# Hooking Up Ball Valve To Techni-ice Esky



## WarmBeer (14/4/10)

Guys,

I'm looking to buy one of the following 40lt Techni-ice for use as my mash tun. I figure if it's rated to keep ice cold for 10+ days, it'll do a pretty good job at maintaining my mash temperature.







It comes pre-drilled with a bung that can be replaced with a 25mm tap adapter to fit my current ball valve, but I can't work out how I am going to connect my Beer Belly false bottom to the "inner" side of the tap






One of my mates has one of these, and he says the outlet leading to the bung is angled to make draining the esky easier (see below) but this means I won't be able to use a long piece of SS thread through the adapter, as it would run into the bottom of the esky






Does anybody who's got one of these esky's have any ideas or inspiration for getting a proper seal?

Cheers, and apologies for my rubbish drawing skillz


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## redbeard (14/4/10)

You could get some termite mesh & cut it to fit the bottom, so then you dont need to plumb inside the esky. Also put a handle on it, so u can lift it out to clean it.


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## Fourstar (14/4/10)

WarmBeer said:


> Does anybody who's got one of these esky's have any ideas or inspiration for getting a proper seal?
> Cheers, and apologies for my rubbish drawing skillz



Fents is the man to ask. :icon_cheers:


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## Cocko (14/4/10)

It should come with its own bung/drain which you can utilise easy..

I have a similar Big Chilli brand, eski as a mash tun and managed to use the built in drain with a cheap thread set of adapters from bunnings!

Looked like:

View attachment 37247


fitted inside:




Manifold fitted:




And from the outside [best shot i have]





They give you a thread use it!

Or yeah, ask Fents!


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## Cocko (14/4/10)

God I love the old girl!


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## clarkey7 (14/4/10)

Warmbeer,

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=3637

Get one of these and you just cut a small piece of plastic out of the hole, screw this bulkhead straight through (the thread is long enough and it seals perfectly without having to screw on the nut on the inside, then you screw a barb straight into it.

Connect false bottom with food-grade hose.

Here's mine. 100L version. Note Beerbelly false bottom looks a bit small in this puppy!






PB


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## Cocko (14/4/10)

Pocket Beers said:


> View attachment 37255
> 
> 
> PB




PB,

A 'Floating' thermometer is a straight up awesome idea!

Well done!!

Cheers

:icon_cheers:


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## clarkey7 (14/4/10)

Cocko said:


> PB,
> 
> A 'Floating' thermometer is a straight up awesome idea!
> 
> ...


Yeah, I didn't want to drill a hole in such a thing of beauty either....Plus - I'm crap with tools.

PB


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## Cocko (14/4/10)

I hear ya, drilling the hole for mine was like preforming brain surgery.. not that I have... well on another person anyway! :blink: 

But the other advantage would be, leaving your tun open to smaller batches yeah?

I mounted mine at a height that will only really work with 50L or more batches.. not that that is a drama for me but it limits my desire to knock out an experimental batch!

Genius I reckon.

\m/


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## planner (15/4/10)

WarmBeer said:


> Does anybody who's got one of these esky's have any ideas or inspiration for getting a proper seal?



Warmbeer 

I can't help with ideas or inspiration for a proper seal, but I can confirm (based on my TechniIce) that your drawing is incorrect. The drain hole on my 150l esky sits square in the wall, maybe 15mm off the floor. I know this because I have to tip it over to fully drain it.

The manifold solution offered by Cocko would work fine in mine, not that its likely to be used as a tun.

Aside: as an esky they are fantastic, last xmas 40-45deg, 7 days and still cold beer.


Planner


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## zebba (15/4/10)

planner said:


> Warmbeer
> 
> I can't help with ideas or inspiration for a proper seal, but I can confirm (based on my TechniIce) that your drawing is incorrect. The drain hole on my 150l esky sits square in the wall, maybe 15mm off the floor. I know this because I have to tip it over to fully drain it.
> 
> ...


I've got the 40l that WarmBeer is planning on getting and the drain is definitely recessed, similar to PocketBeers post below. I think looking at his pics though that his recess is larger than mine. I'll TRY to remember to get some measurements tonight.

I haven't got mine setup as a mashtun just yet, but I'm planning on getting a mate who's a SS fabricator to arrange a false bottom for me that will leave zero deadspace. I just gotta get off my ring and make it all happen...


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## WarmBeer (15/4/10)

planner said:


> Warmbeer
> 
> I can't help with ideas or inspiration for a proper seal, but I can confirm (based on my TechniIce) that your drawing is incorrect. The drain hole on my 150l esky sits square in the wall, maybe 15mm off the floor. I know this because I have to tip it over to fully drain it.
> 
> ...



I'm looking to buy the 40 litre jobbie, as I usually brew 16 - 23 litre batches. I could look at buying the 60lt esky instead, but then my grain bed depth is going to be pretty low.

A mate of mine has the exact esky I'm planning to buy, and on the 40 litre esky's he's confirmed the drain is sunk into the base. I guess it's just a difference in the manufacturing process based on the size of the mold.

