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Rectangular cooler mash tun
I found a 10 gallon cooler on the side of the road the other day in great shape. I'm going to make a mash tun and I have some questions. I am looking at doing the SS braid bazooka style screen for the manifold. I've also seen the instructions on using copper and cpvc with slots. I was wondering if there are pros and cons of all these different types of manifolds. I don't have too much money to do this so I would like to do it right the first time! What do you guys use and why do you like/dislike that style?
I got a valve and all the attachment stuff at bargainfittings.com, although you can probably get them even cheaper if you just go to the hardware store. At first I used a ss faucet line, but it seemed to get beat up and I wasn't sure how long it was going to last, so I switched to a bazooka screen. I just figured this way was the easiest, with the copper or cpvc (make sure you get that and not pvc, it is better for handling heat) you need to cut the slots, and that's more work. either way will work fine though.
I have a friend that went with the bazooka screen and he always had a stuck sparge. I told him it was his crush, but even when adding a heavy dose of rice hulls he still had problems.
There is a cheaper way of doing it and that's with the stainless steel braid. Just go get a 12-15 inch water supply line with a stainless braid on it. Pull out the vinyl tubing and use that. A pipe clamp, short piece of copper pipe and a stopper is fine for the valve and port through the cooler. Then a simple plastic turn valve from the hardware store with some tubing and you are all set. You don't even need the valve, just hold the tubing above the level of the mash and you are all set.
Have you seen Denny Conns Cheap and Easy Batch Sparge set up? Check that out for a good start.
Hogarthe wrote:
At first I used a ss faucet line, but it seemed to get beat up and I wasn't sure how long it was going to last, so I switched to a bazooka screen.
Denny Conn claims to have been using the same peice of braid for the last 13 years and 400 batches. I just saw him post that himself on a different forum page.
I'm sure SS braids were built better 14 years ago than they are now like everything else these days. I end up replacing my braid once a year because it gets mangled.
SS braid pros - cheap, easy to make, cheap/easy to replace
SS brain cons - it floats, gets mangled over time, loses suction faster than other types of manifolds, can collapse
While the SS braid has served me well, I think I'm switching to a copper manifold in the spring.
Thanks for the ideas and links. I am heading to the hardware store tomorrow to try and piece this thing together. I have decided to go with the SS braid just for cheapness at this point. Once I get a few AG beers under my belt I may look into other options if the efficiency isn't great. I plan on using plans from Screwy, but adapted to a rectangular cooler
http://www.thescrewybrewer.com/2010/12/ … h-tun.html
That set up looks pretty similar to my braid set up. Keg lube works pretty well if you end up with a small leak.
And FWIW, I get around 75% efficiency with my cooler and have peaked at 80%.
For what its worth, I have been using the same braid for the last 6 years. It pretty much looks just like it did when I installed it.
Not all braids are created the same. If you look (and feel) the different options at the hardware store you'll see that some of them are thinner than others. Look for ones with higher pressure ratings. The SS wire is often a stronger gauge than lower ones.
Got it all put together today and wasn't too much work. i did get 1/2" fittings when I probably should have gotten 3/8" so the original cooler washer didn't want to fit over the brass nipple.I was able to stretch it over the nipple but it didnt want to go into its original hole in the cooler wall. I put one ss washer on inside and one on the outside and cranked em down. It leaks a little bit, but enough that it needs to be fixed if its going to be sitting for an hour. I will probably open it back up and force some o-rings or silicone in there and seal it up. Now I just have to get some grains!
Ditto on the braid. I've been using the same braid for 2 years. When the grain was fine, or when I was using graid from beer and wine in Woburn, I would get stuck sparges, but I would just move the mash around, and it would get flowing. I've never had to dump a mash out and start over with a braid. with other mash tun options you might have to do that if your grind is to fine.
I use the Bazooka tube for my brew pot.
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