Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion

[jeepinjeepin]

Has anyone used Pex Tubing when building a mash turn? I would think since it is used for plumbing it would be good but I don't see it mentioned.

What part of the MLT would you be using it for?

I plan on using PEX for a sight glass. Currently looking for a food safe colored floating ball to act as a level indicator.

I can see it being used between the valve and false bottom or going straight into a manifold. Also for the valve output it would work well.

 

[mattyb85]

I plan on using PEX for a sight glass. Currently looking for a food safe colored floating ball to act as a level indicator.

I can see it being used between the valve and false bottom or going straight into a manifold. Also for the valve output it would work well.

I guess it would depend what temp it's rated to? I don't use a sight glass on my MLT and I use silicone tubing which is rated to 500F

 

[jeepinjeepin]

I guess it would depend what temp it's rated to? I don't use a sight glass on my MLT and I use silicone tubing which is rated to 500F

Yeah, sorry, the sight glass is for my upcoming HLT. Surely PEX is rated to boiling. I'll look that up.

 

[mattyb85]

Has anybody been able to assemble a current online "best prices" parts list?

I've been slowly pricing out a low-end AG setup with coolers, but comparing the price of the 10gl Igloo alone ($72 at Lowes! - which is the only hardware store nearby, or a cheaper Rubbermaid, which I'm not too sure about) vs a pre-built kit from other sites, it seems like the savings isn't really significant anymore... but please correct me if I'm wrong, preferably with links

Both the lowes brand and the Rubbermaid (which is what I'm using) are $47-ish right now.

http://m.lowes.com/product?langId=-...0051&productId=3318366&store=1198&view=detail

I also used brewhardware.com for my bulkhead and valve and nipple. Less parts!

http://www.brewhardware.com/valves

I think everything cost me under 100. Prolly around 90-95 after shipping.

 

[mattyb85]

Yeah, sorry, the sight glass is for my upcoming HLT. Surely PEX is rated to boiling. I'll look that up.

I would just go to brewhardware.com his sight glass works great and isn't expensive.

 

[jeepinjeepin]

I would just go to brewhardware.com his sight glass works great and isn't expensive.

If I buy something RTR that's where it will come from. The only reason I'm looking is that I already have most of what I'd need to put one or two together. Bad news, PEX is rated to 200F. That's a little low for my tastes. Might revisit silicone.

 

[IanJ]

Both the lowes brand and the Rubbermaid (which is what I'm using) are $47-ish right now.

http://m.lowes.com/product?langId=-...0051&productId=3318366&store=1198&view=detail

I also used brewhardware.com for my bulkhead and valve and nipple. Less parts!

http://www.brewhardware.com/valves

I think everything cost me under 100. Prolly around 90-95 after shipping.

Right on! Gonna head over to Lowes and have a look around... even if it is 14 degrees outside right now.

My concerns were mainly the insulation/quality of the lower-end coolers, need to examine them in person for comparison.

Edit: And bought everything, except the 5/8" Fender washers, as expected. Total came out to $80.00. Also needed a Dremel, so I got the 200 series for $50, hopefully it'll cut through the SS supply hose.

 

[mattyb85]

Right on! Gonna head over to Lowes and have a look around... even if it is 14 degrees outside right now.

My concerns were mainly the insulation/quality of the lower-end coolers, need to examine them in person for comparison.

Edit: And bought everything, except the 5/8" Fender washers, as expected. Total came out to $80.00. Also needed a Dremel, so I got the 200 series for $50, hopefully it'll cut through the SS supply hose.

I used hose cutters like these to cut through mine. Like buttah!

 

[IanJ]

Maybe I can sneak in and use an unpackaged one.... but at the same time, I've needed a dremel over the years, this is probably the best excuse to throw my money at one. Now, to check a mom and pop store for those 5/8 washers and I'll be golden.

Minus tubing and a bigger kettle. And figuring out how to rig an IC to sink faucet sprayer :/

 

[mattyb85]

Maybe I can sneak in and use an unpackaged one.... but at the same time, I've needed a dremel over the years, this is probably the best excuse to throw my money at one. Now, to check a mom and pop store for those 5/8 washers and I'll be golden.

