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Author Topic: Mash tun frustration  (Read 22442 times)

Offline EHall

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #15 on: June 27, 2012, 08:52:08 pm »
the title sounds like a euphamism...

sometimes tightening the nut down will have the opposite effect, you said it leaked more once it was tightened... so go back and loosen it up a bit and try it.
Phoenix, AZ

Offline kgs

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #16 on: June 27, 2012, 09:22:38 pm »
+1 on backing up the nut a little. however, I have that cooler, and this parts setup (originally in a 2-gallon MT, then moved to a 5-gallon -- same outlet size) has never leaked, not once:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kgs/sets/72157615665837325/

If 3-gallon batches suit your lifestyle, enjoy it. I want to move up to a 9-gallon Coleman Xtreme so I don't have to sparge, but I'm in no rush. Brewing smaller batches is easier and faster all around for me -- setup, mash, boil, cool, etc. I have a larger kettle and a propane burner, but it introduced overhead and complications. Brew the way you want to brew. You can always move up later--if you want to.
K.G. Schneider
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Offline erockrph

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #17 on: June 27, 2012, 09:50:01 pm »
+1 on backing up the nut a little. however, I have that cooler, and this parts setup (originally in a 2-gallon MT, then moved to a 5-gallon -- same outlet size) has never leaked, not once:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kgs/sets/72157615665837325/

If 3-gallon batches suit your lifestyle, enjoy it. I want to move up to a 9-gallon Coleman Xtreme so I don't have to sparge, but I'm in no rush. Brewing smaller batches is easier and faster all around for me -- setup, mash, boil, cool, etc. I have a larger kettle and a propane burner, but it introduced overhead and complications. Brew the way you want to brew. You can always move up later--if you want to.

Thanks for the info. The garden hose O-ring and washer set may be just the missing piece I need to get this to work. The best part is - I think I already have this set lying around the house. Will have to try this out tomorrow night.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #18 on: June 28, 2012, 08:34:08 am »
I have that cooler, and this parts setup (originally in a 2-gallon MT, then moved to a 5-gallon -- same outlet size)

How much loss do you have with this cooler set up?  In my rare spare moments, I'm converting a similar 5 gallon cooler (yes, someday I'll go larger perhaps) and I'm not too keen on how high the valve sits on the inside.  I'm thinking I may bend a piece of copper tubing to get the pick-up down to the bottom of the cooler.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline kgs

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #19 on: June 28, 2012, 10:10:42 am »
I have that cooler, and this parts setup (originally in a 2-gallon MT, then moved to a 5-gallon -- same outlet size)

How much loss do you have with this cooler set up?  In my rare spare moments, I'm converting a similar 5 gallon cooler (yes, someday I'll go larger perhaps) and I'm not too keen on how high the valve sits on the inside.  I'm thinking I may bend a piece of copper tubing to get the pick-up down to the bottom of the cooler.

Very little. I don't know why, but I can measure the loss in driblets. Maybe it's that the fluid is suspended in all that wet grain -- it's not sitting in the bottom, it's in suspension. Just a guess.
 
K.G. Schneider
AHA Member

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #20 on: June 28, 2012, 10:12:10 am »
I have that cooler, and this parts setup (originally in a 2-gallon MT, then moved to a 5-gallon -- same outlet size)

How much loss do you have with this cooler set up?  In my rare spare moments, I'm converting a similar 5 gallon cooler (yes, someday I'll go larger perhaps) and I'm not too keen on how high the valve sits on the inside.  I'm thinking I may bend a piece of copper tubing to get the pick-up down to the bottom of the cooler.

Very little. I don't know why, but I can measure the loss in driblets. Maybe it's that the fluid is suspended in all that wet grain -- it's not sitting in the bottom, it's in suspension. Just a guess.

Sounds like maybe I need to stop worrying and relax.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline kgs

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #21 on: June 28, 2012, 10:21:03 am »
I have that cooler, and this parts setup (originally in a 2-gallon MT, then moved to a 5-gallon -- same outlet size)

How much loss do you have with this cooler set up?  In my rare spare moments, I'm converting a similar 5 gallon cooler (yes, someday I'll go larger perhaps) and I'm not too keen on how high the valve sits on the inside.  I'm thinking I may bend a piece of copper tubing to get the pick-up down to the bottom of the cooler.

Very little. I don't know why, but I can measure the loss in driblets. Maybe it's that the fluid is suspended in all that wet grain -- it's not sitting in the bottom, it's in suspension. Just a guess.

Sounds like maybe I need to stop worrying and relax.

It's a half-hour project, 25 minutes of which is spent cutting off the ends of of the plumbing supply line and patiently teasing out the plastic tubing. You can also buy those supply lines ready-made (I was able to talk a Home Depot guy into cutting the ends off for me after I bought the hose, which helped a lot). Assuming you know how to wrap teflon tape and assemble threaded parts, you should be fine.
K.G. Schneider
AHA Member

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #22 on: June 28, 2012, 10:54:51 am »
Oh, I've already got it assembled.  I just don't like how high it sits and was going to tear it down and rebuild it with a lowered pick-up tube.

Perhaps I should brew with it once or twice before I tweak it...
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline davidgzach

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #23 on: June 28, 2012, 12:01:32 pm »
The JB Weld product looks promising. I use aquarium silicone that is food safe. It does an ok job.

Try it!  You'll like it!   ;)

Dave
Dave Zach

Offline erockrph

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Re: Mash tun frustration
« Reply #24 on: June 28, 2012, 09:02:12 pm »
Thanks for the help everybody. The hose washers, plus a longer nipple, ended up doing the trick. I let it sit with 2 gallons of water for 45 minutes or so without even a hint of dampness.

All-grain here I come!  ;D
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer

Offline kgs

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Mash tun frustration
« Reply #25 on: June 28, 2012, 09:23:15 pm »
Woohoo! You will love it. Making beer by any means is satisfying, but there's something special about helping malted barley become beer.
K.G. Schneider
AHA Member