Has anyone converted this https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-52-Quart-Xtreme-Cooler/dp/B000G33YWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483547976&sr=8-1&keywords=52+quart+coleman+extreme+cooler cooler to a mash tun? I’ve seen other conversions but not for this one specifically.
Yep, I have one. I used a braid with a bulkhead/valve conversion for years. I recently pulled the braid in favor of one of these - love the results so far.
does the braided hose act as the filter?
Yeah, it does and works pretty well. But since I made the change to the custom cooler bag, there was no need for a braid since the bag is a very fine mesh.
im brewing on a budget and i cant afford the bag too at this point. I see many conversions of the round igloo cooler but not the square 52 quart
Many brewers here use rectangular coolers including Denny (has to be blue for optimum performance, though). They work great. The Extreme hold temp really well, as I’m sure most of the others do.
You need the Cheap’n’Easy system…www.dennybrew.com
that’s what I use. I got mine on sale at Walmart. It works fine, my only complaint is that due to its large size, very low gravity 5 gallon grain bills are spread very thin and lose more temperature during the mash.
Since it’s blue and not red, it will make crummy beer 
In seriousness, this cooler has been used by many and should not disappoint. As for the screen/filter I found a good steal on a stainless steel braided hose made for water heaters. It worked much better and was a lot cheaper than the SS ones made for toilets etc. Don’t be afraid to ask and look around, I think I made my mash tun for $30 including cooler, line and ball valve.
I have that same cooler and have been using it for years with a bulkhead conversion and a stainless steel toilet line braid.
It has worked very well.
Paul
If the OP really wants to save money, he can skip the bulkhead. Not only is my method less expensive, I found it works better than a bulkhead. I used one for a few brews then went back to the bung/valve setup.
You can buy a large shear curtain for less than $10 and just drape it over the sides of the cooler. Gather it together and tie a rope around it to hoist it out to drain the cooler.
How did you do that? So far I can get the cooler for $22, the bulkhead and extra pieces for $30 and then the bazooka screen for $8
I got my cooler, a 44 Qt Coleman, on sale for 18.99, the SS braid (large water heater style) was clearance for $3, and I use a brass ball valve/nipple which was around 5-6 bucks. If you wanted to go all stainless, Check out Bargainfittings.com, they always have super low prices on SS fitting for all sorts of brewing needs, but you’ll have to account for shipping. It was really just a matter of shopping around local hardware and big box stores for deals/coupons etc.
Denny’s system would probably be even cheaper, especially if you don’t want to bother with building a bulkhead style system for a metal ball valve as it’s really not necessary.
I can’t disagree.
I built mine with a bulkhead and have never tried using it with anything else.
The bulkhead can cause the inner liner of the cooler to crack if over tightened. You also may get a very small amount of leakage around the seals that I have never found a permanent way to fix. I’ve never seen more than a teaspoon on any given brew day (I’ve had cars that leak more oil daily than that 
).
All in all it works but isn’t perfect.
Paul
can you show me hat bulkhead and brass parts you used? I have some spare brass parts that I already own and could use.
That’s a great price for that cooler. I have one and love it. I also got a 70qt which I find bigger than most of my needs. The 52 is my go to.
I get much better draining without a bulkhead. I urge you to try it that way first before you spring for a bulkhead
I already have the brass 1/2" ball valve and the brass barb for the outside. So I need the rod (I don’t know what you call it) that goes into the cooler. I need a washer for the outside, a gasket/oring for the inside, and a locking nut for the inside. A friend has a spare coupler and bazooka screen.
For my build on a different Coleman cooler, I ended up buying a piece of PVC pipe, cut it to length, used a dremel to increase the drain hole to fit the pipe, then used food grade silicone to seal either end. My bulkhead grips down on the pipe rather than the crushing insulation. Zero leaks and a nice tight fit for the bulkhead.