El Cheapo Mash Tun

I built an El Cheapo Mash Lauter Tun this morning for around $15 Canadian. My wife, the baker gets unlimited food grade 5 and 6 gallon buckets so me and my brew buddy Jay are reaping the MLT rewards, so to say.

Parts: 1 FREE 6 gallon bucket, one stainless lavatory ball valve with male hose barb end, two washers, two rubber washers, one pot holder and one sifter measured to fit and/or screen from LHBS, 1 closed cell foam camping roll.

1.)Drill a hole in the bottom of the bucket to fit the ball valve and crank it in there with the rubber washers against either side of the bucket and the metal washers on the outside of them. Tighten 'er up but not too hard and she'll hold water like nobody's bid-ness.

2.)Wrap the ugly fiend in the foam camping roll and be sure to cut out circles to fit both the bottom and the lid of the bucket. I both hot glued and duct taped the foam on there.

Looks good.

Canadian engineering at it's finest.

With "El Cheapo" in the title, the post had to have duct tape in it. Thanks for not disappointing! Looks good!

I actually got this idea from this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=33617&highlight=insulate

and bogarted and adapted it to my mash tun. MY LHBS sells 5 Gal buckets converted into mash tuns already but I figured I go it solo and improve on the design. I was laughing when I bought the duct tape because it just seemed so typical of a DIY job.

I'm off to drink a HB stout.

Wait, you needed to buy duct tape? I always keep some on hand for DIY emergencies! And WD-40. Modding gear of the gods.

As an end note: I brewed with this baby today and it lost a sum total of 0.25 degrees over 60 mins after it was preheated during the dough-in.


Not bad at all.