Making A Mash tun

[DreamWeaver]

I need some input on my Mash Tun design. I have been putting together some AG equipment and am going to use an old 48Qt rectangular Gott Cooler for a mash tun. I have already put together a 1/2" copper tubing manifold and about 1/3 of the way through cutting the slots. I have noticed that as the manifold lays on the bottom of the cooler, it sits about 1-1/2" below the drain hole where I was going to route the tubing into a bulkhead and out through the 1" cooler wall, into a 1/2" ball valve using gravity. This has me wondering if the bulkhead hole being an inch or so higher than the manifold, if there is going to be too much sweet liquor left behind that won't go up the slight incline from the manifold to the bulkhead? Anyone use this method that can give advise? I have seen many other similar designs on the web but would like some "hands on" info. Thanks in advance! -DRWeaver-

[Stodbrew]

I used to have a mash tun pretty much exactly like that. Never had a problem with it at all. IMO, the sweet wort that is left at the end of the sparge is probably something you don't want in the kettle anyway because the gravity is too low and you will start leaching tannins out of the grain.

[DreamWeaver]

Thanks for the reply! I was sure someone else used this setup. The only other concern I have is the grain bed depth in such a large cooler (48qt) for a 5 gallon batch. I may make some sort of divider to make the grain bed smaller yet deeper. Or... do larger batches. This may not even be an issue. Back to the hacksaw. I wish I had gotten soft copper instead of rigid. I've got hacksaw elbow! :D
-DRWeaver-

[Stodbrew]

Yeah, that is a lot of space for only a five gal. batch. When I got my 48 qt. cooler, I started doing ten gallon batches. I made my mash tun about 10 years ago, and my elbow still hurts! :D

[kevin]

I'm been looking into this ag stuff and was wondering how do you get the wort to flow thru the manifold. Do you start it by sucking on the other end of the tube?

[Tweek]

In home brew setups people usually use gravity to let the wort runoff. I suppose you could suck it out, though it tends to be pretty warm :)

[Jughead]

...how do you get the wort to flow thru the manifold. Do you start it by sucking on the other end of the tube?

I pour water into the tube until it is full, then put my thumb over the end of the tube, lower the end of the tube into the pot that I will be boiling in, remove the thumb and let gravity do the rest. The trick is to get your mash tun a little higher than the pot.

Would an autosiphon work for this?

[kevin]

Originally posted by Tweek
though it tends to be pretty warm :)

Thats what I thought, I was thinking you'd need to eye it an as soon as it was almost to the end you would need to get it into the boil pot.

[Stodbrew]

Originally posted by kevin
I'm been looking into this ag stuff and was wondering how do you get the wort to flow thru the manifold. Do you start it by sucking on the other end of the tube?


If you have it on something higher than the brew kettle, all you need to do is open the valve at the bottom of the mash tun and gravity will do the job for you.

[BucksBrew]

I made a manifold for my 10 gallon Gott Cooler. I sawed one piece of pipe and said the heck with this, there has to be an easier way.

I broke out the saws all with a metal cutting blade, locked my pipe into the vice and cut it like butter!

If you don't have one of these maybe a jig saw would work too.

You have to hold the saw steady while you cut to keep it neat, but you get the jist of it after a couple of cuts.


As far as the Manifold connection. I have a threaded 3/4'' hose coupling that connects to a barbed 3/4'' to 3/8'' hose connector. The hose runs from the fitting into my Bulkhead adapter I bought from someplace in Ca. that fits the Gott Coolers. Gravity just pushes the wort out. I'llbe back with a location for the Bulkhead adapter supplier.