Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion

[Tutsbrew]

Should have read some of the other pages.

Yup, more than the ones I did...

 

[Trippel-A]

...Wish I'da read this post before spending $ at Home Depot...

I don't know. Your problem sounds a little worse. I had more than 1/4" between the bottom of the spigot hole and the bottom of the cooler. That is a bummer. Were you able to shave off part of the washer?

 

[DurtyChemist]

Yup, more than the ones I did...

This is why I've decided to buy one but I totally understand building it. Sucks you missed out but it appears that a few more washers works.

 

[GrizzAndFish]

You know the old "measure twice, cut once" adage? I should've listened to that. I got a 48 qt "Dr Pepper" branded Igloo cooler at a yard sale (which is pretty sweet) and went straight to HD without checking the size of the spigot/hole on my cooler. I bought all 3/8" brass, the hole appears to be 1/2". I guess I get to test their return policy tomorrow.

 

[Trippel-A]

You know the old "measure twice, cut once" adage? I should've listened to that. I got a 48 qt "Dr Pepper" branded Igloo cooler at a yard sale (which is pretty sweet) and went straight to HD without checking the size of the spigot/hole on my cooler. I bought all 3/8" brass, the hole appears to be 1/2". I guess I get to test their return policy tomorrow.

I first bought most of the parts, including the coolers, at HD before I did the math and realized that with a promotion that Northern Brewer was running, I was better off buying it all through them. Returned everything to HD the same day. No problem.

 

[bredle]

I followed the OP directions, and had no problems. I haven't brewed AG yet, but my first shipment of grains is on it's way and I have a no leak/inexpensive tun.

Thanks for the great directions!

 

[NTXBrauer]

Nice job, looks identical to mine, and everyone here who followed the simple instructions. (A huge shout out to FlyGuy!! Thanks again for your detailed post, that is still benefiting brewers 6 1/2 years later.)

If you have not done so already, you should fill your MT (at least 1/2 full) with mash temp water, seal it up and let it sit for an hour or so. This is the best way to determine if you have any leaks. If you do, you can add an additional washer to the outside which should firm up the seal. (Just as a precautionary step.) In reading through the posts on this thread, it appears that a few found a leak when mashing their first AG, which just leads to something additional to clean up after brewing. Good luck on your first AG batch.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I followed the OP directions, and had no problems. I haven't brewed AG yet, but my first shipment of grains is on it's way and I have a no leak/inexpensive tun.

Thanks for the great directions!

I dont know how full you filled it to leak test it, but i suggest filling it to the brim with water.

I found when i put mine together that it didnt leak until i hit about the 6 gallon mark, then the weight of the water caused it to leak a bit out behind the washers.

I'd hate for you to fill it up with grains and then realize it leaks when totally full.

 

[Bobby_M]

I'll go even further. The first thing you should do when adding a DIY bulkhead to a cooler is drill a 1/8" weep hole in the bottom outside skin, right under the drain area. I've seen a LOT of coolers come here that were like 5 pounds too heavy when empty because the interior walls were half full of the most rancid liquid you've ever smelled. This is especially true for people that end up with gaskets or orings on the outside of the cooler.

The weep hole doesn't stop leaks but rather they show you the leak upon first use rather than after 10 brews.

 

[AnOldUR]

 

[J-Wood]

FYI: Home Depot actually does carry the SS washers, but you have to purchase them in a small box with other parts. It's around $4.00 and comes with 4 washers. Here's an image (img link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/covxcoce8x4tbx6/CameraZOOM-20130921145923902.jpg)

Also, Amazon currently has Igloo 10 Gallon coolers for $39.98!:rockin: Here's the link: http://goo.gl/uGUorL

What a great thread!

 

[msa8967]

Anyone know of where I can buy a replacement "seal from plastic spigot of cooler"? Is there something I can use instead of having this?

 

[dyqik]

Anyone know of where I can buy a replacement "seal from plastic spigot of cooler"? Is there something I can use instead of having this?

Amazon has spare spigots which include the seals for various coolers (Igloo, Rubbermaid)

e.g. this one

 

[J-Wood]

Anyone know of where I can buy a replacement "seal from plastic spigot of cooler"? Is there something I can use instead of having this?

I bought an igloo cooler for my mash tun. The rubber washer that comes with it does not work for a sealer, so I had to buy something else. I actually bought a large faucet washer and cut the inside out a little larger. I did a leak test, and it worked fine.

