Leaky Mash tun

[IwanaBrich]

I build a 10 gallon mash tun out of a square (tall) coleman cooler and I am not able to stop it from leaking. I used a copper manifold almost exactly like one I've seen on the web page, with a stainless steel ball valve. No matter what I try I can't stop it from dripping. What I need is a really really thin stainless washer to fit around a 1/2 threaded pipe and a very large, mushy and flexible, food safe washer. I used a red coleman cooler that I bought off ebay and it actuallu has the "old spice logo on it.

Does anyone know where I can find a mushy food grade washer?

 

[acidrain]

Bobby M sells different washers just for this problem at http://brewhardware.com/

 

[IwanaBrich]

I think this site has what I need!! What a great web site.

My Mask Tun has a heavy 1/2" stainless steel ball valve on it and I'm wondering if I could replace it with their Mini Ball Valves shown on this link (http://brewhardware.com/valves-69/187-minivalve)

I think the weight of the heavy stainless steel valve is contributing to my leak problem, so the lighter valve maybe exactly whats needed.

Has anyone used this mini valve on a Mask Tun?

Thanks for the info!!!

 

[brewguyver]

I think this site has what I need!! What a great web site.

My Mask Tun has a heavy 1/2" stainless steel ball valve on it and I'm wondering if I could replace it with their Mini Ball Valves shown on this link (http://brewhardware.com/valves-69/187-minivalve)

I think the weight of the heavy stainless steel valve is contributing to my leak problem, so the lighter valve maybe exactly whats needed.

Has anyone used this mini valve on a Mask Tun?

Thanks for the info!!!

I'd stick to the full ball valve. You don't want to reduce the flow rate, and those aren't full bore. If you use the stainless steel nut with the o-ring grove it'll hold the o-ring for a tight seal. Otherwise when you overtighten you're actually pushing the o-ring away from the threaded nipple, which is causing the leak. Use the extra washers to shim the ball valve side so you can get a tight fit, and it'll help reinforce the setup.

Finally, some people use a small piece of PVC pipe that fits around the stainless nipple to reinforce the hole. This may not work in all setups, and you want to make sure the PVC isn't exposed on the inside (not good eats).