Trying to convert a 60 Gal Ice Cube. This is the one with the drain about 1-1/2" from the bottom & at a 45Degree angle. The wheel axel connects both wheels creating a hump on the inside.
Will Denny’s braid work on this? Or will there be about 2-3" of wort left in the Tun.
Hey Realbeerguy!
I don’t know about Denny’s braid, but I tried a couple of “braid-like” ideas and decided they wouldn’t work. I “created” a bottom-resting drain manifold from CPVC. I then used a couple of angled CPVC couplings to hook into the manifold into the drain itself (equipped with a 1/2" stainless steel fitting going into a 1/2" CPVC coupling.
The design leaves about 2 cups of water behind when doing “dry runs”. Cost of the CPVS manifold was less than $10!
Sorry I can’t describe it better. PM me and, I’ll be happy to send a picture of the inside of the cooler once I get my carboys off the top of it tomorrow after bottling! 
Best,
Eivind
I also use a CPVC manifold in my 60-quart Igloo, but I think a braid could work, too. The key is to establish a good siphon when you collect your wort. Here’s a picture of how my manifold is configured. The manifold has slots cut into the CPVC that rests on the bottom. I cut them with a hacksaw, and they’re about 1/2" apart.
With that configuration, if you wanted to use a braid, I think you would be better off cutting a new hole near the bottom.
Shouldn’t need to cut a new hole. As long as you have the two elbows (in the picture above), you could just attach a braid instead of the manifold shown. Both (manifold or braid) should work equally for batch sparging and leave you about the same amount of deadspace.
I bought a mash tun off craig’s list with that same cooler. It has a bazooka T instead of the manifold or braid and works well.
There is a lot of dead space in this Ice Cube. I bought one as a MLT and I since have reverted it back to a cooler.
I have used this cooler with a braid for awhile now. It hold heat well.
I do tip it. The handle makes it pretty easy to tip even is you are solo sparging. Mine sits on a sawhorse table that I attached a 2X4 cleat to so it won’t roll off. It works great.
That manifold is a slick build though.
+1 The elbows do the job if you establish a good siphon when collecting your wort. You could also use a piece of flexible tubing run directly through the cooler’s drain, or through a drilled stopper something like Mullerbrau did with his: http://www.mullerbrau.com/PICT0434.JPG His isn’t a 60-quart, but the idea and the physics are the same.
Here’s the same manifold configured with just a few different parts in my 28-quart Rubbermaid that I use for smaller batches. It’s sort of like having MLT “Legos.” ;)
Agree 100% . . and not wishing to state the obvious for the folks who know the intricacies of siphoning, but in order for the siphon to work, the point were the wort exits the hose (either into the BK or into a pump) must be lower in elevation than the lowest pickup point of the manifold . . the lower the better, otherwise siphoning is either very inefficient, or non-existent!
FWIW, A good manifold or braid design will work fine with a pump, too.
