cheap mashing

[Kingfish]

I checked again and the 10 gallon at HD in Chicago is $43 plus tax.

$42.97 in Georgia. Still nowhere near "cheap".

 

[tre9er]

12 gallon rectangular cooler with spigot, $24.88

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Igloo-Marine-48-Quart-Cooler/16437964

I know it's rectangular, but I do BIAB in a rectangular...it's possible and much cheaper for cooler.

 

[40watt]

Has anyone using a Coleman Extreme had trouble with the angle of the drain with a protruding ball valve and hose barb?

 

[Stauffbier]

Has anyone using a Coleman Extreme had trouble with the angle of the drain with a protruding ball valve and hose barb?

My brand new 52qt Coleman Extreme worked beautifully last weekend! I couldn't be happier with it! I have a standard bulk head from Austin Homebrew, a brass ball valve from Lowes with a hose barb attached. On the inside I made a tiny dip tube that extends about 3 inches in the drain valley which I attached a SS braid to..

 

[40watt]

My brand new 52qt Coleman Extreme worked beautifully last weekend! I couldn't be happier with it! I have a standard bulk head from Austin Homebrew, a brass ball valve from Lowes with a hose barb attached. On the inside I made a tiny dip tube that extends about 3 inches in the drain valley which I attached a SS braid to..

Ok. I was looking at the 52qt Extreme last weekend. I like the drain valley, but I was afraid the angle on the exterior would cause your barb to extend below ground/table level. Next thing you know you've had to many while brewing, and you've cracked your cooler lining.

Glad to hear you've had no trouble. I'm leaning hard toward the Extreme.

 

[djt17]

I also have the Xtreme with barbed fitting, the drain works great.

 

[Stauffbier]

Ok. I was looking at the 52qt Extreme last weekend. I like the drain valley, but I was afraid the angle on the exterior would cause your barb to extend below ground/table level. Next thing you know you've had to many while brewing, and you've cracked your cooler lining.

Glad to hear you've had no trouble. I'm leaning hard toward the Extreme.

The only thing I can really say is don't over tighten the ball valve assembly onto the bulk head as it will leak, but that's probably true with most coolers I would think.. Also, to help retain a water-tight seal on the inside I used the rubber washer that came off of the cooler to seal the bulk head instead of an o-ring. I just couldn't get that o-ring to seal for me..

 

[40watt]

The only thing I can really say is don't over tighten the ball valve assembly onto the bulk head as it will leak, but that's probably true with most coolers I would think.. Also, to help retain a water-tight seal on the inside I used the rubber washer that came off of the cooler to seal the bulk head instead of an o-ring. I just couldn't get that o-ring to seal for me..

Good to know. If you thank of anything else let me know. I am curious about the makeshift diptube you fashioned.

 

[Stauffbier]

Good to know. If you thank of anything else let me know. I am curious about the makeshift diptube you fashioned.

Enclosed are the photos of my diptube, SS braid, and ball valve;

 

[40watt]

I'm thinking about just using a brass compression fitting to hold the braid. Omitting the hose clamp completely.

 

[Stauffbier]

Originally I just put the braid on a hose barb with a hose clamp, but it didn't pick up all of the liquid off of the bottom of the cooler. After I made the diptube it worked much better. Now it only leaves a small amount of liquid in the drain valley (maybe 1/3 cup at most)... The set-up worked really good. I did use rice hulls in my mash as a precaution. My run-off was great! It slowed up a bit on the last gallon of sparge, but I think that's because the wort was dropping very slowly thru the grain bed. I'm ok with a slow draining sparge, because I feel like it helps efficiency. I could be wrong, but I won't argue with the 79% eff that I got with this last weekend!

 

[Special Hops]

If you batch sparge the shape of the cooler does not matter. Fly sparging you would want a round one.

Batch sparge in an igloo 49 qt cube no problems. Cost me like 23 bucks at Academy Sports. Plus random fittings and hoses.