Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion

[FlyGuy]

Yes, the white rubbery seal sticking to the wall.

Does not change metal-to-metal issue at the washer/brass part though...

I am not sure I understand what you mean. On the Rubbermaid round coolers, the factory seal encloses the entire hole through the cooler, and the SS washer keeps it snug against the inside cooler wall. It doesn't matter if any liquid seeps between the brass nipple and washer. But maybe I am misunderstanding what you are saying. ???

 

[cowgo]

Yes, the white rubbery seal sticking to the wall.

Does not change metal-to-metal issue at the washer/brass part though...

If it doesn't leak, no problem, if it does, perhaps another washer to get a better seal.

For all those who are looking for parts but don't have a Lowes, HD or decent hardware store nearby, check this out:

http://www.greatbargain.net/order/shop2.html

Discount fittings for homebrewers.

 

[beergears]

I am not sure I understand what you mean. On the Rubbermaid round coolers, the factory seal encloses the entire hole through the cooler, and the SS washer keeps it snug against the inside cooler wall. It doesn't matter if any liquid seeps between the brass nipple and washer. But maybe I am misunderstanding what you are saying. ???

FG, here is how my setup looks on the Coleman 36 qt:

The cooler sealing does not go all the way through the wall as the rubbermaid's , apparently.

I am using a garden hose washer where barb connector meets SS washer, to do something about the metal-metal (no seal) situation.
Now, it is virtually leak-proof but not quite, hence my question about having a tiny bit of organic fluid seeping (OK), but also getting trapped in there...

 

[FlyGuy]

Nice diagram! That helps a lot.

On my MLT, the original seal from the cooler is VERY snug around the pipe nipple, so nothing is going to leak past that. Also, the SS washer holds the 'lip' of that seal tight to the cooler wall, so nothing can get past that way. So in essence, the entire pipe nipple (i.e., bulkhead) has a positive seal to the cooler wall, making a seal between the nipple and the inner barb unnecessary.

I am guessing that your cooler seal doesn't fit snug to the pipe nipple? If not, then I understand your concern. If that were the case, I would simply use a larger nipple (although, I guess that means replacing all the hardware if you step up to 1/2" fittings, which might not be possible now). Another option (in addition to your own) would be to use some food-grade silicone adhesive and fill the gap between the brass nipple and the seal through the cooler wall.

Cheers!

 

[Gnome]

I'm building a manifold for a 48Q Coleman and the 3/4" pipe nipple seems to fit quite snug with Coleman ome rubber washer. Haven't found SS washers to test for leaks yet.

 

[bs22619]

I just build my mash tun today, and had to settle for regular 5/8" washers plus a rubber 5/8" washer on the inside.....so eventually I have got to get that washer replaced with a SS one. I used the 10 gal. igloo model and had to use quite a few washers to keep all my hardware snug. Pretty pissed once I finished and found a leak, but then realized I forgot the O ring. So besides that, a very long scavenger hunt for parts and metal shavings flying at my face while cutting the water supply hose it was a smooth operation. Thanks to this very easy and understandable post it gave me the motivation I needed to go out and do it. One week I will be in my new apartment starting off with my first AG batch. My new place is literally one block from what will be my new LHBS.

 

[fermenator]

Picked up all my parts for this today, except for the SS braid. Forgive my ignorance but I was unsure as what to get at my local Lowes, is this braid just the outer shell to a water line connector like this one?:

http://tinyurl.com/382paj

Thanks!

 

[Chriso]

Yep, that's the one. Tip, a Dremel cuts that really easily. Others have used hacksaws or jigsaws with success.

 

[fermenator]

Yep, that's the one. Tip, a Dremel cuts that really easily. Others have used hacksaws or jigsaws with success.

Thanks Chriso! I was looking right at those today but it seemed to me that the wort would not pass throught that outer SS braid, guess I was wrong!

 

[Chriso]

It'll make more sense once you get the inner hose out. Beware, though, the metal ends of the braid HURT if you jam your finger on them!

As you're taking it apart, think of a chinese finger trap, then do exactly that, but with the hose inside as your "fingers" in the trap.

