Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion

[bovineblitz]

I am getting a lot of stuck sparges with this system it worked great for a while and now i feel like i have to clean it after every few batches, any suggestions or advice. I have the ss hose with about 16 cuts on the inner rubber hose. I let the liquid out really slow but it turns into a 1.5 hours for each mash.

Ditch the rubber hose

 

[nanofreak]

I am getting a lot of stuck sparges with this system it worked great for a while and now i feel like i have to clean it after every few batches, any suggestions or advice. I have the ss hose with about 16 cuts on the inner rubber hose. I let the liquid out really slow but it turns into a 1.5 hours for each mash.

Replace the hoses.

 

[CGVT]

Ditch the rubber hose

Yep. I started with water heater braid (bigger is better, right?) I had one good brew day and then three stuck mashes in a row. I ditched that and went with the standard sink braid, but I outthought myself and drilled a buch of holes in the hose and put it into the braid. I had a stuck mash on the first brew with it. I dumped the mash, took off the braid, removed the hose and put the braid back on.

I've used it for 4 brews since and haven't had a problem.

I guess sometimes it's better not to try to imporve on a great design...

 

[bottlebomber]

The only improvement I think you could possibly make to this build is to acquire a 1/2" ss spring to slide into the braid.

 

[JimCharb]

Just a quick note...I built this exact mash tun as instructed in the original post using a 10 gal Rubbermaid cooler from Home Depot. I got 12 5/8" SS flat washers, (at Menards locally in 6 per pac containers), and it took 8 washers total to get a good seal (1 inside and 7 outside). The cooler wall may be thinner at the spigot hole than it was in previous models. I'm also gonna add the shortest 3/8" female/male union I can find on the outside to get the valve body a bit further away from the cooler. It shuts off now but is right against the cooler body and may not as the valve wears a bit. Thanks for the posts...it's fun to be able to put something together yourself AND save $$$!!!

 

[i4ourgot]

Yep. I started with water heater braid (bigger is better, right?) I had one good brew day and then three stuck mashes in a row. I ditched that and went with the standard sink braid, but I outthought myself and drilled a buch of holes in the hose and put it into the braid. I had a stuck mash on the first brew with it. I dumped the mash, took off the braid, removed the hose and put the braid back on.

I've used it for 4 brews since and haven't had a problem.

I guess sometimes it's better not to try to imporve on a great design...

so you are using the ss braid with nothing under it or supporting it from collapsing?

 

[eyedoctodd]

I've been following this thread for months now. It seems like everyone and their dog has come up with an "improvement" to prevent the SS braid collapsing... Improvements that seem unnecessary because in the months I've followed the thread I cannot recall ONE report of a collapsed stainless steel braid causing a stuck sparge. Someone correct me if I'm wrong..

Personally I used the braid for two brews just waiting on my SS false bottom because I intend to transition to fly sparging, and there was no problem sparging, and afterward the braid looked no different from when it went in.

Remember that the weight of the grain is distributed over the entire cooler bottom, not just on the braid. You would need much more 'targeted' pressure/weight on the braid to crush it, IMO. Even if the central lumen of the braid were somewhat smushed or even flattened, what matters in a batch sparge situation is that there are still gaps between the actual strands of stainless steel which are braided, and that liquid can still seep through. I can't imagine the braid being crushed so uniformly and so tightly that you could make it "watertight".

 

[bovineblitz]

I've been following this thread for months now. It seems like everyone and their dog has come up with an "improvement" to prevent the SS braid collapsing... Improvements that seem unnecessary because in the months I've followed the thread I cannot recall ONE report of a collapsed stainless steel braid causing a stuck sparge. Someone correct me if I'm wrong..

Personally I used the braid for two brews just waiting on my SS false bottom because I intend to transition to fly sparging, and there was no problem sparging, and afterward the braid looked no different from when it went in.

Remember that the weight of the grain is distributed over the entire cooler bottom, not just on the braid. You would need much more 'targeted' pressure/weight on the braid to crush it, IMO. Even if the central lumen of the braid were somewhat smushed or even flattened, what matters in a batch sparge situation is that there are still gaps between the actual strands of stainless steel which are braided, and that liquid can still seep through. I can't imagine the braid being crushed so uniformly and so tightly that you could make it "watertight".

After about 15 brews my braid flattened and also got stretched out where it connected with the hose barb, presumably from stretching while stirring. I didn't notice any ill effects but didn't like what I saw so got a new braid with a spring inside along with a T splitter (this was so I could angle the barbs downwards to reduce deadspace though). 20 brews later it still looks the same as it did when I set it up. I'm not sure if the streching was prevented by the spring or by the T, but I don't think I'll have to worry about it for a long time.

