Mash tun question

[Cajun_Tiger33]

I'm a beginner brewer and I'm building a mash tun out of a 54qt igloo marine ice chest. I'm using CPVC pipe as a false bottom type deal.... My question is how important is it that the pipe sits on the very bottom of the ice chest?
Due to the spigot hole the pipe sits about an inch above the bottom and right at the exit and then slopes down and finally touches the bottom at the other end?

 

[Golddiggie]

Any wort below the lowest point will be left in the mash tun. Depending on how you made the holes in the manifold (it's not a false bottom) you could leave even more behind.

 

[Holy_Hops]

If it's not touching the bottom completely it will still work fine, you'll just have more dead-space in your mash tun (space where wort that gets left in the cooler and doesn't make it into the kettle.)

As you brew your first few batches you can figure out how much wort you're losing in the bottom and compensate in your mash/sparge water later on to dial-in your process.

 

[Cajun_Tiger33]

This is the connection to the piping to the exit port. Do y'all have any suggestions on how to connect the two so the pipe does touch the bottom.. A 45 degree elbow has a little bit too much bend

 

[Holy_Hops]

On mine I cut a very small copper piece and connected it to that T (pointing straight up). Then, I put an elbow on the end of the small piece and connected another small copper piece to the spigot.

Mine, though, does rest all the way on the bottom so there is enough room to do that. Not sure if that's possible on yours. To get it on the bottom, though, you could always make the sides a bit narrower.

(Mine is copper but yours looks like PVC - just replace copper for PVC on yours)

 

[Golddiggie]

Unless everything is already glued together, just turn the T so that it rests better. You can also trim the other long pieces so that it rests on the bottom better.

If it's already glued together, I'd make another one. OR just get one of the stainless bazooka style screens and not worry about it at all. In my first two mash tuns I used those (one straight, one T style) connecting to the bulkhead (inside the cooler) with a short piece of 1/2" ID silicone tubing. Of course, I'm now using a keg mash tun, with a false bottom.

 

[Cajun_Tiger33]

It's not glued together so I'm prolly going to experiment with some fittings and tubing.. If I was to go with the tubing route does it hve to be silicon?

 

[FATC1TY]

You could try and get some copper and find a way to attach it to your manifold via the soft copper. You can bend the copper till you like it, and it'll rest on the bottom.

I use a bazooka screen in my round mash tun, and reinforced it inside the screen with a piece of copper tubing with slots cut in it. Worked really well.

 

[Golddiggie]

It's not glued together so I'm prolly going to experiment with some fittings and tubing.. If I was to go with the tubing route does it hve to be silicon?

Considering the temps it could be exposed to, I'd use silicone tubing. If it was a brief exposure to those temperatures, you could be ok. But you're talking about at least an hour at mash temps (initially higher) not to mention pre-heat temps and then sparge temps. It's not like you're going to use a ton of the tubing, so get a foot, or two, of it and be done.

BTW, never needed to reinforce the stainless bazooka screen in either of my mash tuns. The one with the T style is being used by my brew-buddy and it's been holding up just fine (for many batches). There have been times where he's filled the mash tun (10 gallon RubberMaid cooler) without issue.