BTW: Igloo coolers have a larger spigot hole of 1/2 inch. So, the 3/8" ball valve does not fit. You can still make it work by purchasing a 3/8" O-ring. The O-ring will fill the space around the nipple, which actually creates a pretty good seal. Use the rubber faucet washers for the interior and exterior seals. One of the benefits of the igloo cooler is that it does not have insulation where the spigot is. That means if you have any leaks, there's no chance for the wort to get into the inside of the cooler. It also means you will not need the 1-1/2 nipple. A close nipple will work just fine.

 

[Mwhy71]

Great thread, awesome knowledge sharing on this site! After watching countless videos, and checking out all the different builds, contemplating on buying one from my lhbs, this thread made up my mind. I took my existing 60 qt rubbermaid cooler and converted it. The only difference for this cooler from the typical 10 gallon beverage cooler was a 2"brass nipple, instead of the 1.5, and only two fender washers on the outside instead of 3. I also used a 5/8" neoprene washer on the outside to keep the rig from spinning. Got the ss washer for the inside from the 'build a bolt kit' at HD. looking forward to my first AG brew ASAP, thanks and Cheers

 

[msa8967]

Has anyone heard of treating brass fittings with a weak vinegar water solution before using the mash tun for the first time?

 

[barrooze]

Has anyone heard of treating brass fittings with a weak vinegar water solution before using the mash tun for the first time?

Yes indeed. I "pickle" all of my brass prior to use in my system. If you get Lead Free brass, this process will still help remove crap from the surface.

Following excerpt from John Palmer's How To Brew site:

Cleaning Brass
Some brewers use brass fittings in conjunction with their wort chillers or other brewing equipment and are concerned about the lead that is present in brass alloys. A solution of two parts white vinegar to one part hydrogen peroxide (common 3% solution) will remove tarnish and surface lead from brass parts when they are soaked for 5 minutes or less at room temperature. The brass will turn a buttery yellow color as it is cleaned. If the solution starts to turn green and the brass darkens, then the parts have been soaking too long and the copper in the brass is beginning to dissolve, exposing more lead. The solution has become contaminated and the part should be re-cleaned in a fresh solution.

 

[doornumber3]

I just ordered all the parts on home depot.com. Thanks so much for the advice on here. It's a great help.

 

[BigGoat]

Built this last night and brewed my first all grain. It was a learning experience, but went well. Big thanks to the OP for such a simple and inexpensive build!

 

[kaips1]

Retrofitted my cooler out to the specs here with a sight extra o ring addition and did a 3/4 full test for over an hour and it held solid. Can't wait to the next brew

 

[brewcephus]

So, I have a question. I'm relatively new to brewing (have 10 brews under my belt, all extract with 1 PM) and am looking to start doing AG asap. Found this DIY and am going to be looking at trying to piece together the parts to build myself a MLT this weekend.

My question is this, in one of the first few pages of the thread it was mentioned that this MLT is best suited for Batch Sparging, is there anyway to make it suitable for fly sparging? at this point I don't even know which way I want to go with sparging as I've never actually Sparged anything yet. I have my extract brewing done to an art and can usually get everything done in just over 3 hours, including cleanup. So, I'm looking to do something that 1) is easy to learn, 2)will help to keep my process streamlined.

All help is appreciated

Thanks,
Brew

 

[CGVT]

So, I have a question. I'm relatively new to brewing (have 10 brews under my belt, all extract with 1 PM) and am looking to start doing AG asap. Found this DIY and am going to be looking at trying to piece together the parts to build myself a MLT this weekend.

My question is this, in one of the first few pages of the thread it was mentioned that this MLT is best suited for Batch Sparging, is there anyway to make it suitable for fly sparging? at this point I don't even know which way I want to go with sparging as I've never actually Sparged anything yet. I have my extract brewing done to an art and can usually get everything done in just over 3 hours, including cleanup. So, I'm looking to do something that 1) is easy to learn, 2)will help to keep my process streamlined.

All help is appreciated

Thanks,
Brew

You could add a false bottom or manifold rather than a braid.

FWIW, I got a false bottom because I wanted to try fly sparging. I did it for a few brews and didn't think it was worth the extra time that it took. I went back to batch sparging and an happy with that. I still use the false bottom because I spent the money and have it, but the braid worked just as well for batch sparging.