It probably can function while smushed. I think a flattened braid will probably slightly increase deadspace though. The way I have it now I have a siphon for an inch or so which yield a bit more wort.

Also you're more likely to have a stuck mash if there's less uniform 'surface area' for wort to pass through the braid. There's nothing more frustrating than a stuck mash.

 

[mervmurry]

@bovineblitz - Could you post a pic or provide more details on the "new braid with a spring inside along with a T splitter (this was so I could angle the barbs downwards to reduce deadspace though)?"

 

[bovineblitz]

@bovineblitz - Could you post a pic or provide more details on the "new braid with a spring inside along with a T splitter (this was so I could angle the barbs downwards to reduce deadspace though)?"

I used to just have a simpler straight SS braid without a spring in it, I later added a spring. The last thing I did was just add a few more brass fittings so I could make the braid into a "ring". I tightened the street elbows to the point where they are angled downwards so the ends of the hose barbs are touching the bottom of the mash tun. It seems to do a good job. Same efficiency as before but I haven't had a stuck mash issue in a long time.

 

[CGVT]

so you are using the ss braid with nothing under it or supporting it from collapsing?

Yep. Just like the original design.

It has worked perfectly since I changed it to what I should have started with in the first place.

When I stir my mash I try stir on either side of the braid and not hit it with the paddle, but I don't know that it really matters.

 

[eyedoctodd]

I had been looking around for info about how to do the 10-Gallon Rubbermaid cooler Mash tun conversion for 1/2" fittings instead of 3/8 and the info is spotty and scattered far and wide. Figured I would post what I came up with for my system that I'm very happy with and post the links to where I found it all. With this setup, you do NOT need the white rubber seal that comes with the cooler, nor any additional O-rings to help a 3/8" nipple "fill out" the stock hole on the cooler once the original spigot is removed. It is all-stainless/all high-temp safe as far as what touches your mash/wort. Since the internet is already rotting my brain, I don't want any additional chemicals leaching into my beverages to make it worse.


Outside Hardware:

You could use any 1/2" MPT barb fitting you want to connect hose direcly but I went with the F-style Camlock so I would have that kind of connection everywhere:


(One) 1/2" Ball Valve from bargainfittings.com:


(One) 3/4" cut washer from Home Depot:
Sku#248762 $0.40
(measures 52 mm wide overall diameter with 21 mm inner diameter, about 2.5 mm thick.)
(For reference, a web source would be here.

Inside Hardware:

(One) 1.5" Long 1/2" Diam SS pipe nipple from bargainfittings.com


(One) 1/2" Inner Diameter silicone washer from bargainfittings.com:


(One) 1/2" (large diam for cooler bulkeads) SS washer from bargainfittings.com:


(One) 1/2" SS Female threaded hose barb from bargainfittings.com:

A stainless braid and hose clamp would be fine here for batch sparging but I went with a false bottom because I intend to fly sparge eventually.

False Bottom: 12" SS Domed FB from Amazon with 3/8" SS Barb:

I connected the 1/2" bulkhead barb to the 3/8 barb on the false bottom with
about a 6" length of 3/8" ID thermoplastic hose from rebelbrewer.com:

The hose fits very tightly around the 1/2" barb and moderately tightly around the 3/8" barb, which allows me to remove the false bottom for cleaning. I have not had to use any hose clamps on it.

I was able to reduce my mash tun deadspace (undrainable liquid volume) by half (from 2 quarts down to one quart) with one simple addition to my mash tun:

I used a short length (~1.5") of regular 5/16" vinyl siphon hose, trimmed one end as shown in this pic and wedged the other end into the bottom port of the false bottom. This effectively maintains a siphon for longer and lets you drain down closer to the bottom without choking off flow. Depending on how domed your false bottom is, you may need to adjust the length of this small piece of hose so that it is just flush with the cooler bottom when in place. You don't want it preventing the SS false bottom from making good solid contact with the cooler bottom all the way around, yet if you make it too short, you lose some wort by having the siphon break sooner. Obviously this works best if your cooler is on an absolutely flat surface. I plan on finding a piece of copper or SS tubing to use instead of the vinyl hose so that I can be sure it won't collapse in any way.

Hopefully this helps some of you save some of the time I spent digging and researching, and buying extra unnecessary washers and fittings.

