This is the interior of a cooler I rarely use:
Wouldn’t that hump cause a large patch a dead space that wouldn’t get a lot of water rinsed through it?
It IS blue at least. 8)
It’ll work fine and a little hump won’t hurt you.
If you’re batch sparging, the shape of the tun doesn’t really matter, because you’re not really rinsing as you would if you fly sparged.
Looks like the outlet is a little higher than the bottom of the cooler so you’ll have some deadspace there. That can be overcome by tilting the cooler when nearing the end of the lauter. Good to the last drop. 8)
Assuming batch sparging, the hump will be absolutely no problem
I would tilt the cooler like Ron suggests. Just stick something of the appropriate size under the back end before you begin your runoff. I use a small ceramic flower pot set upside down.
Great! I’ve been kinda disappointed in my first mash tun. It was the only thing I really didn’t put much thought into. I purchased a pre-made 5 gallon igloo with false bottom but its just too small for larger gravity beers. I’ll keep using it for now but will probably end up switching to the larger cooler in a few months.
Local homebrew shop sells a mash tun the make out of a similar cooler (it’s blue 
). They just used some elbows on the inside of the drain valve so the slotted tubes they use for a screen sit on the bottom.
It should be criminal to sell 5 gallon mash tuns, unless they are sold as mini-mash tuns.
I’m in the other camp. I don’t like it. Buy a Coleman Extreme and there’s no problems. And no wheels either.
That’s what she said? :o
Well, the only reason I was considering it is because I wouldn’t have to buy it, but I would have to build the manifold.
If I were to buy something I would probably get a 10 gallon cylindrical so I can re-use the false bottom I have. ( Igloo 10-Gallon Seat Top Water Jug with Cup Dispenser - Orange - Walmart.com )
I’m just pissed at myself for not researching this better.
;D
Don’t go nuts with the ‘manifold’ mine has a length of vinyl tube stuck through the drain hole with a ss braid (ala denny) attached to the inside end with a hose clamp. works like a champ.
My first mash tun was the classic .5" copper manifold. To go through the cooler I removed the valve and stuck a mini-keg bung in the hole from the inside and ran a piece of plastic tubing through the bung. I used a squeeze clamp for the valve.
It doesn’t have to complicated.
Now I have a 1/4 turn valve and use a stainless braid.
Paul
A wise man once said, “If you find that you are digging yourself into a hole, the important thing is to stop digging.”
The multiple problems you are having with the 5 gallon round igloo will likely persist with the 10 gallon round igloo regardless of the manifold you use (braid, bazooka screen, PVC or copper pipe, Phalse Bottom, etc.). Trust me, I’ve used the 10 gallon round cooler and have made the switch to the rectangular cooler. I’ve “stopped digging.” I’m not going back to the Igloo cooler–it is enjoying its second life as a cooler for water and lemonade at picnics and dispensing gatorade in the dugout at baseball games. The Igloo cooler is very good for that.
The problem comes from grain bed compaction. The round igloos are only 12 inches wide max while 18-24 inches tall. There would be a lot less compaction of the grain bed if your cooler were 18-24 inches wide and the grain bed were only 8-12 inches high–like a rectangular cooler. Cut your losses–don’t buy a larger round cooler just because of the false bottom you have. Get a good 82 qt (20.5 gallon) rectangular Coleman cooler (or bigger) that is “self-draining”, i.e., spigot is very low in the cooler and has no hump. and buy or make a manifold.
my last mash was a mash in a bag. i used a 5 gallon igloo. i had not had a chance to put my braid in it yet. i just through everything in a grain bag (i have used it for boil in bag before) and i only do 2 gallon batches so this was plenty big. then after the mash i just drained it through the regular spigot, the grain bag kept everything inside and it was easy to lift out and clean.
this is how I started all grain, except with a bottling bucket and lots of blankets, comforters. works great!
it worked very well. the only thing i may do different next time is put a tube in with a separate valve. it was kind of hard to direct the flow into the kettle through the spigot without splashing on the side of the cabinets. (which are white) fortunately i got it cleaned up before swmbo saw.
I do agree that a rectangular cooler of around 20 gallons would be the way to go-easy 10 gallon batches and big beers. However, I disagree with the analysis of the round cooler. Mine is rubbermaid and is almost 13 inches wide, it is 18 inches tall and 10 gallons. At 15 pounds of grain and 6 gallons of water it hits the 8 gallon mark with the 4 gallons I collected from this the grain bed went to the 4 gallon mark. This is just under 8 inches deep which includes the domed false bottom. This grain bed depth has never given me a flow/compaction issue. This is certainly a deeper grain bed than a wider/longer rectangular 20 gallon cooler would provide. But it has never given me any problems and I have no complaints other than I wish it could hold more. It is a small-medium beer 10 gallon batch maker at best. My next purchase will be a 20 gallon(at least but probably 25 gallon) rectangular cooler but I will cotinue to enjoy my round 10 gallon one as well. But most important is that the size of the cooler needs to related to the batch sizes of your beer. Holding temperature and a deep enough grain bed for efficient rinsing/filtering are important.
[quote]It is a small-medium beer 10 gallon batch maker at best.
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I couldn’t have said it better.
Have you tried high-gravity brewing with the 10 gallon round Rubbermaid cooler?
If your goal is 10 gallon batches with OG’s >1.080, then you’re talking 25 lbs or more of grain in a 10 gallon cooler. Then you will have the problems I’m talking about.
In the final analysis, I don’t want my equipment restricting my options when it comes to the styles and recipes I brew. A large rectangular mash tun allows me to do step infusions, stir, and lauter quickly all types of beer styles from small to large gravities, including those with significant % of wheat. A round cooler does not.
I couldn’t have said it better.
Have you tried high-gravity brewing with the 10 gallon round Rubbermaid cooler?
If your goal is 10 gallon batches with OG’s >1.080, then you’re talking 25 lbs or more of grain in a 10 gallon cooler. Then you will have the problems I’m talking about.
In the final analysis, I don’t want my equipment restricting my options when it comes to the styles and recipes I brew. A large rectangular mash tun allows me to do step infusions, stir, and lauter quickly all types of beer styles from small to large gravities, including those with significant % of wheat. A round cooler does not.
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Yeah, I call it doing 2 mashes ;) I don’t recommend it for more than even 20 lbs of grain as efficiency takes a good dive for me. When I bought it I thought great for 5 gallons and can do 10 if I want in future. Silly me. But yeah limited types of ten gallons for sure. I have a 15 gallon stainless that I currently use for bigger beers >1.08 but want that 104 qt big boy rectangular cooler, love the simplicity.
If I were upgrading from the 5, I wouldn’t stop at 10. Get at least 15gallons so you have the option of doing 10g batches. (Even then, a 15G mash tun will really only do 10G of 7.5% beer.)