 

[brewcephus]

ok, so I've been looking at some batch sparging and it looks like I may just go that route for now, as my current setup will be best utilized this way. I don't currently have a brew stand, just a blichman burner and a keggle. I have 3 kegs, just need to cut the tops out of the other 2 and set them up for this great adventure of mine.

one more question, does batch sparging benenfit more from the braided line than from manifold or false bottom? or is it not as reliant on the grain bed settling like fly sparging?

 

[CGVT]

ok, so I've been looking at some batch sparging and it looks like I may just go that route for now, as my current setup will be best utilized this way. I don't currently have a brew stand, just a blichman burner and a keggle. I have 3 kegs, just need to cut the tops out of the other 2 and set them up for this great adventure of mine.

one more question, does batch sparging benenfit more from the braided line than from manifold or false bottom? or is it not as reliant on the grain bed settling like fly sparging?

The grain bed will set whether you batch or fly sparge

The purpose of a false bottom or manifold when you fly sparge is to ensure that you rinse all of the sugars out of all of the grains, so you have to make sure that the liquid drains through all of the grains and doesn't channel.

When you batch sparge you are rinsing the sugar off by stirring the heck out of the grains before you vorlauf and drain. Channeling is not an issue so any way to ensure that the liquid drains and does not clog up will work.

TL:dr version: If you batch sparge use whatever is cheap, easy and available

Check out this site. http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/ Denny has been batch sparging for years and is the recognized expert

 

[poobaca]

Anybody use the home depot rubbermaid 5 gallon cooler for this? Seems to be one of the cheaper ones at around $22. Some of the cheaper ones I saw though said not to be used with hot liquids.

 

[steinsato]

I use a Home Depot rubbermaid 5 and 10 gallon cooler for my mashes. They work fine.

 

[kaips1]

Anybody use the home depot rubbermaid 5 gallon cooler for this? Seems to be one of the cheaper ones at around $22. Some of the cheaper ones I saw though said not to be used with hot liquids.

5 gallon will work but you may wanna go bigger now instead of later unless you don't want to do beers over 8% with only grain. You could do bigger beers by adding adjuncts or extract.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

So, I have a question. I'm relatively new to brewing (have 10 brews under my belt, all extract with 1 PM) and am looking to start doing AG asap. Found this DIY and am going to be looking at trying to piece together the parts to build myself a MLT this weekend.

My question is this, in one of the first few pages of the thread it was mentioned that this MLT is best suited for Batch Sparging, is there anyway to make it suitable for fly sparging? at this point I don't even know which way I want to go with sparging as I've never actually Sparged anything yet. I have my extract brewing done to an art and can usually get everything done in just over 3 hours, including cleanup. So, I'm looking to do something that 1) is easy to learn, 2)will help to keep my process streamlined.

All help is appreciated

Thanks,
Brew

Fly sparging will only get you marginally better efficiency's than batch sparging. IMO the extra cost associated with fly sparging isnt worth it when you can just spend an extra $1 on grains to make up the difference.

 

[poobaca]

I use a Home Depot rubbermaid 5 and 10 gallon cooler for my mashes. They work fine.

5 gallon will work but you may wanna go bigger now instead of later unless you don't want to do beers over 8% with only grain. You could do bigger beers by adding adjuncts or extract.

Cool thanks guys, I'm upgrading from 1 gallon batches to 2.5/3 so the 5 gallon should be plenty. Awesome that this cooler works for it..total build cost should be about $55!

 

[Guidry]

For another 20 bucks you can get the 10 gallon version. Otherwise you'll be spending another $40+ when you step up again.

 

[Trippel-A]

My question is this, in one of the first few pages of the thread it was mentioned that this MLT is best for Batch Sparging, is there anyway to make it suitable for fly sparging? at this point I don't even know which way I want to go with sparging as I've never actually Sparged anything yet. I have my extract brewing done to an art and can usually get everything done in just over 3 hours, including cleanup. So, I'm looking to do something that 1) is easy to learn, 2)will help to keep my process streamlined.

All help is appreciated

Thanks,
Brew

In addition to the other responses, I would add that keeping it easy and streamlined is a vote for batch sparging. I fly sparge with the false bottom (extra $25 or $30 right there), and I'm beginning to wonder why I'm doing it this way.

 

[brewcephus]

Thanks Trippel-A. I have decided that batch sparging is going to be the way I go for now, until in the future i sdecide if I should want to try to do it another way. Started building my Tun the other night, but ran into some kinks and had to back to HD and get some other parts. Hope to finish it today and then maybe in the next couple of weeks I can try my hand at doing some AG batches, still have 5 extract batches on deck.

