Converting a 60 QT cooler into a mash tun?

[Orrin1988]

So I am on 5 gallon extract brews right now and still perfecting that. But I plan on buying parts slowly to move straighth from 5 gallon batches of extract to 10 gallon of all-grain (in the course of 5-6 months or so). I am trying to configure a list of what to look out for in ebay and craigslist etc so that maybe I can get a good deal on all my stuff.

I wanted to know if it would be possible or wise to convert a 13-15 gallon cooler into a mash/lauter tun. I was looking at something like:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Igloo-60-Qt...ultDomain_0&hash=item2c62c5a0e8#ht_4309wt_960

Is that something that can be used or is it unusable or not near as good because its square vs circular or rectangle.

Any thoughts?

 

[tre9er]

So I am on 5 gallon extract brews right now and still perfecting that. But I plan on buying parts slowly to move straighth from 5 gallon batches of extract to 10 gallon of all-grain (in the course of 5-6 months or so). I am trying to configure a list of what to look out for in ebay and craigslist etc so that maybe I can get a good deal on all my stuff.

I wanted to know if it would be possible or wise to convert a 13-15 gallon cooler into a mash/lauter tun. I was looking at something like:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Igloo-60-Qt-Ice-Cube-Roller-Cooler-Local-PICK-UP-ONLY-/190635679976?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c62c5a0e8#ht_4309wt_960

Is that something that can be used or is it unusable or not near as good because its square vs circular or rectangle.

Any thoughts?

People use the ice cube coolers all the time. A friend has one and I gott killer efficiency when borrowing it. He had hose going down to a tee and then circular hose braid attached to that.

 

[smetana1986]

Resurrecting an old post here but I just bought the same cooler online for under $30.

My question is since the drain hole is so high off the bottom how do you get all the wort out? Do you have to give it a tilt?

 

[Varmintman]

Tilt away. I tilt my mash tun while I get the boil going and then dump the last little bit into the boil pot.

 

[pannell77]

I tilt also when I am not getting enough of the liquid to drain (usually large grain bills).

 

[Oberon]

I just did my first batch using this cooler and BIAB as the filter. We tilted the cooler to get as much worth out as possible then batch spared with about two gallons of water and squeezed the bag until we were sick of squeezing. The nice thing about BIAB with the cooler is that we could remove the bag and dump the little bit that was left into the kettle. We got 92% efficiency.

I had been getting between 68% and 75% using various combinations of techniques and the kettle as a mash tun and I've always had my LHBS double crush the grain . I don't know if I'm ready to plan a recipe at 90% but the cooler holds temperature much better than the kettle did so I'm definitely sticking with it.