Simple Mash Tun Conversion
So, I am still getting things together for my conversion to all grain brewing that I mentioned in Blog #1.
I managed to pick up a new digital scale from Harbor Freight Tools, and as of this writing (blogging?) the oxygen regulator I ordered from Amazon is on it's way. Last week though, I was able to pick up a new cooler from Target and make a mash tun.
I had to get a larger cooler than the normal one I used for partial extract brewing. That one, which I will keep for smaller brews, is a converted 5 gallon Rubbermaid cooler from Home Depot and it just isn't large enough for mashing bigger beers. For example, I like Strong Scotch Ales - or Wee Heavies if you prefer. I mean I really like them, and I have always wanted to brew my own. For a 5 gallon batch, I am looking at 17.25 pounds of grain, and a need for more than 5 gallons of mash water.
With that being said, here are the steps I followed:
#1 Purchase a cooler with the proper amount of room needed
I went with a 52 quart cooler, as it will allow me to have room for larger grain bills when I want to brew up big beers.
For the conversion pieces, I consider myself lucky. I'm a plumber and all I had to do was rummage through my box of leftover parts to find what I needed.
The list of parts is as follows:
Quantity Item
2 1/2" x 1 1/2" brass nipple
1 1/2" brass ball valve
3 stainless steel washer with a 7/8" inside diameter
1 1/2" brass 90 degree elbow
1 1/2" barb x 1/2" male thread adapter
1 small piece of rubber gasket material (available at Ace hardware)
1 roll of teflon tape
For the false bottom I used:
Quantity Item
4 1/2" copper 90 degree elbow
1 1/2" copper street 45 degree elbow
1 1/2" copper female adapter
3 1/2" copper tee
80 1/2" 1/2" copper pipe
You can ignore the other items in the next picture, I was going to make the standard stainless steel braid screen but changed my mind part way through and made a type of false bottom that I will describe a bit further down.
# 2 remove the nut from inside the cooler
This nut will unscrew fairly easily and allow you to remove the drain valve from the base of the cooler. When you do that, save this washer as you need to reuse it.
# 3 make the internal section of the assembly.
Screw one of the brass nipples into the copper female adapter. Slide a stainless washer against the cup of the adapter and then reinstall the black washer you saved when you unscrewed the cooler drain valve.
# 4 attach the ball valve
For this step, pass the assembly you made in step 3 through the cooler from the inside and stack the remaining stainless steel washers on the outside of the nipple. Then tighten the ball valve onto the nipple. It should look like this:
Now you need to test it before you do anything else. Fill the cooler with warm/hot water and let it sit for 15 minutes, checking for leaks every once in a while. If you have a leak, try to tighten it up a bit and see if that helps. I ended up having to cut some washers out of gasket material and install it between the washers to take up some space. Now it looks like this:
# 5 make and install the external section
For the outside I wanted to point my drain down, as it keeps my tubing from kinking and it also allows me to just put my pot directly under the drain valve and dump into the pot.
You will need the other brass nipple, the brass elbow, and the brass barb adapter.
It wouldn't hurt to test again right now either.
# 6 make the false bottom for inside the cooler
I made mine out of copper pipe because it is something I have in my garage. This will not be something you need to solder together, as you need to be able to take it apart to clean it.
The parts I used are listed above, and the pipe lengths are cut as follows:
Quantity Item
4 8 5/8" pieces 2 for the top, 2 for the bottom
2 9 1/4" pieces 1 for the far right, 1 for the center
2 4 3/8" pieces both for the left side
1 18 5/8" piece this will run from the left side to the
female adapter you used in step 3
Once assembled it will look like this:
Inside the cooler, it will slip under the internal assemble made in step 3, and the long pipe will slip right into the female adapter. It is a snug but not tight fit in the base of the cooler.