Todd

 

[hough77]

I had been looking around for info about how to do the 10-Gallon Rubbermaid cooler Mash tun conversion for 1/2" fittings instead of 3/8 and the info is spotty and scattered far and wide. Figured I would post what I came up with for my system that I'm very happy with and post the links to where I found it all. With this setup, you do NOT need the white rubber seal that comes with the cooler, nor any additional O-rings to help a 3/8" nipple "fill out" the stock hole on the cooler once the original spigot is removed. It is all-stainless/all high-temp safe as far as what touches your mash/wort. Since the internet is already rotting my brain, I don't want any additional chemicals leaching into my beverages to make it worse.

Outside Hardware:

You could use any 1/2" MPT barb fitting you want to connect hose direcly but I went with the F-style Camlock so I would have that kind of connection everywhere:

(One) 1/2" Ball Valve from bargainfittings.com:

(One) 3/4" cut washer from Home Depot:
Sku#248762 $0.40
(measures 52 mm wide overall diameter with 21 mm inner diameter, about 2.5 mm thick.)
(For reference, a web source would be here.

Inside Hardware:

(One) 1.5" Long 1/2" Diam SS pipe nipple from bargainfittings.com

(One) 1/2" Inner Diameter silicone washer from bargainfittings.com:

(One) 1/2" (large diam for cooler bulkeads) SS washer from bargainfittings.com:

(One) 1/2" SS Female threaded hose barb from bargainfittings.com:

A stainless braid and hose clamp would be fine here for batch sparging but I went with a false bottom because I intend to fly sparge eventually.

False Bottom: Video Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004B7GIV8/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details from Amazon with 3/8" SS Barb:

I connected the 1/2" bulkhead barb to the 3/8 barb on the false bottom with
about a 6" length of 3/8" ID thermoplastic hose from rebelbrewer.com:

The hose fits very tightly around the 1/2" barb and moderately tightly around the 3/8" barb, which allows me to remove the false bottom for cleaning. I have not had to use any hose clamps on it.

I was able to reduce my mash tun deadspace (undrainable liquid volume) by half (from 2 quarts down to one quart) with one simple addition to my mash tun:

I used a short length (~1.5") of regular 5/16" vinyl siphon hose, trimmed one end as shown in this pic and wedged the other end into the bottom port of the false bottom. This effectively maintains a siphon for longer and lets you drain down closer to the bottom without choking off flow. Depending on how domed your false bottom is, you may need to adjust the length of this small piece of hose so that it is just flush with the cooler bottom when in place. You don't want it preventing the SS false bottom from making good solid contact with the cooler bottom all the way around, yet if you make it too short, you lose some wort by having the siphon break sooner. Obviously this works best if your cooler is on an absolutely flat surface. I plan on finding a piece of copper or SS tubing to use instead of the vinyl hose so that I can be sure it won't collapse in any way.

Hopefully this helps some of you save some of the time I spent digging and researching, and buying extra unnecessary washers and fittings.

Todd

That's sweet! I wish I did 1/2" from the beginning, there wasn't much info at the time. There is not much plumbing that deals with 3/8" anything, so it's hard to upgrade or build off the inside of the tun.

 

[CidCitrus]

Does anyone know if the Igloo 10 gallon seat top cooler will work with this hardware? I can't find the Rubbermaid cooler anywhere and already bought all the hardware.

 

[eyedoctodd]

Does anyone know if the Igloo 10 gallon seat top cooler will work with this hardware? I can't find the Rubbermaid cooler anywhere and already bought all the hardware.

CitCitrus, it's impossible to know without your spigot hole size and wall thickness measurements. This page at bargain fittings does break it down somewhat in an attempt to help you size it out for one of their bulkhead kits, so you could maybe measure your cooler wall and hole and check there as a reference. http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=6

Unfortunately, I did not measure those things on mine as I initially used Fly Guy's 3/8 fittings and when I went 1/2" I just eyeballed the difference.
If anyone else is in the process of doing this conversion and hasn't put it all together yet, maybe they could post what cooler they have and what the measurements are fort that cooler.

 

[eyedoctodd]

Does anyone know if the Igloo 10 gallon seat top cooler will work with this hardware? I can't find the Rubbermaid cooler anywhere and already bought all the hardware.

Also, I found this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002N9F4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It's about $66 shipped if that's in your price range. Probably can find it cheaper without shipping, or of one of the other coolers works and has the same spigot sizing, you're golden.

 

[CidCitrus]

Thanks, I'm just having trouble finding any ten gallon coolers at all and would have to order the Igloo for pickup at wal-mart, so I wouldn't be able to measure it until I got it. Home Depot has the Rubbermaids listed in their stock but they can't physically find them and the website says they're an in store item only. I might just have to bite the bullet and spend the extra 15 bucks to have it shipped.

 

[muttieb]

will these parts work with a 10 gallon round Igloo cooler. Sorry I know its probably somewhere in this thread but reading through the 200 plus page thread is too much right now.