 

[98EXL]

The easiest way to cut it is to put electrical tape on the ends, and snip it with tin snips....done and done

On a side not, my sweet-ass cooler got an upgrade this Christmas, a nice upgrade too:

 

[fermenator]

Put mine together tonight and so far no leaks! Thanks to FlyGuy and everyone else here at homebrewtalk.com! This place is an invaluable resource! I actually tried both ways to cut the hose just to see which one was easier, although the dremel did a fantastically quick job and worked well, the snips and electrical tape did produce a cleaner cut for me.

Thanks again everyone for all your help!

 

[Chriso]

I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I don't own a pair of good snips. That's why it never occurred to me to do it that way. Regardless, glad things went well!!!!

 

[fermenator]

I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I don't own a pair of good snips. That's why it never occurred to me to do it that way. Regardless, glad things went well!!!!

Don't be embarrassed, I bought mine tonight!

 

[98EXL]

I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I don't own a pair of good snips. That's why it never occurred to me to do it that way. Regardless, glad things went well!!!!

Don't worry about it, I don't either....that's why I go to my buddy's house to do stuff....like weld my sculpture. Why do I need tools? He has all the great stuff, and he's so fun to hang out with...I swear we were separated at birth.

 

[Trodd]

Don't worry about it, I don't either....that's why I go to my buddy's house to do stuff....like weld my sculpture. Why do I need tools? He has all the great stuff, and he's so fun to hang out with...I swear we were separated at birth.

You sound like a friend of mine...."Hey wanna put new shocks in my car this weekend???" At least he pays in beer.

 

[rjhockey]

- Rubbermaid 10 gallon round beverage cooler - $34.99

Where did you buy a Rubbermaid 10 gallon round cooler? For 34.99.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Where did you buy a Rubbermaid 10 gallon round cooler? For 34.99.

He's in Canadia.

 

[FlyGuy]

Yep, winter sale here in Canada. Coolers are harder to find here in January than anything. They are probably even harder to sell. I actually spotted four of them at my local grocery store, of all places. The manager was sick of them in his store, so he sold them at half price. You have no idea how thrilled I was!

Honestly though, if you can't find the round coolers at a decent price, the tall rectangular coolers work just as well. Stirring in the corners might be a WEE bit more difficult, but other than that, they are cheaper and work great too. Just be sure to find a cooler brand and model that are 'tried and true' like the Gott/Rubbermaid round 10 gal beverage coolers.

Cheers!

 

[98EXL]

You sound like a friend of mine...."Hey wanna put new shocks in my car this weekend???" At least he pays in beer.

oh yeah, I'm that guy, except it does go both ways.....

I seem to take his boxer pup out all the time, I guess that's what I get for being 'Uncle Smokey' to the puppy. It works out, we grill, smoke on the smoker, drink beer, and 'play' in the garage all the time...so much fun. We've even modded his garage, how else are you going to use your new 220v MIG welder?

 

[jds]

Just got back from Lowe's with all the parts I needed EXCEPT for the stainless washer and O-ring. Luckily, I also have an order in to Grainger today, so I just added some 5/8 ID UHMWPE washers and 5/8 X 1/8 silicone O-rings to the list. I'm thinking that for the inside wwasher and seal, UHMWPE should work just fine, and be plenty inert in the mash. I'll post up results after I get back from my latest trip.

Once I'm confident I have my rig together, I might even have some spares available. No promises yet, though...

 

[senorfartman]

I found my 10 gallon cooler at Home Depot for 39.99. They are in the part of the store where you go outside and are inside like a green house.

They had 1 more and a bunch of 5 gallon jugs.

On that note, can't wait to build mine tonight

Update:

I went to Home Depot in Baltimore of 695 with the original list in hand.

Like the others before, I couldn't find washers that were the correct size so I modified it a bit. Except where noted below, the valve and adapters are the same as in the original post.

I substituted the 3 5/8" SS fender washers (my Home Depot doesn't carry these) for neoprene rubber fender washers. However they only had 1 remaining in 5/8" which I used for the outside and (2) 1/2" neoprene rubber washers for the inside.

