Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion

[FoundersBrew]

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[FoundersBrew]

www.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/1/medium/mlt24.jpg[/img]

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[FoundersBrew]

Sorry, having trouble with the pictures.

[/IMG]Here is the manifold installed.

 

[Ben_Persitz]

So I used this for the first time last night. Worked great. Got 65% efficiency on my first AG brew, and no stuck sparge or anything. Used the stainless steel braid with no support. Worked like a charm.

 

[bbriscoe]

OK, I bought all this except for a couple of things:

1. the braided hose I got is a 1/2" FIP x 12 in faucet connector (BrassCraft #119 B8-12A F). It says it is an "Engineered Polymer Braid". Is that OK or should it say "Stainless Steel" braid on the label?

2. I couldn't find a stainless fender washer so I bought a neoprene fender washer - will that work?

3. I haven't bought a spigot cooler yet since that's the biggest expense. I have about a 8 gal rectangle cooler but it doesn't have a spigot. Can it be drilled or would that cause problems?

Also, how does one wash this whole mess after use? Does the braided hose part ever come clean?

 

[DrawTap88]

OK, I bought all this except for a couple of things:

1. the braided hose I got is a 1/2" FIP x 12 in faucet connector (BrassCraft #119 B8-12A F). It says it is an "Engineered Polymer Braid". Is that OK or should it say "Stainless Steel" braid on the label?

2. I couldn't find a stainless fender washer so I bought a neoprene fender washer - will that work?

3. I haven't bought a spigot cooler yet since that's the biggest expense. I have about a 8 gal rectangle cooler but it doesn't have a spigot. Can it be drilled or would that cause problems?

Also, how does one wash this whole mess after use? Does the braided hose part ever come clean?

1. No idea. Sorry.

2. As long as the neoprene fender washer doesn't bend (floppy. A little bending is ok). The purpose of the washers on the inside and outside is to help snug everything up so it doesn't leak.

3. It can be drilled. I suggest start drilling from the inside of the cooler to the outside. It also may not be a bad idea to stop drilling once you get through the first layer of plastic and dig the insulation out by hand, and then resume drilling.

Bonus Question: Garden hose or utility sink with a hose attachment (if you washin the sink, make sure you have something to catch all the spent grains that are left over after dumping most of the spent grain into the garbage or compost). You could also do it in the kitchen sink if you have a garbage disposal.

 

[bbriscoe]

So if I drilled my cooler, I would just drill big enough to fit the brass M/M nipple thru the hole, right?

 

[MikeG]

OK, I bought all this except for a couple of things:

1. the braided hose I got is a 1/2" FIP x 12 in faucet connector (BrassCraft #119 B8-12A F). It says it is an "Engineered Polymer Braid". Is that OK or should it say "Stainless Steel" braid on the label?

...

1: Absolutely not, that is not SS and will collapse. Head to Lowes to pick up a SS braid and return that.

 

[DrawTap88]

So if I drilled my cooler, I would just drill big enough to fit the brass M/M nipple thru the hole, right?

Correct.

 

[bbriscoe]

1Bonus Question: Garden hose or utility sink with a hose attachment (if you washin the sink, make sure you have something to catch all the spent grains that are left over after dumping most of the spent grain into the garbage or compost). You could also do it in the kitchen sink if you have a garbage disposal.

Do I need to disassemble the ball valve/nipples/hose assembly each time I clean it?

 

[DrawTap88]

I don't. I fill it up with water and turn the ball valve to the "on" position. Sorry for leaving that out in my last post.

 

[bbriscoe]

Say has anyone ever checked to see if the plastic end on this supply line would simply connect to the original Igloo/Coleman plastic valve threads on the inside of the cooler if you simply took the vinyl nut off?

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


It would save a whole lot of intermediate hardware - you'd just have to jury rig a way to keep the Coleman valve open without holding down the spring the whole time.

 

[starrfish]

Say has anyone ever checked to see if the plastic end on this supply line would simply connect to the original Igloo/Coleman plastic valve threads on the inside of the cooler if you simply took the vinyl nut off?

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


It would save a whole lot of intermediate hardware - you'd just have to jury rig a way to keep the Coleman valve open without holding down the spring the whole time.

just a guess but it looks too big, and is it food/temp grade?

 

[lombard]

Just built mine. Not going AG yet, but I am doing a partial mash this weekend with a fair amount of grains. I made the mistake of not reading through this whole thread and ended up with stainless steel hose clamps. It's OK though, I'll upgrade later....

Found everything but the stainless steel flat washers, O-ring, and stainless braid supply line at HD. Picked up everything else at Ace.

Total bill, including the cooler was $74.15. The cooler was $40 of that, so the misc hardware was about $35.

