something?

 

[bottlebomber]

Ahhh mine keeps leaking. The stainless steel washer on the inside is not flush against the plastic, which is how I suspect it's leaking. I tightened everything as best I could, am I missing something?

Its not supposed to be flush against the plastic on the inside, its supposed to have the "stock" white rubber gasket that came with the cooler between the inside wall and the washer creating a seal. Hopefully that's your only problem

 

[gcdowd]

Its not supposed to be flush against the plastic on the inside, its supposed to have the "stock" white rubber gasket that came with the cooler between the inside wall and the washer creating a seal. Hopefully that's your only problem

So the whole rubber seal needs to be on the inside? Right now I have it half in, as it was when I bought it.

 

[bottlebomber]

Deleted: double post

 

[bottlebomber]

So the whole rubber seal needs to be on the inside? Right now I have it half in, as it was when I bought it.

The white rubber seal should completely cover the hole through the cooler, and the washer clamped against this should seal it. If it doesn't, you you may have a little too much play in the setup and may need to add another washer on the outside. Looking at mine now... I think you need to flip the white rubber piece around so that the smaller side of it is facing outward, not going inside the hole. That's how mine is at least, accidently im sure.

 

[gcdowd]

The white rubber seal should completely cover the hole through the cooler, and the washer clamped against this should seal it. If it doesn't, you you may have a little too much play in the setup and may need to add another washer on the outside. Looking at mine now... I think you need to flip the white rubber piece around so that the smaller side of it is facing outward, not going inside the hole. That's how mine is at least, accidently im sure.

The rubber seal is in correctly. Also have three washers on the outside and tight. One thing is that my valve can still sort of rotate, which is not good I assume. Is it possible I need two washers on the inside? I'm at a loss...

 

[MichaelBrock]

Another common problem is that the nipple is too long and lacks sufficient threads. This keeps the inside nut from applying proper compression to tighten things down (which is why adding the washers helps). When I built mine I ended up needing too many washers so I followed the advice of someone in this thread and went to a shorter nipple that is threaded on its entire length (there is a special name for it but it eludes me; search for "nipple" on the thread). I ended up needing only a single washer on the outside and inside and things tightened down very well. Initially it didn't seem that the nipple would be long enough but it worked.

 

[gcdowd]

Another common problem is that the nipple is too long and lacks sufficient threads. This keeps the inside nut from applying proper compression to tighten things down (which is why adding the washers helps). When I built mine I ended up needing too many washers so I followed the advice of someone in this thread and went to a shorter nipple that is threaded on its entire length (there is a special name for it but it eludes me; search for "nipple" on the thread). I ended up needing only a single washer on the outside and inside and things tightened down very well. Initially it didn't seem that the nipple would be long enough but it worked.

I think I found it. Use a 3/8 x close brass nipple. I'll give it a shot.

How long was the brass nipple you got? I fear the shorter nipple will cause my valve handle to hit the side of the cooler so it won't close all the way.

 

[MichaelBrock]

How long was the brass nipple you got? I fear the shorter nipple will cause my valve handle to hit the side of the cooler so it won't close all the way.

Mine does hit the side of the cooler and I too was worried about that but it does close completely. Unfortunately, with that shorter nipple you won't be able to add another washer on the outside to give it sufficient clearance.

 

[gcdowd]

Mine does hit the side of the cooler and I too was worried about that but it does close completely. Unfortunately, with that shorter nipple you won't be able to add another washer on the outside to give it sufficient clearance.

Ok. I was also thinking that maybe I could put an o-ring on the inside between the original rubber gasket that came with the cooler and the ss washer. Would that work? Not sure if the o-rings are food grade and heat resistant. Maybe I'll just try the new nipple first.