WOO made an MLT!! Ive been dreaming of this day for a while now. It holds water great with no leaks but all thats preventing leaks are rubber washers on either side of the cooler wall on the nipple and it looks as if it could leak. Is there a definite way to prevent leaks ontop of what Ive done already?
Threatening leaks on my MLT
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Baja_Brewer
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If you're really looking to scare them there leaks, try glowering at them when they start, maybe speak in a threatening voice... 
Alright, seriously, what type of cooler are you using? Round? Square? Can you put real washers (stainless steel of course) to help hold the rubber ones in place? Did the cooler come with a rubber piece to go on the original spigot and can you use that along with your braid/manifold?
I originally thought mine was going to leak, but I put an extra SS washer on to help push the rubber stopper into place, hasn't leaked yet!
Alright, seriously, what type of cooler are you using? Round? Square? Can you put real washers (stainless steel of course) to help hold the rubber ones in place? Did the cooler come with a rubber piece to go on the original spigot and can you use that along with your braid/manifold?
I originally thought mine was going to leak, but I put an extra SS washer on to help push the rubber stopper into place, hasn't leaked yet!
You should be fine and if any leak occurs, it will likely be a very slow one and you can deal with it then or before your next batch. One thing that I have found to be helpful is to use large SS flat washers on both sides of the cooler wall. This helps distribute the stress over a larger area. You should only need a single washer on the inside wall. The second one on the outside isn't necessary and it can prevent the SS washer from laying flat against the wall making everything flex more. OTOH, if it's working as is, I wouldn't change anything at all right now. Sometimes if you are using a close nipple (the kind with threads over the entire length), you may encounter a small leak around the threads. The silicone washer sometimes will not seal well where it contacts the threads. You can remedy this by wrappping some teflon plumbers tape around the nipple before pushing it through the cooler wall. Use enough so that it continues inside where the washer contacts the nipple. These are all just small things you can do, but I doubt you will have any leaks provided that the nipple fits relatively tightly in the hole through the cooler wall. That's usually where leaks will occur. It's best to not over tighten the back nut against the silicone washer. Good and snug will do it. You will probably still be able to rotate the valve easily, but don't worry about that as it normally won't cause any problem. There's not a great deal of pressure at the outlet, so it's fairly easy to get a good seal. Now stop worrying and enjoy your brewing!
If you're really looking to scare them there leaks, try glowering at them when they start, maybe speak in a threatening voice...
Alright, seriously, what type of cooler are you using? Round? Square? Can you put real washers (stainless steel of course) to help hold the rubber ones in place? Did the cooler come with a rubber piece to go on the original spigot and can you use that along with your braid/manifold?
I originally thought mine was going to leak, but I put an extra SS washer on to help push the rubber stopper into place, hasn't leaked yet!
+1 That's the way to do it. Intimidating the equipment sometimes works quite well too. Threaten to replace it with better stuff and it will surely co-operate.
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Threaten them all you want. It'll just piss the leaks off enough to wait until the mash tun is struck in at 150* plus full of hot sticky wort where you can't do **** about it other than watch.
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