 

[evandena]

Thanks, I'm just having trouble finding any ten gallon coolers at all and would have to order the Igloo for pickup at wal-mart, so I wouldn't be able to measure it until I got it. Home Depot has the Rubbermaids listed in their stock but they can't physically find them and the website says they're an in store item only. I might just have to bite the bullet and spend the extra 15 bucks to have it shipped.

My HD couldn't find them either. Turns out they were in the cleaning supply section, on an end cap, waaay up top behind some smaller coolers.

 

[Sharkman20]

I'm doing this conversion with the original specs from page one, only I've gotten everything in stainless steel. The ONLY part I cannot find anywhere online is a FEMALE stainless 3/8 to 3/8 barbed hose fitting. I'm using it on the inside to connect to my stainless false bottom connection via a 3/8 tube. Does anyone know who might carry this?

I've checked bargainfittings, buyfittingsonline and some other sites but no luck.

 

[eyedoctodd]

Sharkman, I feel your pain. The mysterious nonexistence of certain fittings is what led me to scrap plans to build a manifold in my cooler.

If you can find a 3/8" FPT to 1/2" hose barb, that will work with the 3/8" tubing in the cooler. Off the top of my head I can't tell you where to get one, but in case you can find one I wanted you to know that'll work.

 

[Sharkman20]

Well, out of 5 websites I emailed that carry SS fittings, I was sent to mc master. They do carry the fitting, however due to it's "rarity" it costs $17.00 plus shipping. No thanks. I opted instead to get a SS coupling and a male 3/8 hose barb, both of which plus shipping cost me a little over 14 bucks. It will be a little longer than I wanted, but I can make it work.

I never thought it would be such a pain to find standard fitting sizes in SS.

Now, what's a good, safe high heat resistant hose I can use inside the mash tun to connect from my hose barb to my false bottom connection?

 

[eyedoctodd]

Well, out of 5 websites I emailed that carry SS fittings, I was sent to mc master. They do carry the fitting, however due to it's "rarity" it costs $17.00 plus shipping. No thanks. I opted instead to get a SS coupling and a male 3/8 hose barb, both of which plus shipping cost me a little over 14 bucks. It will be a little longer than I wanted, but I can make it work.

I never thought it would be such a pain to find standard fitting sizes in SS.

Now, what's a good, safe high heat resistant hose I can use inside the mash tun to connect from my hose barb to my false bottom connection?

You may not be happy with your coupling to mpt solution. I had that at first and could not easily get my false bottom in and out for cleaning because of the extra length. I know bargain fittings sells a "half coupling" which is shorter that may work better if you run into this problem.

As far as the hose, I got the 3/8 inner diameter thermoplastic hose from rebel brewer. 1 foot was more than enough. The color is beige or pastel green (sorry, I'm a little color blind).

 

[Sharkman20]

Yes I thought that might be a problem but I won't know until I try it out. If nothing else, the hose barb will just be hand tightened for easy removal. I doubt I'll lose suction through the threads if it is hand tight.

But yea, I'll only need about 3" of tubing. I was thinking home depot may have some for that purpose. I'd rather not pay more shipping if I don't have to, ya know?

 

[barefoot_trashko]

Lost a ton of heat during my last mash and it seems like my lid is not closing very tightly. Anyone else experience this and have any idea about how to fix this. I'm in China so "run to your local Home Depot" won't work. Thanks!

 

[barrooze]

Lost a ton of heat during my last mash and it seems like my lid is not closing very tightly. Anyone else experience this and have any idea about how to fix this. I'm in China so "run to your local Home Depot" won't work. Thanks!

Post pics of your setup?

 

[BullGator]

I put a towel on top and it seemed to help. I don't want to stray off topic but do you have a hard time with ingredients in China? I imagine you only have to worry about yeast huh?

 

[barefoot_trashko]

Post pics of your setup?

I've got the orange 10 gal Rubbermaid cooler that is the topic of this thread. Not sure a pic is gonna help.

 

[barefoot_trashko]

I put a towel on top and it seemed to help. I don't want to stray off topic but do you have a hard time with ingredients in China? I imagine you only have to worry about yeast huh?

There's a Chinese guy who spent 16yrs in the States and came back and opened up an online store. We can get almost everything we need. Variety is limited but we get creative. And there's 4 of us doing it so somebody is either going back to the States or having visitors so our supply line is pretty good!

 

[barrooze]

I've got the orange 10 gal Rubbermaid cooler that is the topic of this thread. Not sure a pic is gonna help.

You could try weather-stripping if you think your lid is the heat leak.