Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion

[brew2enjoy]

I called out local ace hardware and the lady said they had them. So I get there and couldn't find it. I ask the lady and she says "oh I thought you said 5/16" ugggggh! Long story short they did have a 5/8 washer but its not a fender washer. I also picked up a nylon washer while I was there. I figure between the two I can figure something out. Man, all this for one friggin washer!!

 

[Brickout]

Why not use a 1/2" npt locknut and o-ring on the inside?

 

[Tkelly32]

I called out local ace hardware and the lady said they had them. So I get there and couldn't find it. I ask the lady and she says "oh I thought you said 5/16" ugggggh! Long story short they did have a 5/8 washer but its not a fender washer. I also picked up a nylon washer while I was there. I figure between the two I can figure something out. Man, all this for one friggin washer!!

Don't know your community, but ordering online with Fastenal is the sure way to go. I too went to Ace and did the run around for the SS washer. I wasn't aware however there was a Fastenal warehouse in my area, I could have easily driven there and got the washer. So, check your warehouse community too, but waiting a bit to maintain quality and assurance of product in my mind is a small price to pay. :rockin:

 

[Guidry]

Grade5 is a material strength spec. It will no doubt be zinc plated. Pretty sure zinc is not favorable to expose your wort to over time.

 

[brew2enjoy]

There is a fastenal about 10 minutes from me. Unfortunately they are closed today. I will try the smaller s/s washer/ nylon combo and see if that works as a temporary solution for the weekend.

 

[ahungate]

Inflation has really hit and you can no longer make it for the same price, but it is still cheaper to do it this way than buying the kit in the beer store. The parts cost me about $37 and the 10 gal. Rubbermaid cooler was $46 at Home Depot. I bought my SS washers and rubber ring seal at Fastenal. The only modification I had to make on your outstanding directions was that I needed 6 fender washers as spacers on the outside (so 7 washers total). Other than that, everything went together very easily. The pix included helped a ton as well. Thanks a bunch!

 

[steveoatley]

I followed these directions a year ago to build my own 10 gallon Rubbermaid.
A year ago the 10 gallon was cheaper.... in the winter !

I was wondering if anyone has figured out what the Maximum amount of Grain you can get in & the Maximum gravity you could get out of a 10 gallon Rubbermaid ?

I've been doing 5 gal batches for years, and want to move up.... but to 10 gal or 15 gal ?

thanks

 

[bottlebomber]

I followed these directions a year ago to build my own 10 gallon Rubbermaid.
A year ago the 10 gallon was cheaper.... in the winter !

I was wondering if anyone has figured out what the Maximum amount of Grain you can get in & the Maximum gravity you could get out of a 10 gallon Rubbermaid ?

I've been doing 5 gal batches for years, and want to move up.... but to 10 gal or 15 gal ?

thanks

I've put 25 lbs of grain, and one quart per pound, and I feel that is the best you could do. It took 20 minutes to work all the dough balls out of the mix. It would give you 10 gallons of 1.060 beer though with the efficiency I'm getting.

 

[steveoatley]

Thanks BottleBomber, that answers a lot.
( i don't need a bigger kettle, just a better kettle )
Thanks for the info.

To all the others in this thread..... Start looking at Home Depot & Lowe's this time of year....
I got my 10 gal for $29.99 last December.... HD had them on clearance.
They need to move the coolers, so they have more room for Snow blowers !

I got most of my stuff at HD & a trip to Ace, and got it put together in an afternoon. My luck was that my Ace had a lot of RV'ing stuff, so I was able to find hose & SS washers.

SteveO

 

[Shaerf]

Hey! for xmas i got a girft certificate to the Home Depot and decided to make a MLT with these instructions...

I got the 5 gallon cooler (i live in a small spacei n NYC... it's all i can manage space-wise)

I'm certainly not a DIY guy, but i thought i would give it a go.
Last night, after picking up everything on the list, i noticed that the spigot hole in the Home Depot cooler was considerably larger than the 3/8" equipment that i bought... even the heat resistant rubber O-ring doesn't make it wide enough to fit snug... is that a problem? or can i use teflon tape or goo to make the whole thing water tight..

i hope i don't have to re buy everything again... that would suck.

D

 

[downtown3641]

Hey! for xmas i got a girft certificate to the Home Depot and decided to make a MLT with these instructions...

I got the 5 gallon cooler (i live in a small spacei n NYC... it's all i can manage space-wise)

I'm certainly not a DIY guy, but i thought i would give it a go.
Last night, after picking up everything on the list, i noticed that the spigot hole in the Home Depot cooler was considerably larger than the 3/8" equipment that i bought... even the heat resistant rubber O-ring doesn't make it wide enough to fit snug... is that a problem? or can i use teflon tape or goo to make the whole thing water tight..

i hope i don't have to re buy everything again... that would suck.

