Cooler conversion kit?

[bracconiere]

I used to remember morebeer selling the cooler conversion kit, basicly just a ball valve and thingy to replace the spigot on the cooler....

i need one because i want a little 2-3 gallon HLT that will fit on the kitchen counter. i upgraded my old colander and scoop method, or it's almost here, now i need to basiclly do the same thing, but with a cache, and instead of scooping water straight into the mash tun over a colander, just top off the tiny HLT...and do it like a pro!


but anyway, anyone know if anyone still sells conversion kits for coolers?

 

[day_trippr]

Contact @Bobby_M for the finest in bulkheads

Seriously. I still have a leak-free bulkhead on my 10g Rubbermaid (which now serves duty during storms as a drinking water stash) and a crap ton of his leakless kettle bulkheads. All thumbs up!

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

i'll have to dig up his shop. but i'm in the market!

edit: or do you know the name of the website?

 

[marc1]

https://www.brewhardware.com/Default.asp

 

[hout17]

marc1 beat me to it lol.

 

[bracconiere]

is this him?
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/coolermashfb5.htm
i just would want it without the false bottom right?

edit: and he should be proud! bobby, and homebrew, got a google hit for the site!


edit #2: and the only reason there is a different 10 gal, and 5 gal, IS the false bottom?

edit again: i see the HLT one, even has a sight glass....i'll probably buy the kit, appreciate the help again!

 

[marc1]

is this him?
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/coolermashfb5.htm
i just would want it without the false bottom right?

edit: and he should be proud! bobby, and homebrew, got a google hit for the site!


edit #2: and the only reason there is a different 10 gal, and 5 gal, IS the false bottom?

edit again: i see the HLT one, even has a sight glass....i'll probably buy the kit, appreciate the help again!

Email them and ask - they're helpful!

Or summon him with the mystical @username spell

 

[bracconiere]

Email them and ask - they're helpful!

Or summon him with the mystical @username spell

I'll just get the HLT kit....looks like what i need...not sure if i need the igloo, or rubermade for a 2 gallon cooler though.....

 

[Sunfire96]

Are you looking for a pickup tube as well or just the weldless bulkhead ball valve? I would imagine that the parts for the 5 gallon would fit a 2-3 gallon cooler, but not the 10 gallon stuff. The difference between Igloo and Rubbermaid is whether or not the large fatty washer is needed on the outside, so probably dependent on the brand you're going with?

 

[bracconiere]

Are you looking for a pickup tube as well or just the weldless bulkhead ball valve?

just the, just learned word, bulkhead. and the ball valve. i'll need a barbed end that screws into it too. basicly, i'm getting a fancy custom sparge diffusser, with a mesh screen that will hold down the grain while sparging, from @Jaybird.

so far i've always been content to just use my sauce pot to scoop hot water into a colander over the grain. but i'm stepping up my game, and know most people that do a fly sparge have a seperate HLT that they run with the sparge, and HLT both draining about the same with ball valves. but i don't really have a way to set up a 3 tier system, so i'll i'm going to have is my mash tun on a chair next to the kitchen counter.

thinking i could kinda do like a pro, but still sorta like the way i was doing it, just now i'll be scoop sparge water into the little 2 gallon cooler on the counter, and just make sure to keep it full?

i know TMI, but...i just need a bulkhead and ball valve, and a barb at the end....i like the idea of the sight glass in the HLT kit from BrewHardware, not for HLT. But for my mash tun, that way i can sparge with the lid on, and be able to see the level inside it, and tune it to the right flow....

 

[Sunfire96]

This is the one I bought. Had them put on a 3/8" barb instead of 1/2"

https://www.kegconnection.com/stainless-steel-ball-valve-w-bulkhead-weldless/

 

[hout17]

@bracconiere you could also get a bazooka screen along with your bulkhead and do some batch sparging ops.

 

[Sunfire96]

Here's what I did to my 5 gal cooler

https://www.brewersfriend.com/forum/threads/show-your-diy-projects.1026/page-24#post-128768

 

[bracconiere]

This is the one I bought. Had them put on a 3/8" barb instead of 1/2"

https://www.kegconnection.com/stainless-steel-ball-valve-w-bulkhead-weldless/

perfect! just what i was looking for! $16 sounds great!

@bracconiere you could also get a bazooka screen along with your bulkhead and do some batch sparging ops.

unfortanatly, i have no idea what you mean? i guess if i was making a yeast starter or something? lol

 

[bracconiere]

This is the one I bought. Had them put on a 3/8" barb instead of 1/2"

https://www.kegconnection.com/stainless-steel-ball-valve-w-bulkhead-weldless/

hey @Sunfire96 do you think i can just get this stuff at the local hardware store?

 

[hout17]

perfect! just what i was looking for! $16 sounds great!



unfortanatly, i have no idea what you mean? i guess if i was making a yeast starter or something? lol

I went off on a tangent and forgot this was for your HLT so disregard.