Minus tubing and a bigger kettle. And figuring out how to rig an IC to sink faucet sprayer :/

If IC = immersion chiller than you can use a cheap pond pump and fill up a cooler with ice water

 

[jeepinjeepin]

If IC = immersion chiller than you can use a cheap pond pump and fill up a cooler with ice water

But start with water. If you start with ice you will have melted ice and half chilled wort.

 

[mattyb85]

But start with water. If you start with ice you will have melted ice and half chilled wort.

Yes, good addition

 

[IanJ]

I suppose I could buy something like this and rig the chiller to it (if I can find garden hose attachments) and plop into a full sink.

Thanks for all the help, being forced to move into a less than ideal apartment with little to work with, isn't fun.

Edit: Added photo for reference

 

[mattyb85]

No problem and yeah I imagine not. I have a rather big kitchen in mine but definitely not ideal. I just bought a burner tho so when it warms up I can move my brewing outside

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Yes, good addition

Yup, my summer water can be quite warm though. I try to chill to 100 and then switch to recirculating ice water. 5 gallons of 212F wort can turn 40 lbs of ice to bath water.

 

[jeepinjeepin]

I suppose I could buy something like this and rig the chiller to it (if I can find garden hose attachments) and plop into a full sink.

Thanks for all the help, being forced to move into a less than ideal apartment with little to work with, isn't fun.

That's what I would do. Do you have a dual basin sink? If so, put your pump in the full side and pump through the IC to the other drain. When your temp comes down add your ice to the supply and move your outlet to the supply basin and recirculate.

 

[IanJ]

Well, finally built the Lowes brand Rubbermade MT and it leaks, as others have encountered. Still has a lot of play in the rotation of the handle.

Had to put a bunch of O-rings between the washers and original gasket, as well as the outside between the washers (took 6 washers!) and cooler. I don't know if they're heat resistant (or food safe) so it may be a problem. No information on the package of O-rings. May have to find another solution before brew day.

Edit: More washers and more o-rings did the trick, although 170 degree water just warped the crap out of it. Thought it was going to crack and melt like the first BB I melted with hot water when I started years ago.

 

[mattyb85]

Well, finally built the Lowes brand Rubbermade MT and it leaks, as others have encountered. Still has a lot of play in the rotation of the handle.

Had to put a bunch of O-rings between the washers and original gasket, as well as the outside between the washers (took 6 washers!) and cooler. I don't know if they're heat resistant (or food safe) so it may be a problem. No information on the package of O-rings. May have to find another solution before brew day.

Edit: More washers and more o-rings did the trick, although 170 degree water just warped the crap out of it. Thought it was going to crack and melt like the first BB I melted with hot water when I started years ago.

Return the fittings and buy a weldless bulkhead and valve from brewhardware.com. Less pieces and not expensive and it's stainless.

 

[fluidmechanics]

Mark

 

[Newbrew12]

Quick question... For a 48 qt rectangular cooler, is the 3/8 ball valve the correct size or is 1/2 needed. I have read both ways, just curious on it. Forgive my lack of engineering knowledge.

 

[barrooze]

Quick question... For a 48 qt rectangular cooler, is the 3/8 ball valve the correct size or is 1/2 needed. I have read both ways, just curious on it. Forgive my lack of engineering knowledge.

It's completely dependent on your cooler. They differ in size and shape greatly. I really haven't noticed too much difference in size of 1/2" or 3/8" valves, so which size you go with is more of a personal preference than a geometric issue.

For either size, if your valve's handle hits the cooler wall, just add a few more fender washers to the outside (this will likely require a slightly larger pipe nipple as well).

 

[user 146556]

Did my conversion today. Ended up needing 7 washers on the outside to get the valve to reach right. Filled it with water and after an hour got a few drips. It's not perfect, but I think I'll be OK with a tsp loss over an hour.

