DIY MLT Help

[Matt Foley]

Woo Hoo. I had the fortune to take third place in a poker tournament last night raking in $1120. So what better way to put it to use than getting an AG setup going? Rubbermaid cooler, 40 quart pot, and Bayou Classic SQ14.

I went and purchased the equipment to build an MLT. I bought the equipment according to FlyGuy's DIY post (thanks Fly Guy for the shopping list). However, it seems impossible to find stainless steel components at Home Depot. I even had a hard time finding the braid as most are now made out some type of plastic, but I got one. But I cannot get a stainless washer or hose clamp. How big of a deal is it to use stainless? Can I just switch out the parts after every few uses? What do you think?

 

[Bobby_M]

Try Lowes. My HD has nothing stainless and Lowes has a lot.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Ditto on Lowes, and some Ace hardware stores carry stainless. It's worth doing right, wort is somewhat acidic and you don't want a washer leaching metals into your beer.

I skipped the hose clamps altogether, and instead lined my braid with a perforated piece of tubing. Helps keep it from collapsing under the grain bed as well.

If you really can't find any stainless washers, bwitt will help you out!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24221&highlight=stainless+washers

 

[Sigafoos]

I actually went out to buy equipment for Fly Guy's MLT today. I found everything I needed at Lowe's except for the fender washers. I've checked a few stores (Lowes, HD, Value) and nobody carries the 5/8" size. Besides that though, +1 for Lowes.

Oh, also, I can't find a damn 10 gal cooler to save my life :/

 

[DUCCCC]

My resolution for the SS fender washers was to go to Boater's World, where they had a great assortment of SS hardware. Problem was the largest ID size I could find was still too small, but the OD was great. I bought 4 anyway and just enlarged the ID. I don't have a press or suitable clamps or vices, but I am fortunate enough to work at a school that has some really well equipped machine classes. They hooked me up for free and I was in business.

Everyone is going to say to hold out for a 10 gallon cooler, but I've done two 14lb grain bill brews now, using a 1 gallon to 1 lb ratio, and I hit 74% into the boiler with a 5 gallon Rubbermaid round cooler setup, and I paid less than $20 for it. You can start with a 5 gallon, and continue to use it for the <1.060 OG recipes, and get a 10 gallon for larger batches or those recipes that have larger grain bills than 14-15 lbs later. I'll get a 10 gallon one eventually.

 

[Matt Foley]

Just went to Lowes. No deal on a 5/8" stainless washer. I want to brew tomorrow, but not sure what to do.

 

[Sigafoos]

Everyone is going to say to hold out for a 10 gallon cooler, but I've done two 14lb grain bill brews now, using a 1 gallon to 1 lb ratio, and I hit 74% into the boiler with a 5 gallon Rubbermaid round cooler setup, and I paid less than $20 for it. You can start with a 5 gallon, and continue to use it for the <1.060 OG recipes, and get a 10 gallon for larger batches or those recipes that have larger grain bills than 14-15 lbs later. I'll get a 10 gallon one eventually.

Hmm... I have a never been used 5 gal I bought last year for mashing when I thought 'Ooh I should get a cooler.' Then I found out a 10 gal would do much better. I suppose I could stick with it for now and then upgrade... along with my conversion costs, IC materials and turkey fryer I'm sure SWMBO would love it if I could knock off $50 or so off what I'm spending. Hell, I don't think she knows how much the copper tubing was yet Do you batch or fly sparge to get the 74%?

Would using a rubber washer work instead? I don't know if I could find one, but I saw steel/zinc 5'8" washers but no stainless.

 

[jds]

I've been mashing in a converted 5 gal cooler. For brews up to about 14 lb in the grain bill, it works just fine for mashing and batch sparging. At my usual efficiency (75-80%), that means I can hit 1.060 easily in a 5.5 gallon batch.

I will, however, be adding a 10 gallon cooler to the mix sometime in early summer, so I can brew up big dunkel for Christmas.

 

[Skins_Brew]

My Home depot and loews did not have the SS fender washer, but the Do-it-best had them in stock.

http://doitbest.com/StoreLocator.dib

 

[DUCCCC]

Hmm... I have a never been used 5 gal I bought last year for mashing when I thought 'Ooh I should get a cooler.' Then I found out a 10 gal would do much better. I suppose I could stick with it for now and then upgrade... along with my conversion costs, IC materials and turkey fryer I'm sure SWMBO would love it if I could knock off $50 or so off what I'm spending. Hell, I don't think she knows how much the copper tubing was yet Do you batch or fly sparge to get the 74%?

Would using a rubber washer work instead? I don't know if I could find one, but I saw steel/zinc 5'8" washers but no stainless.

Batch sparge, and I am still using the stock setting, which I haven't even measured to be sure of, on my Barley Crusher.


I also am using silicone washers I made myself. The O rings set I had purchased wasn't quite a good fit when I built up my MLT. Since I really didn't figure this out until brewday I improvised. I had a silicone cupcake/muffin tray from Wal Mart that cost like $6 or $7. I cut out the bottom of one of the cups and it was about a perfect match to the outer diameter of my fender washers. I simply traced the inner hole on the silicone and cut it out with a kitchen knife. It works awesome, and it was made to bake in, so it's more than up to the task of mashing.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Everyone is going to say to hold out for a 10 gallon cooler, but I've done two 14lb grain bill brews now, using a 1 gallon to 1 lb ratio, and I hit 74% into the boiler with a 5 gallon Rubbermaid round cooler setup, and I paid less than $20 for it. You can start with a 5 gallon, and continue to use it for the <1.060 OG recipes, and get a 10 gallon for larger batches or those recipes that have larger grain bills than 14-15 lbs later.

Ditto on that. I brewed a 1.064 5.25 gallon batch last weekend, and there was easily enough room in my 5 gallon MLT for another few pounds of grain. Of course I was aiming for a 1.053 OG, but my new Barley Crusher upped my efficiency by several points!

If and when I decide to make a really big beer, I'll just throw in a pound or two of DME.

 

[Quilyn]

I found the ss washer at Menards.

Quilyn