I have a 5 gal igloo cooler I want to convert into a mash tun and need to make or get a manifold or false bottom... Which would be better??? And I have been looking into building a manifold...I have a 9in diameter base to my cooler...Now if I build one myself it will most likely be a rectangle... Do I have to make sure it is a certain distance away from the walls of the cooler or could I just fit the biggest rectangle possible for the size of the base?

John Palmer has some info on this. How about a triangular configuration? Might take some work and soldering but I think it would be Ideal for the shape.

Refer to Palmer's "How to Brew" for details on manifold design. Design has an impact of flow and John covers it.

Fred

Stainless braid.

I plan to use Stainless braid with a 'T' inside the cooler.

Where can I get one of these stainless braid manifolds??? Don't you want to cover as much surface area as possible though, to get an even flow through the grains?

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Converting_a_cooler_to_a_mash_tun


This is it for now.... I might step up to a manifold or false bottom later on, but I need somthing cheap and fast...

mines 5/8 " copper tube i shaped it to fit the bottom ring in a sankey keg and i drilled 1/32 " holes in it like 2 billion of them.

stainless braid, its the way to go man. home depot, like $10. and its way easy.

SS hose braid (for plumbing)is the way to go. Cheap at home depot or lowes, but you have to cut the ends off and "Chinese finger cuffs" the braid off the tubing. You could even buy the 30 in. and a copper T and make a circle manifold for your cooler (but Denny would tell you it wouldn't matter )

first question: are you planning to fly or batch sparge? if the latter, definitely go with the braid. if the former, you probably do need to get a false bottom or make a manifold. braid will likely channel and hurt your efficiency.

search "batch sparge" on this site for a full discussion of all relevant factors.

Well said again Sweetloaf, I have been impressed by your posts as of late. You summed it all up.

Not that my opinion means much but just wanted to say that yours seems to, to me at least.

CLB

FWIW... I have had the same braid for going on 3 years, I don't have any kind of slotted copper piping inserted into the braid to re-enforce it.
I have never had a stuck run off and have had plenty of 33 pound grain bills mashing on it.
My C&E system consistently puts out 82% efff. the highest was 87%

My figures are about Identical to Gregs. Hose braid and batch sparge.

CLB

Contrary to the implications, braid works fine for fly sparging...you just need to use a different configuration of it than you would for batch sparging, which uses a less complicated setup.

Yeah I just finished building my mine with a SS braid... Pretty pumped!

I asked the same question recently on Northern Brewer and received similar replies as you did here. I thought of a design which may be too hard, maybe not of creating multiple outlets (as discussed by Palmer) and the simplicity of a SS braid. It would basically be a copper tube attached to a mash tun spigot which splits 3-4 times, has SS braid for tubing which connect and end on the other side of the tun. See crude diagram, C is copper S is SS and X is crimp.

SSSSSSSSS
CCCSS SSSS
C S
CCCCCCCSSSSSSSSSSSX S
C S
CCCSS SSSS
SSSSSSSSS

My Phil's Grill is working well, so no changes for me, but when it dies I think I may try this.

just saw your compliment, clb. thank you kindly.

bovine, did you just flip off everyone at TB?

Dang it!! Well ignore the diagram above, apparently this text system did not recognize my spaces. If I ever make the darn thing, I will post links to real pictures.

I apologize if I offended anyone here at TB.

ROFLOL, I thought the same thing Brewboy posted... I thought I was being given the bird...

The diagram alone is worth looking at this post.

hows it going josh? have you brewed on your new system yet?

Not yet.. SOON.. when you starting at the coop!

monday is my first day!

Hell yeah.... Get that grain crusher up so I can get my stuff from you....

totally. it is one of the first things on my list. i also have some grains to crush so that is a big priority. along with getting the website up again. i'm also considering trying to get a club together that will meet once a month, also trying to eventually organize a competition. another one of my eventual goals is to become BJCP certified. things are getting exciting!