 

[groundchuck]

Hey guys I recall reading some where the max grain capacity of these 10 gallon Rubbermaid coolers but I can't find it now. I was thinking it was about 26 pounds of grain. Is that correct?

I am making a 10 gallon batch tomorrow with a 23 pound grain bill. I just wanted to make sure it will fit.

Thanks!

 

[groundchuck]

OK, I answered by own question yesterday.

I have a false bottom in my Mash Tun so that may take away some of the space you could have for grain if you have a tube screen instead.

I had 23# of grain and 7.75 gallons of water. I can tell you that was a bit too much. We made a mess trying to fit it all in :smack:

So for my set up (or one similar) I would say you can fit about 22# of grain and around 7.5 gallons of water.

 

[barrooze]

It really all comes down to whatever water to grain ratio you want. If you want to fit more grain in, reduce your ratio. Typical ratios are 1.25-1.3 quarts of water to a pound of grain. You can lower that to fit more grain in. I had about 34# of grain in my 48 quart cooler. It was a real thick mash, but everything worked out just fine.

 

[BigGoat]

Yikes! That's full

 

[TungstenBeer]

There have been a lot of posts the past 10 or so pages about brass and lead content. QUICK NOTE: At HD, Watts has the same parts in lead free options, generally the same part number, but with a "LF" in front of it. For instance, the 3/8" female hose barb is LFA-298 instead of A-298.

I bought an igloo cooler for my mash tun. The rubber washer that comes with it does not work for a sealer, so I had to buy something else. I actually bought a large faucet washer and cut the inside out a little larger. I did a leak test, and it worked fine.

BTW: Igloo coolers have a larger spigot hole of 1/2 inch. So, the 3/8" ball valve does not fit. You can still make it work by purchasing a 3/8" O-ring. The O-ring will fill the space around the nipple, which actually creates a pretty good seal. Use the rubber faucet washers for the interior and exterior seals. One of the benefits of the igloo cooler is that it does not have insulation where the spigot is. That means if you have any leaks, there's no chance for the wort to get into the inside of the cooler. It also means you will not need the 1-1/2 nipple. A close nipple will work just fine.

I also did an Igloo build and noticed this too - of course, I bought all the parts before I got the coolers in, so I decided to roll with the 3/8" parts anyway and see how far I got. I actually didn't use an O-Ring at all - just the seal that came with the cooler - and had immediate success. The nipple doesn't fit snug in the hole, but once you center the seal that came with the cooler and add enough washers on the exterior of the cooler, it doesn't move and has tested well with 10 gallons of ~120* water.

Other notes:

1. Create-a-bolt at HD for the SS 5/8" washers.
2. I did, however, use an O-Ring to "seal" the female barb on the inside of the MLT to the 5/8 SS washer.
3. Again, the LFA-xxx options for the brass fittings were great finds.
4. It took 5 washers on the outside of the cooler to get the ball valve to secure tightly and hold everything in place.
5. It is possible to tighten things too much, causing the cooler seal to fold/warp outwards from the SS washer. As long as nothing is loose and you aren't leaking, you're fine. If you are having trouble with a bulging seal, try loosening it - if it's still not moving it may actually improve things.
6. More of an FYI - I have a FB and will be doing fly sparging.

 

[justineaton]

thanks!

 

[Damoxemus]

I bought an igloo cooler for my mash tun. The rubber washer that comes with it does not work for a sealer, so I had to buy something else. I actually bought a large faucet washer and cut the inside out a little larger. I did a leak test, and it worked fine.

BTW: Igloo coolers have a larger spigot hole of 1/2 inch. So, the 3/8" ball valve does not fit. You can still make it work by purchasing a 3/8" O-ring. The O-ring will fill the space around the nipple, which actually creates a pretty good seal. Use the rubber faucet washers for the interior and exterior seals. One of the benefits of the igloo cooler is that it does not have insulation where the spigot is. That means if you have any leaks, there's no chance for the wort to get into the inside of the cooler. It also means you will not need the 1-1/2 nipple. A close nipple will work just fine.

This was the problem I ran into. Do you have a picture of yours? I'd love to see how you set it up.

 

[J-Wood]

This was the problem I ran into. Do you have a picture of yours? I'd love to see how you set it up.

Sure thing. I'll post them here in the next day or so.