Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion

Found a stainless braid and all stainless (including screws) clamps at home depot. Got it all set up and it works great. Now to test it with grain.

P.S.--That ****in braid was a pain in the ass. I was bleeding and it took like 5-10 minutes to get the support out of it (the plastic thingy).

 

So you're using the braid as a filter on your MLT, not the old false bottom?

 

Yes, much cheaper and many have had success. There seems to be a ton of people complaining about stuck sparges with false bottoms and many who say they're the only way to go. I'm going to try fly guys design first since its cheap, easy, and works for a lot of people. If I have issues ill report back and try a manifold or false bottom.

 

Okay, I've only read the first 77 pages, but thanks to everyone for all of their input. I ended up with a 5 gal Rubbermaid for around 10 bucks, not expecting to go AG, but couldn't pass it up. Came home, read this thread, then went and bought everything at Lowe's except the S/S washer.

I'm not handy at all and never done anything close to this, so I ended up with some leaks last night after trying various rubber washer/o-ring combos. It turns out I had an old package of "rubber hose washers" from Ace that fit perfectly and I stacked three of them on the inside behind the o-ring and the original seal. So far, so good this morning. I had previously been trying to use the big ugly stinky black rubber washers from Lowes, but these Ace washers seem to be much better suited. Hope that helps someone.

 

Instead of a manifold, why can't you make a diptube going to a valve, and line your cooler with one of the nylon paint straining bags like used for BIAB brewing? Wouldn't that allow all the grain to drain and filter?

 

That might work, but you've got to consider that the grains are meant to compact to a certain extent from the drainage. The grains in the bag would compact around the dip tube and you'd be draining from a singular point that would be very prone to a stuck sparge.
Maybe if you suspended the bag just above the dip tube as you drained, but at that point a mesh tube or manifold is way easier, durable, and proven to be successful.

 

Some people put a bag over their manifold.

And the Manifold is a dip tube. It's just really spread out.

 

Also, when using the singular dip tube with the bag instead of a manifold, bigger dead spots are created in which sugars get left in the mash tun.

 

Just wanted to say "Thanks!" to FlyGuy for the excellent instructions. Got everything put together and leak free in under 20 minutes. I found the SS clamps and washers at Ace Hardware, in case that helps anyone.

 

Thanks - built a 5 gal. last night , with manifold - pre-heated with 1 gal boiling water for 5 mins - filled with 170 degree water - 2 hrs later no leaks and water 166 - I'm a believer!

 

Do the washers have to be fender washers? The guy I work with managed to get 5/8ths SS Washers (http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=1171025&ucst=t) from Fastenal but they weren't the fender washers.

 

Those will work.

 

I've been considering AG brewing for awhile now and just picked up a large enough brew pot to get me going this weekend. I have a 10 gallon cooler that I'm going to convert to a MLT but I've got a few questions. First, the cooler that FlyGuy used and it seems like a lot of other people have used is the rubbermaid one. The cooler I've got is All Sport (some sports drink that I don't think exists anymore). What is the diameter of the hole in the rubbermaid cooler? I took the spigot off my cooler and the hole has a 1" diameter, and seeing how a lot of the components listed are 5/8", I wasn't sure if since that is the ID that I am ok or if I need larger components.

Also, I'm planning on using the SS braid with the vinyl tubing inside like FlyGuy suggested. I read through many of these 138 pages, but nowhere near all and noticed there might be some problems with the braid. Any final verdict on the braid? I don't plan on fly sparging so I think I will be alright but I just wanted to make sure.

 

Dude, mine was extremely easy to push the stainless off, but you are not kidding about the bleeding.

The bazooka screens are no better. I'd suggest using some gloves or something if you're grabbing either to hand-tighten. I have/had a stupid amount of tiny little cuts all over my fingers and it pretty much sucks.

