[euge]

"Shaking arms" that is precious! I can fully concur. Ask me some time about when I tried to deadlift 14 gallons of hot wort from the floor to the stove.

It's easy to forget that we're not just all burly bearded homebrewers out there. 

[nateo]

It's easy to forget that we're not just all burly bearded homebrewers out there. 

Well I may be bearded and burly, but . . . wait, what was the other thing?

[weithman5]

It's easy to forget that we're not just all burly bearded homebrewers out there. 

Well I may be bearded and burly, but . . . wait, what was the other thing?

it had something to do with, with, um something.

KGS
I think a system like that described would be what you are looking for.  if i were not that bearded and burly, well actually i am not, cuz i have to shave, i would add a pump to my system.  i really liked the electric kettle, and the small size ( i used 1500w rather than 2000) made it even simpler to build and use. i did not need to build the complex control system.  i plug it in and watch the temp climb to strike temp.  during the boil it is not so robust that i need to tone it down but more than adequate to boil 3-4 gallons.   the kettle was way easier to build than i could have imagined.  i dump the water from the kettle in to my mash tun which is a 5g igloo using a big pitcher.  my grain is in a bag so i can just lift it out and rinse the cooler clean when i am finished.  i then let it drain back in to the kettle and plug it back in.

[kgs]

Grain in a bag in the cooler - brilliant! i too use a 5gal cooler and this would be a $4 sewing project. I agree the control panel appears optional (for my purposes).

this is getting far afield of the original post, but as I begin planning this equipment one thing I am noticing is that most brew stands are fairly high. The nice thing about building for myself is I can put everything at a comfortable level.

[weithman5]

you can get a good stretchy grain bag for under a buck. it works great. i rinse it out and re use.  if you don't have one readily available i will mail you one. still cheaper than four bucks.  as far as a stand so far i have been boiling on the seat of my picnic table and have the cooler on the table itself. 

[hubie]

Isn't a wort-soaked grain bag pretty heavy to lift?  I know I've seen some articles where people have various setups to lift and/or hang their grain bags over their pot to let them drain.

[weithman5]

yes, however, kgs and i do small batches.  i can lift mine out. i usually use my grain for dog treats,  bread etc.  so often i will scoop some of it out of the grain bag before lifting the bag out. but it certainly makes the clean up of the tun easy.  i also have not had to modify my igloo like i have other coolers as the grain bag is about as effective as my toilet hose and just let it drain out the spigot

[kgs]

yes, however, kgs and i do small batches.  i can lift mine out. i usually use my grain for dog treats,  bread etc.  so often i will scoop some of it out of the grain bag before lifting the bag out. but it certainly makes the clean up of the tun easy.  i also have not had to modify my igloo like i have other coolers as the grain bag is about as effective as my toilet hose and just let it drain out the spigot

Well, mine is a modified cooler but I think the bag would still work, unless I am missing something. The largest grain bills I do are 3/5 of a typical batch. I have to carry the cooler to the garage to empty it (we have city-wide composting so it goes in that bin), but the bag means easy clean-up (yikes, I think I just channeled a Reynolds oven-bag commercial).