Edit: Zebba's mad keen typing skillz beat me to it. Damn you!


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## Steve (15/4/10)

planner said:


> Warmbeer
> 
> I can't help with ideas or inspiration for a proper seal, but I can confirm (based on my TechniIce) that your drawing is incorrect. The drain hole on my 150l esky sits square in the wall, maybe 15mm off the floor. I know this because I have to tip it over to fully drain it.
> 
> ...



Agree. Peteoz77 has one and his outlet is on the side. You'll be right. Great eskys for a mashtun.
Cheers
Steve


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## stew.w (15/4/10)

i got a big chilli esky and to connect my manidold i screwed 1"x1/2" nipple into the bung. put the 1/2" ball valve on the other end of the nipple.
ive got a 3/4" copper manifold and i just slot the outlet of it into the inside of the 1"x1/2" which is a reasonable tight fit.
the inside dia. of the 1" nipple is almost the same as the outside dia. of the copper pipe
it doesnt need to be water tight anyway just the same or a smaller gap than the slots cut in your pipe.
ill post a pic when i get home if you want.
what size is the outlet on the beer belly falsie??
also makes it a lot easier to get out and clean as it just slides out.

cheers,

stewart


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## dgilks (15/4/10)

I've got the 40L with a Beer Belly falsie. It does work but it was a pain to set up as the bunghole is set very low which makes getting the seal on the inside very difficult. If you are using the Beer Belly bulkhead kit you will need to get them to send you a sheet of silicone so you can cut your own seals as well as picking up some bigger washers. The other issue was that the surface wasn't smooth (it had a couple of bumps on it) so you may need to smooth those out to get a seal.


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## WarmBeer (15/4/10)

Sounds like I might need to get myself down there and have a look at one of these esky's.

I'll check out the 60 lt version as well, see if the bung is situated any differently.

Cheers guys


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## glaab (15/4/10)

A BB bulkhead won't fit in a 60L tech-ice. I got a 1"-1/2" reducing bush and screwed a barb to it from the inside then a 1/2" nipple to the outside for the valve. I had to remove the plastic grille thingy with a scalpel 1st. It does hold the heat well :icon_chickcheers:


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## WarmBeer (15/4/10)

glaab said:


> A BB bulkhead won't fit in a 60L tech-ice. I got a 1"-1/2" reducing bush and screwed a barb to it from the inside then a 1/2" nipple to the outside for the valve. I had to remove the plastic grille thingy with a scalpel 1st. It does hold the heat well :icon_chickcheers:
> 
> View attachment 37258
> 
> View attachment 37259


That looks pretty do-able, Glaab, and I especially like the tap setup you've got.

What's the white, shaped, plastic poking into the esky in the bottom photo? Is that the reducing bush that you had a go at with a stanley knife? I reckon I could get something like that going. I'm not a handyman, but not a total tool-tard, either.


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## glaab (15/4/10)

that's the female part of the bunghole, I haven't touched that it's how it arrived. IIRC I head to grind the 
hex shape part[which you put the spanner on] of the barb so it was nearly round so I could fit it 1st, with pliers/ multi-grips then screw the whole assembly in from the outside. The hex part of the barb was slightly too big to go through from the outside and I couldn't get a socket or anything on it from the inside. I couldn't work out any other way to do it short of making a new hole, there isn't much clearance on the inside but that worked out well.

edit; the reducing bush is SS, it's on the far right in the first pic and has a 1/2'' nipple in it to fit the tap to


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## Fents (15/4/10)

seriously i think the easiest with these esky's is to bypass the bung hole and get your drill on, especially if you plan to use a BB Bulkhead. I've seen it done both ways and imo the drill is the go.

For anyone in Melb, when i did mine i made Dave from Greensborough HBS get some Stainless All thread in (which he still has some i think, im still yet to get some), that coupled with some stainless washers (if you can find them) and some silicone baking tray washers and some nuts and you should be good to go.


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## WarmBeer (15/4/10)

Fents said:


> seriously i think the easiest with these esky's is to bypass the bung hole and get your drill on, especially if you plan to use a BB Bulkhead. I've seen it done both ways and imo the drill is the go.


The reason I like the bung-hole (tee-hee-hee :lol: ) idea is that it leaves the esky pretty much intact for use as an... esky.

For another 5-er, I can pick up another bung, and use this baby to keep my homebrew cold at picnics/fishing-trips/concert-recitals/wakes/etc...


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## glaab (15/4/10)

I thought of doing that but this way did less damage to the esky and was cheaper than a BB doodad. [which I had anyway, it came with the FB kit but I've used on a small esky for partials etc] Plus I wanted the tap on that end of the esky [relative to the way the lid opens] so it would've been off-centre.

edit, slow typer, was replying to fents post#20 of course


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## Fents (15/4/10)

it will still work as an esky either way.


