My homemade mash tun

[Skyhead22]

I plan to do my first all grain brew this weekend. Picked up the supplies today for a mash tun and slapped her together.






I didn't use that wimpy 3/8 valve and fittings this is all 1/2". I used 1/2 to 3/8 barbed hose fitting on the inside only to connect the filter to the valve with a braided line. I used plastic fittings for these because they didn't have a 1/2 to 3/8 in brass. I used 2 stainless washers on the outside a #15 o ring. Inside is 1 I ring with the coolers original washer and a coupler with the barbed fitting. I did add some cement to the ball valve fittings to prevent any leaking. Sealed up good.

Nothing on the filter is glued it holds tight and can be disassembled to clean. It fits right enough in the bottom a spoon stirring about won't move it. One of the T fittings is a "slip slip thread" both ends slip in but the middle is threaded to put the other barbed fitting in. Took about an hour and 4 beers to make. It's a 10 gallon by the way.


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[Skyhead22]

Oh by the way the 1/2" stainless washers didn't fit so I took the plasma cutter to them. A Dremel would work better.

The bottom of the filter I will drill with a small drill but every 1/4 to 1/2" on the bottom sides of the straight PVC pieces.


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[Skyhead22]

Cooler was $50 the fittings and 5' of 1/2" PVC I used was about $30. $80 total invested


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[Skyhead22]

Leak check turns out good!


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[patthebrewer]

Nice job! Looks like it'll work great

 

[Bobby_M]

PVC is not food safe at mash temps. You ought to rebuild it with CPVC.

 

[Skyhead22]

What does it do?


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[Skyhead22]

From what I find PVC has. Max temp of 140F it becomes softer and joints could come apart. CPVC had a max temp of 190F. I'm not worried about the PVC becoming more pliable I don't have any joints to come apart and spill everywhere. It can only come apart if I take it out.


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[Bobby_M]

Leaches plasticizers into your mash. Dangerous? I don't know but that beer isn't going to taste so great.

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

I use copper for my manifold. PVC has the potential to throw off flavors at higher temps.

Dont want plastics leeching in the water either...

All those markings and ink should be removed also

 

[Skyhead22]

Ok ok going to the store now for cpvc.... Planned on brewing in an hour you just pissed all over my Cheerios!


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[carluchi]

Agreed on the PVC vs CPVC.

Another recommendation is to NOT glue it together. The glue will have issues at mash temps as well. I have a CPVC manifold and I like the fact I can take it apart to clean the grain and such out of it.

 

[krackin]

Ok ok going to the store now for cpvc.... Planned on brewing in an hour you just pissed all over my Cheerios!


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Do you mash your cheerios?

 

[Skyhead22]

I got all of the cpvc pipe and fittings, assembling now. I didn't glue any of it. No need to? It fits very snug. I also want to disassemble for cleaning.


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[Skyhead22]

I didn't mean that as a question. I meant there is no need to glue any of it. It all fits very snug.


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[Skyhead22]

I found out that 1/2" cpvc is definitely not the same as 1/2" pvc. I went with 3/4" cpvc.


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[Yesfan]

If the PVC is an issue with leaching plasticizers into the mash, then wouldn't the plastic liner of the cooler itself also be an issue at mash temps? Isn't the liner also PVC based? I've read here about cooler walls cracking over time due to the "abuse" we give them with the high temp waters we mash our grains (110-120 vs 140-150s), so that's why I'm asking.

 

[Skyhead22]

Better?


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[Bobby_M]

If the PVC is an issue with leaching plasticizers into the mash, then wouldn't the plastic liner of the cooler itself also be an issue at mash temps? Isn't the liner also PVC based? I've read here about cooler walls cracking over time due to the "abuse" we give them with the high temp waters we mash our grains (110-120 vs 140-150s), so that's why I'm asking.

No, coolers are either HDPE or polypropelyne.

 

[Skyhead22]

Underneath


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[Bobby_M]

I would replace the two short pieces that connect to the drain tee and leave them undrilled. You'll be pulling 95% of the wort from those holes as is now.

 

[Skyhead22]

I would replace the two short pieces that connect to the drain tee and leave them undrilled. You'll be pulling 95% of the wort from those holes as is now.

I moved the drain T to the very back like in the first cpvc picture


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[MarcusKillion]

the cpvc i used has a temp of 180 .
want to find out what pvc does simply heat up some water to 190 degrees and put it in and keep it at that temp for an hour and then taste the water.

 

[emorris]

I used 1/2 copper with slits cut into the bottom have done 10 + batches even all wheat never had a problem except got a little rough stirring and knocked a fitting off once what a pain


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[MarcusKillion]

do you ever have a problem with the holes/slits cut in the pipe getting clogged up ?

 

[emorris]

Never yet slits work great left the elbows whole no slits to prevent channeling when I get my fly sparge setup done


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[emorris]

Here's a better pic of the bottom


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[masskrug]

+1 on CPVC, and you don't need to glue the joints. The fittings will stay on as long as you are bumping into them with a paddle.

Otherwise the design looks great, although I didn't see any slits or holes in your pipe.

 

[emorris]

Copper is food safe heat resistant and all press fit for easy cleaning cost is only a little more but it will never warp I bumped off the riser witch I have since soldered on to prevent that is the only soldered pieces on my manifold


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[Skyhead22]

+1 on CPVC, and you don't need to glue the joints. The fittings will stay on as long as you are bumping into them with a paddle.



Otherwise the design looks great, although I didn't see any slits or holes in your pipe.

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[stpug]

Soooooo........

How did the brewday go? I expect your MLT worked great given the design, but we gotta hear it from you

 

[HOPtuary]

Would you guys recommend doing one of these for the bottom of a keggle? Maybe do on out of copper and bend it to follow the shape of the bottom of the keggle. Or would a bazooka or braid work better?

 

[Skyhead22]

It worked great. No clogs good consistent flow. Just a little bit of grain came out at first I poured it back into the top. I lost 2 degrees at the end of an hour. I kind of expected that though given it's a 10 gallon cooler with 2.5 gallons of water in it.


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[abeasst]

I tried using pvc for my 52 gallon mashtun and after 1 brew threw it away because even after sanitzing and scrubbing it started to grow mold. I went to lowes and got a dishwasher line, cut the ends off, pull out the rubber inner hose, and then coiled some wire and put it in the remaining mesh steel line and viola a much better solution.