Igloo Cooler Mash Tun: False bottom?

[willsud]

Hello, I'm converting a round Igloo cooler into a mash tun and I'm threading a bazooka tube screen through the bottom. Just curious if I still need to buy a false bottom or if the screen itself will be enough to filter out the grains? Also, is it okay to bend a bazoka kettle screen a little to get it to fit in a cooler or should I use smething entirely different? I originally bought this kettle screen to thread into a steel kettle, but I then realized that I had an old cooler out in my shed. Thanks in advance!

 

[DSorenson]

a false bottom would be used instead of a bazooka screen. I see no problem in you bending it a little to fit your needs so long as you don't perforate the screen itself.

 

[carton132]

You can roll up the end like a tube of toothpaste and crimp it with some pliers to make it fit. You may end up with a lot of dead space in the cooler though, since your valve level is pretty high above the bottom of the cooler.

I just put a 9" false bottom from Adventures in Homebrewing in a 5 gallon Igloo cooler and drained it for a test just using some tap water. With a valve and length of tubing to create a good siphon, I had only 8 ounces of water left in the bottom of the cooler. Might be worth keeping in mind if you're unhappy with the dead space.

 

[Flboy]

I use the bazooka type screen, batch sparge, and dump the grains in a strainer. If their sweet still, I rinse them again, with cool water.