# 7 drill holes in the bottom of the pipes to allow for drainage of the wort.
Remove the entire assembly from the mash tun and flip it over. You want to drill small holes in the bottom of the pipe only, I used a 5/32" drill bit. Don't drill the tops of the pipes and don't drill the long piece at all. By drilling the bottom only, suction causes almost all of the wort to be pulled out. I tested it and was left with less than 1/4" in the bottom of the cooler.
Once you are satisfied with the drilling, go over the holes with some fine sandpaper to make sure there are no burs and then wash everything off to make sure all the debris is gone.
OK, if you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me! The pictures made this one a longer feeling blog, but I hope it was helpful to you.
I went with a 52 quart cooler, as it will allow me to have room for larger grain bills when I want to brew up big beers.
For the conversion pieces, I consider myself lucky. I'm a plumber and all I had to do was rummage through my box of leftover parts to find what I needed.
The list of parts is as follows:
Quantity Item
2 1/2" x 1 1/2" brass nipple
1 1/2" brass ball valve
3 stainless steel washer with a 7/8" inside diameter
1 1/2" brass 90 degree elbow
1 1/2" barb x 1/2" male thread adapter
1 small piece of rubber gasket material (available at Ace hardware)
1 roll of teflon tape
For the false bottom I used:
Quantity Item
4 1/2" copper 90 degree elbow
1 1/2" copper street 45 degree elbow
1 1/2" copper female adapter
3 1/2" copper tee
80 1/2" 1/2" copper pipe
You can ignore the other items in the next picture, I was going to make the standard stainless steel braid screen but changed my mind part way through and made a type of false bottom that I will describe a bit further down.
# 2 remove the nut from inside the cooler
This nut will unscrew fairly easily and allow you to remove the drain valve from the base of the cooler. When you do that, save this washer as you need to reuse it.
# 3 make the internal section of the assembly.
Screw one of the brass nipples into the copper female adapter. Slide a stainless washer against the cup of the adapter and then reinstall the black washer you saved when you unscrewed the cooler drain valve.
# 4 attach the ball valve
For this step, pass the assembly you made in step 3 through the cooler from the inside and stack the remaining stainless steel washers on the outside of the nipple. Then tighten the ball valve onto the nipple. It should look like this:
Now you need to test it before you do anything else. Fill the cooler with warm/hot water and let it sit for 15 minutes, checking for leaks every once in a while. If you have a leak, try to tighten it up a bit and see if that helps. I ended up having to cut some washers out of gasket material and install it between the washers to take up some space. Now it looks like this:
# 5 make and install the external section
For the outside I wanted to point my drain down, as it keeps my tubing from kinking and it also allows me to just put my pot directly under the drain valve and dump into the pot.
You will need the other brass nipple, the brass elbow, and the brass barb adapter.
# 6 make the false bottom for inside the cooler
I made mine out of copper pipe because it is something I have in my garage. This will not be something you need to solder together, as you need to be able to take it apart to clean it.
The parts I used are listed above, and the pipe lengths are cut as follows:
Quantity Item
4 8 5/8" pieces 2 for the top, 2 for the bottom
2 9 1/4" pieces 1 for the far right, 1 for the center
2 4 3/8" pieces both for the left side
1 18 5/8" piece this will run from the left side to the
female adapter you used in step 3
Once assembled it will look like this:
# 7 drill holes in the bottom of the pipes to allow for drainage of the wort.
Remove the entire assembly from the mash tun and flip it over. You want to drill small holes in the bottom of the pipe only, I used a 5/32" drill bit. Don't drill the tops of the pipes and don't drill the long piece at all. By drilling the bottom only, suction causes almost all of the wort to be pulled out. I tested it and was left with less than 1/4" in the bottom of the cooler.
Once you are satisfied with the drilling, go over the holes with some fine sandpaper to make sure there are no burs and then wash everything off to make sure all the debris is gone.
OK, if you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me! The pictures made this one a longer feeling blog, but I hope it was helpful to you.
