Home made mash tun

[harry_mac]

Will it be big enough for 10gallon brew lengths

I squeezed a 10 gallon(ish) brew out of a 24 litre coolbox last brewing session with 7.5 kilo of grain. It took one runoff and 4 batch sparges (the last with a gravity of 1014), but I ended up with a final volume of 43 litres @ 1046. Not tasted it yet though

[wetdog]

im not sure how much the tap was, I still have the receipt but the guys writing is awful but it looks like £3.60
the mesh I bought off the net from here; http://www.crazywireco.co.uk/cgi-bin/si ... id=1145753

[floydmeddler]

im not sure how much the tap was, I still have the receipt but the guys writing is awful but it looks like £3.60
the mesh I bought off the net from here; http://www.crazywireco.co.uk/cgi-bin/si ... id=1145753

Love that mesh design. That is your boiler though and not your mash tun?

Cheers

[wetdog]

yes its my boiler but people were asking questions about ball valves and how to connect things up and as I had already taken the pictures I thought I would share

[clootie]

Wetdog,

Thanks for the pictures. I bought one of the Coleman coolers and am looking to modify it ahead of a brew at the weekend. I can pick off most of the bits and pieces from the photo except the threaded section. Did that come with the ball valve or did you buy it separately? If separate what would you call it? I have searched on the internet and can find simlar smaller fittings called nipples but nothing that big (Not that size is everything!!!).

Sorry for the stupid question.

Cheers

Scott

[thankyousam]

How are people insulating the lids of the coolbox mash tuns?

I have the Coleman cool box and did a test run today with 12 litres of hot water. It lost 8 degrees C over 90 minutes, and another 5 after a further hour. I bought a tank insulation jacket for extra insulation. It was noticeably warmer between the lid and the jacket, than the sides and the jacket, so I suspect the lid is losing most of the heat.

[tubthumper]

I found the threaded piece used on that set up its here
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Taps+Sh ... 197/p91988
1/2" thread is the same as 15mm compresion fittings thread so no probs with what ever you want to do with it

[wetdog]

Wetdog,

Thanks for the pictures. I bought one of the Coleman coolers and am looking to modify it ahead of a brew at the weekend. I can pick off most of the bits and pieces from the photo except the threaded section. Did that come with the ball valve or did you buy it separately? If separate what would you call it? I have searched on the internet and can find simlar smaller fittings called nipples but nothing that big (Not that size is everything!!!).

Sorry for the stupid question.

Cheers

Scott

hi clootie, yes sorry it is called a nipple, god knows why but yes it came on its own from the plumbers merchant. You'll also find its the most expensive part of the whole assembly at around £4.50

[Blackaddler]

How are people insulating the lids of the coolbox mash tuns?

I have the Coleman cool box and did a test run today with 12 litres of hot water. It lost 8 degrees C over 90 minutes, and another 5 after a further hour. I bought a tank insulation jacket for extra insulation. It was noticeably warmer between the lid and the jacket, than the sides and the jacket, so I suspect the lid is losing most of the heat.

You'll find that when you've got a mass of grain in the coolbox as well, it'll retain heat much better.

Preheat the coolbox with some very hot water [almost boiling]. With only 12L of water, you're going to be using a lot of that heat, just heating up the coolbox. Give the coolbox time to absorb the heat, say 15-20mins, then do your test.

I wrap an old [charity shop] quilt round my 66L Coleman, and it only loses between 1°C and 1.5°C over 90mins, with 8kg of grain. Less grain, slightly more heat loss [2.5°C]. More grain, less heat loss. [1°C].

[clootie]

Tubthumper / Wetdog - Tanks for the info guys

Clootie

[Evoflash]

I'm going down this route too!

Ordered one of these beauties yesterday. Looking forward to making it!!
http://stainless-steel-ice-chest.com/st ... -5-gallon/



I'm planning a perforated false bottom AND the braided-hose type filter on the tap outlet.

Pics to follow over the next few weeks.

[chris_reboot]

Get tank connector, use a round file to remove the collar internally, push copper piping through.

Fit ball valve to one end and manifold/false bottom to t'other.

Get a bit of copper piping cut to fit to the outlet of the ball valve and then get a 90deg elbow on the end to form your tap.

+1 to that.
done 3 this way now, and they work a treat.
get a round file, 10 mins filing, and the tank connector is bored out ready to let a 15mm pipe pass all the way through.
10 mins work, honest!

[chris_reboot]

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=28883 has some pics my rectangular coleman 45 quart (I think it is) with a 10 gal mash on if anyone is interested.
sorry to bore the pants off you if not

sides are foam insulated, lid is not though, but couple of towels on top does the trick.

edit: its a 48 quart

[chris_reboot]

anyone that's bought this one on the £20 offer, can you tell me, does it have an insulated or hollow lid?



may replace my chest one for these upright ones, would be better for spraging and grain depth I'm thinking.

[Horatio]

anyone that's bought this one on the £20 offer, can you tell me, does it have an insulated or hollow lid?

Got mine this very morning. I'm not 100% bit I think the lid is hollow; it feels and sounds hollow to me. As has already been said here; I will just put a couple of towels on top of it, and one under it too. Should do the trick. I'm going to fill it with hot water this afternoon and monitor the temperature drop. I shall report back!