Will this boil screen work in a 48-quart chest cooler?

[chexjc]

Hey guys,

I currently have a 5-gallon rubbermaid drink cooler setup with this 6" boil screen from MWS setup to do partial mashing.

Homebrewfinds posted this 48-quart chest cooler for $14.99 at KMart. Looks like a good opportunity for me to upgrade my system to do all-grain.

My question is, will the 6" screen suffice for mashing, or do I need to build/buy a longer hose-type screen? This thing is plenty strong to support the weight of the grain, but I'm just not sure if it's long enough?

Bonus question: Is there any benefit to a drink cooler vs. a chest cooler?

Thanks!

Jason

 

[cmoewes]

MWS also has a 12 inch version that might give you better results. I think the main issue is to avoid channeling in the grain bed (easy paths for the wort to drain out unevenly).

I know a lot of people spend a lot of time designing their manifolds for the cooler so that there is an even distribution of entry points to maximize smooth lautering.

I don't know if there is any benefit to the rectangular design vs the round ones.

You could also look at building a PVC/CPVC manifold for the rectangular cooler. I think more people use those than just the boil screen.

 

[chexjc]

MWS also has a 12 inch version that might give you better results. I think the main issue is to avoid channeling in the grain bed (easy paths for the wort to drain out unevenly).

I know a lot of people spend a lot of time designing their manifolds for the cooler so that there is an even distribution of entry points to maximize smooth lautering.

I don't know if there is any benefit to the rectangular design vs the round ones.

You could also look at building a PVC/CPVC manifold for the rectangular cooler. I think more people use those than just the boil screen.

Thanks for the reply. I should have specified that I am batch sparging. I guess the only concern is about grain bed height right? I want to do BM's Centennial Blonde as my first AG batch. Being that it's only ~8.5lbs of grains, is that a concern about grain bed depth?

 

[GrogNerd]

channeling isn't really an issue, if you are batch sparging.

 

[Craigmn]

If you build a manifold don't use pvc as its only heat resistant to 140. I learned that the hard way with some plasticy IPA

 

[Peruvian802]

You can get a braided stainless steel wrapped supply line for $3-4 at your local hardware store to build a MLT ala Denny Conn or Don Osborn and be into a cooler MLT for under $25.

Links for build:

http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

http://www.donosborn.com/homebrew/mashtun.htm

 

[Onkel_Udo]

If you build a manifold don't use pvc as its only heat resistant to 140. I learned that the hard way with some plasticy IPA

Yes, but CPVC is a different story...

 

[chexjc]

You can get a braided stainless steel wrapped supply line for $3-4 at your local hardware store to build a MLT ala Denny Conn or Don Osborn and be into a cooler MLT for under $25.

Links for build:

http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

http://www.donosborn.com/homebrew/mashtun.htm

I think this is the route that I'll go. Thanks for all the advice guys! Here's a thought -- do you think I could mash the 8.75lbs of grain in a 5-gallon MLT? I did a calculation and I'd need like 7.6 Gallons of water total. Maybe 3.1 gallons mash, 4.5 gallons sparge. Would that leave enough room for the grain?

 

[Peruvian802]

^^^just get the picnic cooler. You can always upgrade later and still have a picnic cooler with all the normal function.

Here's mine.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1434985399.854502.jpg

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1434985416.421806.jpg

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1434985433.457225.jpg

 

[Craigmn]

Yes, but CPVC is a different story...

Yeah he just said "pvc or cpvc". I was pointing out that pvc is a bad idea

 

[wilserbrewer]

The 6" screen will work fine for batch sparging on a 48 qt cooler. Short braid, long braid makes not much difference, most of the wort exits the cooler nearest the bulkhead, within the first several inches of the braid. I have seen guys batch sparge w massive 120 qt coolers and a little 6" stub of w braid.

Search "ten minute mash tun" for a very simple inexpensive picnic cooler MT w braid.

 

[chexjc]

The 6" screen will work fine for batch sparging on a 48 qt cooler. Short braid, long braid makes not much difference, most of the wort exits the cooler nearest the bulkhead, within the first several inches of the braid. I have seen guys batch sparge w massive 120 qt coolers and a little 6" stub of w braid.

Search "ten minute mash tun" for a very simple inexpensive picnic cooler MT w braid.

Cool! Thanks for all the advice, all! I picked up the cooler locally yesterday -- I guess I may as well try the ball-valve and screen I already have before I go out and build a new setup.

 

[cmoewes]

Yeah he just said "pvc or cpvc". I was pointing out that pvc is a bad idea

Thanks for the catch. My fingers were moving at a different speed from my brain. Absolutely cpvc if you go that route.