70 quart Coleman Extreme Mash Tun w/ CPVC Manifold

[h4mmy86]

Nothing special really, but I'm proud of it
Dremel made fast work of that manifold.
Can't wait to start brewing some big heavy beers in this bad boy!

Huge upgrade from my old 5 gallon cylindrical tun!

 

[Enf0rc3r]

That thing is nice my friend.

 

[h4mmy86]

Thank you!

I can't wait to try it out! I imagine it's maiden voyage will be a nice dry stout for St. Paddy's

 

[TravisT]

using a manifold like this is so much better that the SS braided hose. I also like how it is a snug fit in the cooler, little chance of a mash paddle knocking it loose.

 

[h4mmy86]

Thank you!

I only went with the manifold because it's such a large cooler.

I have a steel braid in my 5 gallon round tun and I love it!
It has never given me any trouble whatsoever and always gives me a nice clear run off.

This will be my first time using a manifold so I look forward to comparing the two for myself.

 

[Bluelinebrewer]

Looks good! I'm considering making a similar uprade as well. Been using a 5 gal igloo, but, I think I want something bigger! What'd that cooler run ya?

 

[cknittle]

Just one question, sorry if its stupid. Is the manifold PVC, and if yes aren't you a little worried about it leeching chemicals and stuff into your mash? As far as I know PVC is not food safe.

 

[Bluelinebrewer]

I'm no plumber, but I believe its CPVC... If that makes any difference.. like I said, not a plumber! Lol

 

[h4mmy86]

It's cpvc, which is more dense and made for use in high temperatures, so no worries there.

That cooler was pretty cheap, around $35 on Amazon.

 

[Bluelinebrewer]

Any specific reason for using T's on the outside corners instead of using 90° elbows?

 

[h4mmy86]

They function as spacers. Keeping a gap between the sides of the cooler and the manifold helps prevent channeling along the outside of the grain bed.

 

[Bluelinebrewer]

Ahhh, gotcha... Thanks!

 

[bigbeergeek]

More slots! Don't get lazy now!

 

[h4mmy86]

Ya think I need more slots?

They're spaced one inch apart, which I read was ideal, but when it was all said and done I too thought it looked like I could use some more slots.

....oh well, doesn't matter as I broke my cutting disk yesterday on another project.

What spacing would you recommend ?

 

[bigbeergeek]

I'm not trying to argue with anyone's definition of "ideal" -- I went with 1/4 inch slot spacing on the CPVC manifold in me cube and I'm very happy with the results: 89% efficiency on most beers and I've never had a stuck sparge. I had to cut mine with a hacksaw as I made the manifold years before I bought my angle grinder!

 

[h4mmy86]

I don't mean to argue that the method I followed is ideal, that's merely the opinion I read. I really don't know.

Upon further research it seems that there is much debate and no definite answer. It seems anything from .25" up to 1" is acceptable.

I can argue logic for both ways but really have no prior manifold experience so I really can't say for sure.

I'm gonna try it as it is and maybe I'll cut more slots down the line.

...seems like someone should have already done this experiment.

 

[bigbeergeek]

No arguments here either friend! I really don't know either!

 

[mrklueber]

I don't mean to argue that the method I followed is ideal, that's merely the opinion I read. I really don't know.

Upon further research it seems that there is much debate and no definite answer. It seems anything from .25" up to 1" is acceptable.

I can argue logic for both ways but really have no prior manifold experience so I really can't say for sure.

I'm gonna try it as it is and maybe I'll cut more slots down the line.

...seems like someone should have already done this experiment.

I think your manifold looks great. I will be interested to see how it performs. When I made my manifold, years ago out of 1/2" copper pipe, I used 0.5" spacing for my slots. I usually get 75% efficiency. I like the 70 qt cooler since I usually brew ten gallon batches. Works well for small beers like ordinary bitters up to dopplebocks.

 

[Bluelinebrewer]

Any chance you could provide some specifics such as measurements and parts list for the manifold? Just picked up one of the coolers tonight. Thanks!

 

[h4mmy86]

I really just threw this together as I went along, I don't have any good notes or anything like that to share. Sorry

 

[Bluelinebrewer]

Its cool. I put something together that looks pretty identical! All I have left to do is cut the slots. Thanks for the design idea!

 

[orion7144]

I used the same cooler only I did an H pattern with my cuts about .25 apart and have used it 4 times with great success.

 

[orion7144]

Oh yea the nice thing about this cooler is the only left overs is in that groove by the valve. Less than 1cup of waste.

Here is a pic of my simple one

 

[alien]

Oh yea the nice thing about this cooler is the only left overs is in that groove by the valve. Less than 1cup of waste.

Here is a pic of my simple one

I'm a fan of the cooler. The tubes look a bit close to the walls though -- don't know if you might get a bit of channeling down the sides.

 

[orion7144]

It works and took me all of 10 min and $5 to build so I will leave it as is.

 

[h4mmy86]

Yeah, my build was around $7

That imo is the biggest advantage of cpvc

 

[ylpaul2000]

I have a 120 quart mash tun cooler that I also use a cpvc manifold in. I love it as I also have a 5 gallon mash tun with a false bottom and a 10 gallon with a bazooka tube and the cpvc manifold is the only one that I've never had a stuck sparge in. The only thing that I will caution is that after a couple months of use the joints started getting looser and looser until one time I was stirring the mash and the manifold came apart. So watch out for that. It's so cheap I just replace the fittings every three months or so and no problems since.

 

[h4mmy86]

Hey guys

Finally got to try out the cooler!
Brewed a couple batches in the past few days and everything went very smoothly.

This thing is a real pain to heat up on brew day, so I've leared to prep my brew water the night before, boil it all (for me about 7.5 gallons) and pour it in the cooler to heat over night. Worked perfectly.

On both 5 gallon brews I mashed with around 3.5 or 4 gallons of water and lost about 2 degrees over the span of an hour.

My efficiency averaged about 70% on the first brew and 73% on the second.

For my maiden voyage, I'm very pleased

 

[orion7144]

Increase your crush and you will get better efficiency.

 

[MaltedBayerl]

I used a stainless braid on my huge cooler and it works fine. It's only about 8 inches long. I think it's a 72 quart cooler. Found it in the garage. I did coil some thick copper wire around a screwdriver and then shoved the wire inside the braid to keep it from getting crushed by grain. Worked well for 4 or 5 batches now. How long does it take you to drain? I usually have about 20-30 minutes of draining time total. I collect the first runnings in 5-10 min, start that heating to a boil, then gradually add the 2nd runnings into the boil kettle, pitcher by pitcher.