 

WOrks great for me. Just use palstic zip thingies tos ecure it and not ose clamps as they can rust

 

+1 to the zip ties instead of the clamps due to rust. You should size up the equipment you're going to use, or you can buy the bigger fittings from Bargain Fittings instead of chasing all the parts down.

 

I made a copper manifold today for eighteen bucks.

 

lets see a picture of the cooper manifold please

 

ok, give me time to get home and snap a few shots.

 

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www.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/1/medium/mlt24.jpg[/img][/IMG]

 

Sorry, having trouble with the pictures. [/IMG]Here is the manifold installed.

 

So I used this for the first time last night. Worked great. Got 65% efficiency on my first AG brew, and no stuck sparge or anything. Used the stainless steel braid with no support. Worked like a charm.

 

OK, I bought all this except for a couple of things:

1. the braided hose I got is a 1/2" FIP x 12 in faucet connector (BrassCraft #119 B8-12A F). It says it is an "Engineered Polymer Braid". Is that OK or should it say "Stainless Steel" braid on the label?

2. I couldn't find a stainless fender washer so I bought a neoprene fender washer - will that work?

3. I haven't bought a spigot cooler yet since that's the biggest expense. I have about a 8 gal rectangle cooler but it doesn't have a spigot. Can it be drilled or would that cause problems?

Also, how does one wash this whole mess after use? Does the braided hose part ever come clean?

 

1. No idea. Sorry.

2. As long as the neoprene fender washer doesn't bend (floppy. A little bending is ok). The purpose of the washers on the inside and outside is to help snug everything up so it doesn't leak.

3. It can be drilled. I suggest start drilling from the inside of the cooler to the outside. It also may not be a bad idea to stop drilling once you get through the first layer of plastic and dig the insulation out by hand, and then resume drilling.

Bonus Question: Garden hose or utility sink with a hose attachment (if you washin the sink, make sure you have something to catch all the spent grains that are left over after dumping most of the spent grain into the garbage or compost). You could also do it in the kitchen sink if you have a garbage disposal.

 

So if I drilled my cooler, I would just drill big enough to fit the brass M/M nipple thru the hole, right?

 

1: Absolutely not, that is not SS and will collapse. Head to Lowes to pick up a SS braid and return that.

 

Correct.

 

Do I need to disassemble the ball valve/nipples/hose assembly each time I clean it?

 

I don't. I fill it up with water and turn the ball valve to the "on" position. Sorry for leaving that out in my last post.

 

Say has anyone ever checked to see if the plastic end on this supply line would simply connect to the original Igloo/Coleman plastic valve threads on the inside of the cooler if you simply took the vinyl nut off?

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


It would save a whole lot of intermediate hardware - you'd just have to jury rig a way to keep the Coleman valve open without holding down the spring the whole time.

 

just a guess but it looks too big, and is it food/temp grade?

 

Just built mine. Not going AG yet, but I am doing a partial mash this weekend with a fair amount of grains. I made the mistake of not reading through this whole thread and ended up with stainless steel hose clamps. It's OK though, I'll upgrade later....

Found everything but the stainless steel flat washers, O-ring, and stainless braid supply line at HD. Picked up everything else at Ace.

Total bill, including the cooler was $74.15. The cooler was $40 of that, so the misc hardware was about $35.

 

What's wrong with the stainless hose clamps? What should we use? I haven't had time to read all 140 pages of this thread.

 

Stainless hose clamp should be fine.... Haven't built mine yet but will be after new year.

 

If you find 100% stainless steel clamps, you should be fine. The OP found that the clamps he originally bought (claimed to be stainless) started to rust, so he swapped them out with another invention.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/253344-post62.html

Of course, I should have noticed this since he mentioned it in post #4.

 

Right. The hose clamps rust. The easiest, and least of a headache, way of attaching it is with a zip tie.

 

hey zips are cheaper and I have a ton! replace reguarly... sounds good to me!

 

Yup. I think I've taken my zip tie off once to clean the manifold.