DIY mash tun question/help

[jamesampm]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with the water cooler below and know if this ball valve kit would work with it?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F6SHTK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I9L5P3S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[tofuguy]

The bazooka tube is not ideal for a mash tun. They are usually used for brew kettles. I would recommend using a false bottom. I found the braided hoses can get damaged during stirring.

 

[IslandLizard]

Frankly, those round cooler mash tuns are a PITA! Hard to stir (narrow and deep) and a little small for larger grain bills. I use a 52 qt rectangular Coleman Extreme (~$25-30). with a homemade cpvc manifold (~$10 in parts).

Unless you want to recirculate the mash and fly sparge (not sure why anyone would on this small scale), a deeper bed has little benefit.

The bazooka tube is not ideal for a mash tun. They are usually used for brew kettles. I would recommend using a false bottom. I found the braided hoses can get damaged during stirring.

I tend to differ, many use the Bazooka-type screens in mash tuns, but you're right, if you hit them a few times with the mash paddle they'll start to flatten out. Hence the cpvc, or a reinforced braid.

Manifold shown upside down for illustration.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I use a similar cooler. It works fine. Grain limit is ~24#, which will put most 5g batches of almost any gravity and a lot of 10g batches at reasonable gravity. I used the cooler conversion kit from bargain fittings. I found a false bottom used off of Craiglist on the cheap, but I used a stainless braid before and did not have a problem. A rectangular cooler probably works just as well though, and might scale up to a larger batch size better (but on a reasonable homebrew scale, are you really going over 24# in grainbill?). There's not a lot of ways do this wrong, actually.

 

[kh54s10]

I don't know about the Bazooka Tube. But I disagree with the idea that braids are not good. And that a round cooler is a PITA. Mine has a 3/4" water heater supply line braid. I can bash it about as much as I want and it won't collapse. The problem is the choice of braid. Too many people use wimpy sink water supply lines. I also find it very easy to stir up my round cooler. I have heard complaints of not getting the corners well stirred in rectangular coolers so you have to take care to get into the corners.

But if you want to do more than a 5 gallon batch you will probably want the rectangular cooler with a manifold.

 

[troglodytes]

I use the 10 gal Igloo cooler and ball valve and it has worked beautifully for all of my 5 gallon batches. I have done everything from session ales to 12% quads with no issues. I have a manifold that looks just like IslandLizard's except its made from a bunch of leftover scrap copper I have from previous projects. I've only had issues once I started to dabble in very high volumes of rye and wheat (efficiency issues and a couple stuck sparges).

I've since switched over to the brew bag which acts as my filter now. Its super easy to just lift a little and drain, then batch sparge and repeat. I've also noticed my efficiency increased 5% just but by using the bag and when I apply a finer grain crush I can get my efficiency 10% higher than with the manifold. Plus its way easier to put together and clean, which is always useful.

 

[jrgtr42]

I use a 48-qt rectangular cooler for my tun, with a homemade copper pipe manifold. Sorry I don't have a photo.
I know a lot a lot of people use the round coolers, some with the braids. Obviously you would need to replace the spigot, the braid may or may not work so well. The complaint using those is that the weight of the grain collapses the metal braid, so it doesn't drain. There are plenty of false bottoms available for them, though I wonder if you could use something over the braid to keep most of that weight off it - a stiff metal mesh with a small weave, perhaps, bent into an arch over the braid? I don't know, I'm speculating here.
Or just look at some of the online homebrew retailers and get a falsie.

 

[ajr628]

I have a 10gal cooler like that from Lowes with a bazooka tube and it works great. I have done over 70 batches with this setup. I like the round coolers because cleaning is simple; put a garbage bag around it and turn it upside down then spray it out.

 

[processhead]

I also used the Lowes version of that cooler in a RIMS configuration, with a false bottom and a grain bag to simplify clean up.

I do a lot of 10 gallon batches of medium gravity beers in mine and have been very satisfied with it.

 

[CGVT]

To answer your question, yes that would work fine. I have a round cooler that I have used a braid and then later a false bottom in. Bazooka tubes work as well.

But... if I had it to do over again, I would go with a rectangular cooler ala Denny. I got the round cooler because I thought that was what I needed to fly sparge. I found that fly sparging did nothing to improve my beer so went back to batch sparging. Had I known...

http://www.dennybrew.com/

 

[jamesampm]

I bought this setup and it held temps great but as I moved it after emptying I noticed there was the tiniest of leaks with maybe 4 drops on the table. I thought the two rubber gaskets would have worked but maybe I have to use silicon in there.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

The bazooka tube is not ideal for a mash tun. They are usually used for brew kettles. I would recommend using a false bottom. I found the braided hoses can get damaged during stirring.

That really depends on how your sparging. The bazooka works great for batch sparging. I've been using one since I started brewing with great results and no issues. That or a quality braided hose work fine for that style. You really only need a false bottom if you intend to fly sparge.

That being said, I'm switching over to a bag in a cooler because I think it will be easier to clean, I can mill finer and get quicker conversion. I should also end up with near zero equipment loss from the MLT.

I greatly prefer the rectangular coolers. A 48-50 quart has more capacity, and it's easier to stir. JMO.