D

Did you save the little rubber piece that was inside the hole when you disassembled the cooler?

 

[Shaerf]

Did you save the little rubber piece that was inside the hole when you disassembled the cooler?

Thats the funny thing.. the spigot was only in two pieces... i didnt notice a rubber piece.

 

[bottlebomber]

There should have been a plastic lock nut that clamped the spigot in place from the inside. On the shaft of the spigot should have been an off white rubber gasket. If its not there its because some unscrupulous homebrewer robbed it off the cooler

 

[Shaerf]

ha... do you know is there some kind of work-around that i could use if said rubber piece was not present?

 

[bottlebomber]

ha... do you know is there some kind of work-around that i could use if said rubber piece was not present?

Some people have been able to find a neoprene gasket that works a lot better, I want to say at Fastenal or it might even be at HD. If that thing isn't on there though I would strongly recommend returning the cooler if its possible... of course you've probably completely destroyed the mechanism by now. So just go in to HD with some channel locks, and steal the washer from another cooler
It would be a lot of work but if you read back through the thread you could see what others used. I know at least several people just ended up entombing the thing in food grade silicon gel. I wouldn't want to do that personally unless I had to though.

 

[Shaerf]

so when I got home I checked and i DO have the rubber washer that should be there in the cooler. The problem still stands though... the 3/8” MIP x 1-1/2” brass nipple connecting the interior to the exterior is quite a bit smaller in diameter than the rubber washer and the hole in the cooler... Should I be filling it out with silicon gel?

Thanks for all your help, by the way! I am such a rookie with this...

 

[TyTanium]

I vaguely remember having this problem too when I built mine. I ended up getting one that fits the hole - yes, it was annoying to go swap out all the other washers & fittings, but worth it for a good fit. Silicone isn't really designed to fill gaps - your fitting will be moving all over the place and you'll be disappointed I think.

 

[CGVT]

When I built mine it wasn't close to fitting. I used an o ring between the washer and the inside cooler wall and cranked everything down tight. It took care of the problem.

 

[i4ourgot]

This worked great i used a normal 5/8th washer instead of the fender for the outside, I just had to use 4 but it still holds really well no leaks. Another solution would be using a rubber washer because it can mold really well to the cooler creating a great seal. I bought the supplies in Reno and it cost me $15 more but it is still worth it.

 

[eyedoctodd]

Wow, 2000 posts in this thread!!!!!

 

[Satisfaction]

Woot?

 

[Daver77]

I wanted to add an option for 1/2 inch valve users because I wasn't quite sure how to do it. I was upgrading the cooler and already had the parts.

I got all this stuff at a local hardware so I'll do my best listing the items,
1/2 inch Brass ball valve
3 -Stainless Steel Washers that happen to fit into the plastic molded hole of the cooler.
2- rubber o rings
Brass coupler which I intend to replace with a shorter steel one.

Everything put together

See what I mean about the ss washers, cool huh

Tested it with 8 gallons of water for an hour, no leak

 

[stamandster]

I wanted to add an option for 1/2 inch valve users because I wasn't quite sure how to do it. I was upgrading the cooler and already had the parts.

Looks similar to what I bought the other day. Did you see if it leaks when you try and open the valve? Mine flexes a little too much for my liking... Were the stainless washers at HD?

 

[Daver77]

Looks similar to what I bought the other day. Did you see if it leaks when you try and open the valve? Mine flexes a little too much for my liking... Were the stainless washers at HD?

HD? Homedepot?

No Local Hardware.

I opened and close does not wiggle or leak.

 

[evandena]

Anyone want to sell me an extra SS washer?

 

[hough77]

Anyone want to sell me an extra SS washer?

Got mine at Menards, 4 batches and no issues of corrosion or rust at all.

 

[evandena]

Got mine at Menards, 4 batches and no issues of corrosion or rust at all.

I'll check there tomorrow.
Was it in hardware by the other washers?

 

[Ed4]

This design is very similar to what I did. Same exact cooler from Home Depot.

I took the really easy route and just used a spigot assembly from a hot water heater. It had all the flanges, interior nipple, and valve already built in. In total I bought 4 parts: The hot water heat spigot, the cooler, a SS gas heater line for a braided mesh and a nipple to go on the end of the water spigot.

I spent more though trying to keep it simple. Maybe an extra $5. Love the simplicity of the design.

I like your design and the right up. Good job.

 

[hough77]

I'll check there tomorrow.
Was it in hardware by the other washers?

Yes, but on the opposite end of the regular washers. They were in a small bag that said SS on it.

 

[DMartin]

I had to buy my washers in a big pack from Fastenal, and I'd happily sell the rest to anyone who wants some. My cost was about $1.20 each, so I believe a fair and simple price would be $5 for 4, shipping included.

EDIT: SOLD.