Anyone Use a cooler like this for a tun?

[frettfreak]

I went to lowes the other day and they had this cooler on sale for $50. So i bought one. Been looking to upgrade my 36qt for a while. Didnt realize til i got home where the port was for the drain.... Being that it is wheeled and angled down a little, i am now concerned that this wont make a great tun.

I thought this would be a great middle ground in that the shape (being more square than rectangle) would allow for greater grain depth and better fly sparging.

Has anyone every used a cooler like this for a tun, and how did you plumb it with a valve? I dont have to be able to use the wheels, but it would be nice!

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I can still take this back and get a regular rectangle xtreme though, so i just want to do this right.

 

[IslandLizard]

That's obviously a blatant design flaw!

I'm more concerned about the angle of the bulkhead in regards to the total length of your valve, barb and even the first few inches of hose. It may end up below the bottom, particularly when tipping backwards.

 

[Rivenin]

yup! seen them, used to use one just like it.
Just watch out for the barb, like he was saying above me. an dyou'll be fine... used to put mine right off the edge of a table

 

[frettfreak]

man, you guys are making me feel like i should keep it! lol I really like the design... exept that damn port!! lol dont these people know we make tuns out of their stuff?!?!?! GEEZ!! lmao

I may just take it back and go grab the 72 qt xtreme marine cooler. i dunno

 

[wilserbrewer]

If you have the ability, you could drill a hole in the front of that cooler for a valve, much better than the rear IMO.


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[IslandLizard]

What is the typical batch size you're brewing? 72qts maybe too large, giving you a shallow mash and a huge headspace to lose heat from.
For the record I use a 52qt rectangular cooler tun (has no wheels) for 5.5-6 gallon batches, plenty of space for that purpose, even for the occasional moderate gravity 11 gallon batches.

 

[homebrewer1234]

I built my mash tun out of an igloo cooler using these instructions: http://sweetwort.blogspot.com/2010/08/60-quart-ice-cube-igloo-mash-tun.html. It works very well. The siphon basically vacuums out the wort, so you don't have to worry about the raised valve and as a result you're not leaving any wort behind in the cooler.

 

[frettfreak]

If you have the ability, you could drill a hole in the front of that cooler for a valve, much better than the rear IMO.


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

I was contemplating that but wasnt sure if there would be any downside or anything that i would have to be carefull of when drilling the hole. I can definitely do it, just wanted to see if there were any downsides.

What is the typical batch size you're brewing? 72qts maybe too large, giving you a shallow mash and a huge headspace to lose heat from.
For the record I use a 52qt rectangular cooler tun (has no wheels) for 5.5-6 gallon batches, plenty of space for that purpose, even for the occasional moderate gravity 11 gallon batches.

Right now, its been only 5-6 gal batches, but i dont brew light beers. Everything has had an og above 1.070, BUT, I am jumping up to 10 gal batches (not for every brew but some of them)

I built my mash tun out of an igloo cooler using these instructions: http://sweetwort.blogspot.com/2010/08/60-quart-ice-cube-igloo-mash-tun.html. It works very well. The siphon basically vacuums out the wort, so you don't have to worry about the raised valve and as a result you're not leaving any wort behind in the cooler.

How much heat do you lose with the igloo? seems like that would be the sewwt spot for what i am wanting, but every review and stuff i read say the coleman is the way to go. Just curious, cause i know they had those too. Could easily exchange this one if needed.

 

[beernutz]

I believe I use that exact Igloo Cube cooler for my tun but I only paid about half your cost a year ago. They certainly look the same though. I've used mine for almost 2 dozen batches and it works fine. I get about 77% mash efficiency according to Beersmith and the cooler holds temperature pretty steady for an hour though I do use the trick of placing a square of heavy aluminum foil over the mash. I typically make 10 gallon batches and have mashed as much as 25 lbs of grain which I believe was close to 1.070 OG. I was close to the capacity but probably could have done another 5 lbs and still kept an acceptable water to grain ratio.

Here are some pictures of how mine is setup:
I drilled a hole in the top and used tubing that was part of a shower head to move water from the HLT to the cooler. For a while I was using the shower head itself inside the cooler to distribute the water but it also cooled the water so it was harder to get to the right strike temp so I just took it off. The temp gauge and spigot with pump attached using quick disconnect. I had to drill holes for those as well:

The bazooka screen on the inside which I surrounded with a round, removeable SS screen I made after I mashed my first bazooka too flat in places. This has worked great as the outer screen slips easily on and off and the inner bazooka doesn't have a scratch on it:

After removing the outer SS screen and placing it beside the bazooka:

The bottom drain cover broke off my cooler apparently as I was wheeling it to my compost dump and I never found it. I did find #00 lab stoppers for very cheap on amazon and use that now. Works great so far:

I tilt my cooler forward on the brew structure to get as much drainage as I can by placing a 2" x 2" piece of wood under the backside. This may be unnecessary but it makes me feel more in control so I do it anyway and it takes zero additional effort:

 

[Billy-Klubb]

can you run a SS 45 right on the inside to make up for the angle?

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

The trick about using a port that's angled or higher than the bottom is that the tube outside must not get any air inside it during the final moments, as it would lose suction and therefore kill the siphon.

MC

 

[wilserbrewer]

Using the factory port is not desirable IMO cause...
1. The port is above the bottom of the cooler
2. it is at a 45 degree angle
3. it is at the back of the cooler as you open the lid, less than ideal IMO unless you brew 360 degrees

The downside of drilling a new port is that you have to do it succesfully, even though it is a simple task for some, not all depending on the tools you have and skillset...

You can also break the factory drain as seen above.

pick your poison, or another cooler....cheers!

 

[frettfreak]

can you run a SS 45 right on the inside to make up for the angle?

I was thinking that too with maybe a quick disconnect for the valve (so i could still roll it)...

However, after much internal debate, i ended up taking it back and i think i am gonna order the rectangular coleman xtreme 70qt. I just dont want to worry about leaks by drilling a hole.

thanks everyone for your input!! I really appreciate your help with this decision!

 

[wilserbrewer]

This 62 coleman extreme w/ wheels might be worth a look...$39
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-62-Quart-Xtreme-Wheeled-Cooler/8586970

 

[IslandLizard]

Using the factory port is not desirable IMO cause...
1. The port is above the bottom of the cooler
2. it is at a 45 degree angle
3. it is at the back of the cooler as you open the lid, less than ideal IMO unless you brew 360 degrees

The downside of drilling a new port is that you have to do it succesfully, even though it is a simple task for some, not all depending on the tools you have and skillset...

You can also break the factory drain as seen above.

pick your poison, or another cooler....cheers!

That's 5 cons right there, I'd pick an alternative with the correct configuration instead. No drilling holes either. I like the 0 deadspace of the recessed drain holes.

If you're really serious about doing 10-11 gallon batches regularly, the larger 62-72 qt one can be the better choice, although the grain bed will be very shallow for 5.5 gallon ones with a huge headspace.

 

[frettfreak]

This 62 coleman extreme w/ wheels might be worth a look...$39
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-62-Quart-Xtreme-Wheeled-Cooler/8586970

That's 5 cons right there, I'd pick an alternative with the correct configuration instead. No drilling holes either. I like the 0 deadspace of the recessed drain holes.

If you're really serious about doing 10-11 gallon batches regularly, the larger 62-72 qt one can be the better choice, although the grain bed will be very shallow for 5.5 gallon ones with a huge headspace.

Just ordered the coleman 70 xtreme (no wheels, just a rectangle) through walmart for only $39! Great deal. Cant wait to brew again!!! lol