[astrivian]

I have a 10 gallon cooler i use for camping and i want to use it as a mash tun without destroying it. I was reading some stuff online but i was wondering something. I was thinking of using a light diffuser (aka eggcrate, the white plastic things you see under florescent lights) covered with window screen. Would that work you think?

[tschmidlin]

I think you'd have better luck just pushing a tube through the outlet hole, and size it so it is a really tight fit.  Put a valve on the end so it doesn't drain while you're mashing, and add a stainless hose braid on the inside, just like Denny does.  It works for lots of people.

[bluesman]

I agree with Tom.

Here's Denny's design which works like a charm.

http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

[morticaixavier]

I took it one step further (or less far perhaps)

I forced the plastic tube through the drain hole and made sure it had a snug fit. this involved a lot of sqeezeing of the hose and to get it through and then heating the hose up with hot water and streching it until it came back into shape. I attached the braid to the inside end fo the hose and was done.

I don't have a valve so I just fold the outside end over and clip it with a clothes pin and/or put it in the handle of the cooler so it's above the liquid level. 

[tschmidlin]

I forced the plastic tube through the drain hole and made sure it had a snug fit. this involved a lot of sqeezeing of the hose and to get it through and then heating the hose up with hot water and streching it until it came back into shape.

Yes, this is what I was trying to describe but not having done it I didn't have the description.

[morticaixavier]

I forced the plastic tube through the drain hole and made sure it had a snug fit. this involved a lot of sqeezeing of the hose and to get it through and then heating the hose up with hot water and streching it until it came back into shape.

Yes, this is what I was trying to describe but not having done it I didn't have the description.

you did an good job describing it, i was more refering to the valve. I have not found the need for one, Although I did lose about a quart of strike water this last brew cause it fell down. That's when I instituted the clothes pin.

[tschmidlin]

The clothes pin is strong enough to pinch it shut, or you use it to make sure the hose doesn't fall down from the handle?

[morticaixavier]

The clothes pin is strong enough to pinch it shut, or you use it to make sure the hose doesn't fall down from the handle?

it seems to be strong enough if you fold the end over and use the clothes pin to keep it folded. Probably one of those big black binder clips would be better, then you could clip it to the handle of the cooler. but the clothes pin was at hand.

[astrivian]

I checked some of the pictures and this looks doable. How do you make sure the water doesn't leak out through the hole? Just jamming the plastic hose in there works?

[morticaixavier]

If the OD of the tubing is very slightly larger than the ID on the drain hole you get a tight seal. you might have to experiment a little though.

[tubercle]

starsan is a good lube for plastic tube.