I shortened the output hose and was able to do away with those unnecessary things. I do still put the 2x4 under the cooler when I am draining, just to make me feel like I am getting all I can out of there. 
One thing stuck out in the OP - don’t use an aluminum kettle for your wort (though it should be ok for just heating water).
I disagree.
Aluminum is perfectly safe.
But, I do prefer stainless.
Just make sure to “season” your aluminum & don’t scrub off the oxidation layer.
Please explain “seasoning” aluminum. I did my last couple in aluminum. I have to buy a couple new pots and I’ll buy stainless if I can afford it. I know it’s better but price is a factor.
Thanks
Boil water in the pot for an hour and it will leave an oxide layer on the surface of the aluminum. Then just never scrub hard enough in subsequent uses to remove the oxide layer. Stainless is nice, but aluminum is so much cheaper. I use a 10 gallon aluminum pot for my BK. I think I paid 40 bucks for it at an online restaurant supply store. And it is thick and solid. I’m pretty sure I could drop it from the roof of my house and it might dent, but I doubt it.
I’ve purchased my 52 L Coleman Extreme and the braided hose for the washing machine but I couldn’t really find anything that would be a suitable fitting to connect the two and put a valve on the outside. I know I read in another thread what someone did but I can’t find it. So, what parts do you recommend for putting it all together?
Ideally, I’d like to find a piece of threaded tubing that I could put a gasket and washer on both sides and tighten it into the drain hole but all I could find was regular black gas fittings or galvanized. I’d prefer stainless or brass (thoughts?). Pex fittings looked promising but expensive and I’ve never used the stuff. Worse case, I solder some fittings onto a piece of copper tubing but I’m sure there is an easier way.
Thanks
i wouldn’t worry about the threaded end. you will likely lose this getting the stainless braid off the inner hose anyway. then just put the stainless braid on to a fitting with a small hose clamp. put this fitting to a rubber hose with another hose clamp then put this hose in a grommet that goes on the cooler where you have taken out the drain valve.
Or, don’t even remove the drain valve. On the eXtreme, the drain valve is about the perfect size to squeeze a piece of 3/8 clear vinyl tubing through. Push the tubing through the drain hole from the outside and hose clamp the braid to the tubing (I put a short little piece of copper tubing (from an old sink feeder line) into the end of the tubing so I could tighten the clamp as hard as I wanted to without collapsing the tubing, but that’s probably not really necessary). If you want, you can add a little aquarium sealant where the tubing goes through the drain hole but lots of folks report that’s not necessary either. You can then add an inline valve to the tubing outside the cooler or, like I do, just raise the end of the tubing to shut off flow and lower the end when you want to drain.
Cooler is coming along. I over did it as always with brass fittings and a tap and everything, had to get my friend to machine a couple parts for me but he gets paid in beer so its good. I’ll try to put on a picture.
Bought my kettle today. Couldn’t afford stainless. Went with Aluminum so I will have to season it as described above. Does it need to be full or just some water in it? I sort of over did on the pot too. I got a 60 quart pot which I think is 15 gallons (not sure if that is US or Imperial gallons). Either way I have enough for a 10 gal batch when I get up to it.
Someday I hope to stop buying parts and actually make some beer…
You won’t think you overdid it as soon as you brew your first 10 gallon batch.
I’m not sure if you can get away with only filling the pot partway to season it. I filled mine all the way (or within a couple inches of the top) when I seasoned it. If anything, you can test it’s performance on a burner to get that much liquid to a boil. You can also season it in the oven, but I don’t know the details off the top of my head. I believe Palmer covers it in How To Brew, but I don’t have my copy handy since I gave it to my brother to convert him to homebrewing.
Old? Mine is made of metal. Works like a charm.
Do this. Just boil some water, dump and turn upside down to store.
I wipe mine down with a cloth after each use (sometimes days after the fact) rinse and store upside down to keep the vermin out and its ready for the next use. It has a beautiful dark gray patina from years of use. Its not like building a clock or something.