I couldn't find the SS supply hose so I substituted this which I found on an end cap.

The package comes with (2) SS bags and tie wraps. I notched the tube and slipped one bag on and then the other over it.

I could not find any SS 5/8" washers so I substituted 16mm Steel washers.

 

[senorfartman]

To assemble it,

Screw the male adapter to the ball valve. Insert the 12mm washer and the 5/8" neoprene washer in between the hose barb adapter and the valve.

Insert it through the cooler and screw on the other adapter on the inside. Insert the tubing with the mesh over the adapter and voila.

 

[senorfartman]

Here is the final product undergoing extensive water testing.

Hasn't leaked a drop however and I can't wait to do my first AG tomorrow.

 

[jds]

Hey! An OTter! Go see the Homebrewer's thread at the OT, Senorfartman!

[/threadjack]

 

[farmbrewernw]

Just skipped work today to build a 10 gallon MLT:rockin: I have a very small leak, say a few drops every half an hour or so, which I can live with, I can't wait to try this sucker out. Saturday will be my first all grain!!!

 

[FlyGuy]

Just skipped work today to build a 10 gallon MLT:rockin: I have a very small leak, say a few drops every half an hour or so, which I can live with, I can't wait to try this sucker out. Saturday will be my first all grain!!!

Check that you didn't OVER-tighten the connections -- that is the most common problem with small leaks. Good to hear that you found the plans helpful and that you are now in business for big AG batches!

 

[kmudrick]

Hey guys,

I've done four batches using this setup now, but I am getting terrible efficiency. Last night's batch, I tried mashing for longer (75 minutes), running a rolling pin over the bags of grain (crushed at the store), and splitting the sparge into two separate sparges with a 10 minute rest both times before lautering. This got me 62%, which is an upgrade over the mid to high 50s I had gotten before.

I'm really confused as to how pretty much everyone else in the world is getting solid efficiency out of this design and I am not. I have not measured the pH - I am using spring water, since I have had issues with chloramines in the tap water here in the past.

Details from last night's brew: 10.5 lbs grain, mashed in 3.3 gallons of 165 degree water to get me to 152 mash temp. 75 minute rest, mixed with brew spoon every 20 minutes or so. Temp did not drop more than a couple degrees during the mash. Sparged with 5.8 gallons of 170 degree water. Collected about 6.5 gallons of wort. Preboil Gravity was 1.037 (corrected for temperature.)

Any ideas?

 

[Chriso]

Any ideas?

This is a shot in the dark, but you mentioned that you don't adjust PH at all - try using Five Star's "PH 5.2 Mash Stabilizer" - you add it to your water, and it "locks" the PH at a mash-friendly level. Not necessary on some dark brews (stouts/porters) but a huge help on anything lighter (Pales especially).

I know it sounds goofy, but many people, myself included, see as much as 10% jumps in efficiency when using something to help the PH. I regularly get 62% without it and 72-77% with it.

Also you might want to look into a digital thermometer if you don't have one. Many people who report bad eff's are using analog glass thermometers, which aren't always right. Missing your strike or mash temp can lead to bad numbers.

G'luck with it!

 

[kmudrick]

This is a shot in the dark, but you mentioned that you don't adjust PH at all - try using Five Star's "PH 5.2 Mash Stabilizer" - you add it to your water, and it "locks" the PH at a mash-friendly level. Not necessary on some dark brews (stouts/porters) but a huge help on anything lighter (Pales especially).

I know it sounds goofy, but many people, myself included, see as much as 10% jumps in efficiency when using something to help the PH. I regularly get 62% without it and 72-77% with it.

It is worth a shot I suppose. I'll pick some up for next time.

Also you might want to look into a digital thermometer if you don't have one. Many people who report bad eff's are using analog glass thermometers, which aren't always right. Missing your strike or mash temp can lead to bad numbers.

Yeah, after my first AG batch I went out and go a digital thermometer - so these last 3 batches have been using that. I suppose it could be off already, but I suspect it is ok (and it seems to line up with the thermometer on my hydrometer.)

Thanks for the suggestions!