 

[JJinMD]

By the looks of it and the description, the one in the last post is for a thin-walled vessel. Most coolers are thick-walled. This is the one I used with my 10g Igloo Variable Length Weldless Bulkhead Not sure exactly what you are trying to put a bulkhead on, but thought you might want this pointed out (since you indicated looking for a cooler conversion kit).

 

[bracconiere]

By the looks of it and the description, the one in the last post is for a thin-walled vessel. Most coolers are thick-walled. This is the one I used with my 10g Igloo Variable Length Weldless Bulkhead Not sure exactly what you are trying to put a bulkhead on, but thought you might want this pointed out (since you indicated looking for a cooler conversion kit).

Thanks for catching that! yeah it will be an insulated cooler....

 

[bracconiere]

I went off on a tangent and forgot this was for your HLT so disregard.

LOL, man this whole project is kinda a $200 tangent for me too!

 

[Sunfire96]

hey @Sunfire96 do you think i can just get this stuff at the local hardware store?

I was trying to go that route and I could only find brass pieces that weren't quite right. And the ball valve itself is almost $16. Which is why I went with the stainless steel pre-built one lol and it's still rock solid over a year later

 

[Sunfire96]

By the looks of it and the description, the one in the last post is for a thin-walled vessel. Most coolers are thick-walled. This is the one I used with my 10g Igloo Variable Length Weldless Bulkhead Not sure exactly what you are trying to put a bulkhead on, but thought you might want this pointed out (since you indicated looking for a cooler conversion kit).

Oh yea, it's possible I bought a longer threaded piece. Now I don't remember. @bracconiere here's what mine looks like now

 

[bwible]

Yes they are different fittings with different length shafts - whether its for a cooler or a kettle. Coolers tend to have thicker walls so you need more threads.

You can buy just the bulkhead fitting. (I was in the navy, they call every wall a bulkhead so its not a new word to me. )

Then you can buy your ball valve, barb fittings, etc at your local hardware store if you want. You’d have to price the kit vs buying all the parts separately.

Most of the kits come with a false bottom to fit a 5 gallon or 10 gallon cooler. So you won’t want one of those. I also wonder about the weight of the ball valve on a small cooler.

https://www.homebrewing.org/Igloo-C...MI_KiCkd728gIVCpWGCh1ogAj3EAQYAiABEgKWafD_BwE
No affiliation with this place, just the right fitting that came up when I searched.

I don’t even use a fancy hlt. I heat water in a separate pot and just pour it gently over the diffuser at the top of my Anvil Foundry. I can get away with that because I’m brewing 3 gallon batches and my sparge water is usually between 1 gallon and 1.5 gallons.

 

[day_trippr]

I would not go with the pictured valve and all-thread feedthrough.
Go with a legit cooler bulkhead that won't be subject to wort traveling along the threads right through the cooler.
Talk to @Bobby_M....

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

i ended up ordering this...

https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Weldless-Picnic-Cooler-Spigot-Ball-Vale-Kit.html
appreciate the help all!

 

[day_trippr]

Too bad. That could be a pita versus a proper bulkhead. Good luck.

By the way, did you verify the spigot hole in your cooler is wide enough to pass that 1/2" NPT nipple?
Apparently - for example - some 10g Rubbermaid's have large enough holes (like mine) while others were made with too small holes for 1/2" pipe...

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

Too bad. That could be a pita versus a proper bulkhead. Good luck.

By the way, did you verify the spigot hole in your cooler is wide enough to pass that 1/2" NPT nipple?
Apparently - for example - some 10g Rubbermaid's have large enough holes (like mine) while others were made with too small holes for 1/2" pipe...

Cheers!

 

[user 298779]

Hey Bracconiere, hope you fitting works well. Nuthing against stuff from NorCal Solutions - They have some unique stuff I bought from them. That said, Bobby at Brewhardware has been my go-to for years.. First rate every time (Not that NorCal isn’t).

Their (Brewhardware) specific cooler bulkhead fittings are excellent and would be exactly what you need. Had to buy one for brewing Dragons Milk Stout clone using 10 gal cooler as MT due to grain bill. Also have a few of his bulkhead fittings for 5 gal cooler when the mood strikes. No leaks, nice machining, great quality IMHO. The design is well thought out!

CHEERS

KBW.

 

[bracconiere]

Hey Bracconiere, hope you fitting works well. I buy some stuff from NorCal Solutions and it’s great. They have some unique stuff.

i hope it works too! and yeah, definitely unique stuff! i told him what i wanted and he's going to weld it to my preference!

 

[user 298779]

Just to clarify my previous post on this - I’m in no way putting down NorCal Solutions, in fact the things I’ve purchased from them have been given outstanding reviews. Each situation comes down to what works for your specific application.

Cheers

KBW.