 

[bbriscoe]

Just built mine. Not going AG yet, but I am doing a partial mash this weekend with a fair amount of grains. I made the mistake of not reading through this whole thread and ended up with stainless steel hose clamps. It's OK though, I'll upgrade later....

Found everything but the stainless steel flat washers, O-ring, and stainless braid supply line at HD. Picked up everything else at Ace.

Total bill, including the cooler was $74.15. The cooler was $40 of that, so the misc hardware was about $35.

What's wrong with the stainless hose clamps? What should we use? I haven't had time to read all 140 pages of this thread.

 

[starrfish]

Stainless hose clamp should be fine.... Haven't built mine yet but will be after new year.

 

[lombard]

If you find 100% stainless steel clamps, you should be fine. The OP found that the clamps he originally bought (claimed to be stainless) started to rust, so he swapped them out with another invention.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/253344-post62.html

Of course, I should have noticed this since he mentioned it in post #4.

 

[DrawTap88]

Right. The hose clamps rust. The easiest, and least of a headache, way of attaching it is with a zip tie.

 

[starrfish]

hey zips are cheaper and I have a ton! replace reguarly... sounds good to me!

 

[DrawTap88]

Yup. I think I've taken my zip tie off once to clean the manifold.

 

[perrypainter]

If you buy something similar from places like morebeer.com, it would be over $100. It took all of about 5 minutes to assemble everything (although I did do a few trips to Home Depot to find the parts to make it all work).

My supply store charges $300 for this set op. I think they have a thermometer on it too. Also, I don't know if they have a false bottom. Maybe a converted large "grease splatter screen"?
Anyway, Awesome job man!

 

[BrewBoy19]

Isn't using brass a little dangerous considering the lead content? I bought a nickle plated version of the ball valve from my LHBS and it came as a kit for converting your cooler and it only cost me $17. Which was cheaper than buying that stuff from Home Depot. Also Meijers (i live in michigan) sells the 5 gallon coolers for $19.99. I plan On brewing more and more and I have enough to worry about with just the brewing aspects. I don't want to think about lead or heavy metal posioning. Conditioning in vinegar and peroxide sounds nice but I would think that it could come off over time or get scratched off etc..... Maybe I'm just paranoid but to me is a small investment to just be safe and live longer which = making more beer.

 

[klyph]

You'll ingest more lead from a myriad of other sources than a lifetime of brewing with brass fittings.

 

[rustbucket]

the little gasket that comes in those fits perfectly (snug fit) over the nipple that you put in the hole. i would suggest using that because it grooved to fit the outer side of that container.

 

[FLBrewMeister]

Thanks for the great description it help me build mine.
I did something similar,check it out.

http://winklerbrewery.blogspot.com/2010/10/building-mash-tun.html

 

[DrawTap88]

Thanks for the great description it help me build mine.
I did something similar,check it out.

http://winklerbrewery.blogspot.com/2010/10/building-mash-tun.html

Looks good. One suggestion, which is kinda burried in this thread is to replace the hose clamp on the inside that holds that braid on to something that won't rust. I use a zip tie in mine.

 

[Hannable1975]

FWIW , I did a CPVC manifold in mine, and lined up a barb from manifold to barb in cooler wall with about 1/4 gap. I just use a sleeve of tubing to connect them, no ties or clamps - they are almost touchin and it slips over them like a union. Then at clean up it just slides off nice and easy with a gentle tug.. No problems yet, and since building it just 3 weeks ago it has already made 6 batches !

 

[bbriscoe]

Also Meijers (i live in michigan) sells the 5 gallon coolers for $19.99. I plan On brewing more and more and I have enough to worry about with just the brewing aspects.

How well do the 5 gal coolers work since they are smaller in diameter than the 10 gal? I've tried to fit the SS toilet mesh hose in one and you have to curve it since it is longer than the diameter of the bottom of the 5 gal cooler. I don't plan on mashing any quantities larger than 5 gal - I just want to make sure I have enough "floorspace" for the grains and the mesh filter.

 

[BierSnob]

How well do the 5 gal coolers work since they are smaller in diameter than the 10 gal? I've tried to fit the SS toilet mesh hose in one and you have to curve it since it is longer than the diameter of the bottom of the 5 gal cooler. I don't plan on mashing any quantities larger than 5 gal - I just want to make sure I have enough "floorspace" for the grains and the mesh filter.

just cut the braid shorter

 

[LarryC]

I got my conversion kit from BargainFittings.com the other day and I just finished the assembly. Looking at FLBrewMeister's setup, mine is pretty much identical so I imagine all of the conversions would be the same regarding how far the braid connection to the valve is up from the bottom of the cooler.

Doesn't this leave an inch or so of sweet wert behind? Maybe it's no big deal but I was just wondering.