 

[dongemus]

I was thinking of doing this but my friend says "to do it right" I need an industrial 10 gallon igloo ($50-$60) and a nice false bottom (~$50) plus another ~$50 in hardware to plumb it. That puts me at ~$150. I can buy one from my LHBS assembled for $160. What do you guys think?

 

[jeepinjeepin]

I was thinking of doing this but my friend says "to do it right" I need an industrial 10 gallon igloo ($50-$60) and a nice false bottom (~$50) plus another ~$50 in hardware to plumb it. That puts me at ~$150. I can buy one from my LHBS assembled for $160. What do you guys think?

It depends on what you want. For batch sparging a false bottom is overkill but is also future proof. I have no issues with brass, but stainless is pretty and makes some people feel better. It's all up to you.

 

[Newbrew12]

I figure its not a beauty contest just about the finished product. Personally I like that ill have built everything that I can in my brew set up even if it is a little rough around the edges. The beer is what I'm after

 

[wilserbrewer]

I was thinking of doing this but my friend says "to do it right" I need an industrial 10 gallon igloo ($50-$60) and a nice false bottom (~$50) plus another ~$50 in hardware to plumb it. That puts me at ~$150. I can buy one from my LHBS assembled for $160. What do you guys think?

Some people get joy from buying what they percieve to be the best at any price.

You can make excellent beer w/ a cheap walmart cooler and $10 in parts...your process means a lot more than how much you spent on a MT.

If you want simple turn key, go ahead and buy something ready to brew...it's your dime!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/ten-minute-cooler-mash-tun-conversion-125108/

Check out Denny's MT linked below, your friend would likely not approve, but Denny don't care!

http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

 

[FloridaCracker]

So, sometime ago (IDK, ~8 months?) I built my MLT using this thread. I was/have ben very pleased with it. Espeacially since I haved ~$80 compared to my LHBS. I did use the sink line coil as a strainer and I can tell you that my first couple batches took a long time to drain... Those batches were only using about 12#.

After an evening of brewing with a buddy on his first time using a MLT, and drinking a lot of beer, the strainer got destroyed from the drunken plundering. I went to my LHBS and purchased the false bottom, and the 4" of tubing to conect for a little over $30.

My next couple batches went amazing... Now I recently have moved to 25+ # grain bills and its strugling. But it works, works well, and most importantly -gets the job done.

If you are interested in this, DO IT. But, a word of advice from experiance, go ahead and buy a false bottom.

-FloridaCracker

 

[Jeebas]

Phew. Darn near 2500 posts. I started reading this 3 years ago and mostly made one out of a 40 qt rectangular cooler that I got from K-Mart back then, but never finished as I ran into some minor leaks and wasn't ready to go to AG yet anyways. Now I have a 15 gallon direct fired system. I think I will finish this mash tun up anyways so I can have an "on the road" mash system. That plus my SQ-14 and a propane tank and my water filter I can brew pretty much anywhere!

Good stuff!

 

[dongemus]

Wilserbrewer, I currently have a MT I made from my old beach cooler and some hardware. I use Denny's method often. I would recommend it to anybody.

My set up works well but it is getting old and was never that efficient. I am also trying to upgrade to 10 or even 15 gallon batches. So I think I need a better system. To build my own good system it seems I'm only saving if I skimp on parts... a cheaper cooler, braided hose instead of a false bottom. I want it to be efficient and move up with me as I brew more and more.

What do people use for brewing 10-15 gallon batches?

 

[tre9er]

I do 9g batches (usually about 20# of grain) in a 70qt. rectangular cooler with an 18" braid loop (connected to SS tee, then to the ball valve). My runoffs get very slow near the end, and I usually have to stop, stir, and re-vorlauf/run-off. I wonder if it's too much grain weight on the braid, but it's not crushed. In fact, I have coiled copper inside of it and it still runs off slow. The grain compacts like cement and the water doesn't seem to be able to make it down to the bottom. My crush may be a little too fine, but I don't get bits in my beer or tannins, so why crush more coarse?