Coleman Xtreme 50qt Mash Tun Conversion

[periolus]

Good evening!
I am returning to AG brewing after a loooong break. Used to be on here with a different username.

Anyhow - old HLT and boiler are still working a treat having tested. But….I am now converting the Coolbox I got ages ago to a Mash Tun and a little worried.

I got a 50qt Coleman Xtreme with wheels and the spigot is angled down at 45 degrees. The grommet from the drain fits very snugly on a 1/2inch steel nipple, onto which I plan to add a ball valve on one side and a Tee piece on the other to add hose barbs and steel braid for a manifold.

Anyone had any dealings with this particular conversion? Is my plan okay with the ange and apparent dead space? I know I need to add a spacer where the drain assembly was to prevent crushing, but any advice, suggestions etc. very welcome indeed!

 

[Big_Eight]

Good evening!
I am returning to AG brewing after a loooong break. Used to be on here with a different username.

Anyhow - old HLT and boiler are still working a treat having tested. But….I am now converting the Coolbox I got ages ago to a Mash Tun and a little worried.

I got a 50qt Coleman Xtreme with wheels and the spigot is angled down at 45 degrees. The grommet from the drain fits very snugly on a 1/2inch steel nipple, onto which I plan to add a ball valve on one side and a Tee piece on the other to add hose barbs and steel braid for a manifold.

Anyone had any dealings with this particular conversion? Is my plan okay with the ange and apparent dead space? I know I need to add a spacer where the drain assembly was to prevent crushing, but any advice, suggestions etc. very welcome indeed!

I don't think it should be a problem using a steel braid. You will just need to fill the tun and drain it then measure the left over water and that will be your unrecoverable dead space so you will have to account for that in your recipe to get the proper preboil amount.

You'll just have to decide if the volume of water left is acceptable to you. You also could get a bag and do biab in the cooler also.

I have a 48qt Coleman cooler that I put a steel bulk head in with spigot and bazooka screen (the original drain valve was not angled like yours). The screen sits off of the bottom a bit because the valve hole is an inch above the bottom and I have a gallon (3.8L) of unrecoverable dead space but this is acceptable to me.

Good luck!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I am returning to AG brewing after a loooong break. Used to be on here with a different username.

Check your private messages

 

[periolus]

Good evening! Right! Building this starting tonight with a plastic ring to reinforce the space between the two walls of the mash tun. Almost fits perfectly, cut a little ragged and so doesn’t meet absolutely exactly all the way round, but it is as good as it can be!

THE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS…..I do not have epoxy resin, so can I use Gorilla Superglue to glue it in place? It melts at 100C apparently, so won’t ever get that hot. It will also be outside the bulkhead build that is carrying the wort, so there should never be contact.

Wotfink?

 

[periolus]

Scrap the previous post - Mash Tun now finally built!!

The design was a slight gamble, as I used the grommet from the drain assembly and put it the other way round on the inside as the seal. I had to hammer the steel nipple through - it is a VERY snug fit.

I have used a 45 degree elbow and another short steel nipple to link it to the SS tee to minimise dead space - this with the barbs almost touches the bottom.

Just need to make my manifold now and then I’m ready to brew!

Only problem I had is that the piece of plastic I used to reinforce the space between the walls where the nipple goes through flew out when I hammered the nipple through! It all feels solid enough though that I’m not worried about leaking round that grommet.

 

[periolus]

I finally got some braided hose with no liner! I made a spring with 0.8mm SS wire to put inside, but I don’t think I got it tightly wound enough as it isn’t holding its shape and has the odd soft spot!

A good dry run, but now I will know how to get it spot on, I reckon.