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## Fourstar (15/4/10)

WarmBeer said:


> For another 5-er, I can pick up another bung, and use this baby to keep my homebrew cold at picnics/fishing-trips/concert-recitals/wakes/etc...




You forgot to add case swaps!


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## glaab (15/4/10)

you won't need another bung


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## WarmBeer (15/4/10)

Fourstar said:


> You forgot to add case swaps!


I don't need to bring my own beer to case swaps. I drink yours instead :icon_cheers:


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## beerDingo (15/4/10)

I've got the 70Litre version. This is not square, it is much wider, and not as deep front-to-back. I just went to Bunnings, and got a bunch of thingy-mabobs. I've then got a little bit of copper in the end of the beerBelly tubing, which then slides into one of the bits of plastic that is sorta screwed into the bung hole. If I'm careful not to pull the falsie out while stiring, it is all fine. It has come out probably 3 times in 1.5 years. One time at a case-swap, and everyone saw me put on my pink washing up gloves, and then get someone to use glad-wrap up my arm to stop hot wort seeping in while re-connecting.

I've been meening to fix it properly, but it has been fine since then.

One of my mates, on the forum, but don't know his handle (and he's away for the next month), just took his esky into a Reece or something, and told them what he wanted to do, and they then found all the bits for him to get a nice seal out of the bung. I've seens Fents, which is pretty good, but I'd go the way that my other mate did, and just take it somewhere and get them to give you all the bits. It is easliy taken apart and used as an esky again without having things sticcking out that can be knocked off by drunk friends.

I was gonna get his receipt and just buy the same parts, to make my one 100% reliable. When he gets back, I'll try and post the details.


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## WarmBeer (15/4/10)

beerDingo said:


> ...I just went to Bunnings, and got a bunch of thingy-mabobs. I've then got a little bit of copper in the end of the beerBelly tubing, which then slides into one of the bits of plastic that is sorta screwed into the bung hole...



Thanks BD; concise, to the point, unambiguous, and totally non-rambling.


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## glaab (15/4/10)

WarmBeer said:


> Thanks BD; concise, to the point, unambiguous, and totally non-rambling.



you gotta expect some drunken ramblings at a HB website :icon_drunk:


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## Darkman (16/4/10)

I have the 60l version and just bought the following. 
1x 25mm-20mm Male -female reducer
1x 20mm-15mm Male-male reducer. (round off the hex part with a grinder) 

Screw both reducers together(20mm Male and Female end) cut the plastic mesh out of the esky then screw the reducers into the esky. I use a braided hose so my setup is slightly different but I'm sure it's not that hard to make your setup work from here. You can now screw any 20mm tap into the esky.


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## beerDingo (16/4/10)

HAHA, no probs!

Was just highlighting that you can pretty much throw anything together.



WarmBeer said:


> Thanks BD; concise, to the point, unambiguous, and totally non-rambling.


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## beerDingo (16/4/10)

I was at work , and not even drunk... Just my normal rambling crap!



glaab said:


> you gotta expect some drunken ramblings at a HB website :icon_drunk:


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## balconybrewer (9/7/10)

so how are people finding these technice's with the BB false bottoms??? any one experimented between a BB FB or a braided / copper manifold. i just purchased the 40l version and tossing up between the 2 solutions............

any advice appreciated, especially from the BB FB users are i ave used slotted copper with braid for a couple of years now with good results.

cheers

(also any pics of the 40lt with a BB FB would be appreciated)


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## WarmBeer (9/7/10)

Sorry mate, been meaning to update this thread for a while.

I ended up buying the 40 lt Techni-Ice, and the BeerBelly false bottom. I didn't want to damage the esky, so found the appropriate parts for the plumbing at the Big Green Shed (tm). It basically involves a brass threaded reducing bush (1 inch OD, 0.5 inch ID if I remember correctly) to fit the inner diameter of the bung-hole, and a brass barb-tail screwed into the back end of that bush. The pieces aren't designed to fit together that way, but with brass being a little soft it didn't take much to convince them  A piece of 1/2 inch all-thread then comes out the front of the reducing bush, and ball valve goes onto that.

I will try to remember to take a photo, plus an exploded view of all the parts, this weekend.

As a mash tun, it is fantastic! I got about a half to one degree temperature loss over a 90 minute period with my last mash. And it was a pretty cold night that night, too.


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## balconybrewer (9/7/10)

how about effeciency using the BB FB, much better than the braid / manifold option??


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## WarmBeer (9/7/10)

balconybrewer said:


> how about effeciency using the BB FB, much better than the braid / manifold option??


Much better than BIASIAE (Brew In A Sheet In An Esky), which is what I was doing prior to getting the plumbing bits together. 

I got ~65% eff into the fermenter on my last brew. Still trying to work some of the kinks out. Didn't hit my mash-out temp, and only did a single batch sparge. If I can get it up to a consistent 70% I'll be happy. 

Don't know how some of these guys are getting their claimed 85%+ efficiency, unless they're either measuring eff into the boil, or they're really bad at maths!


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## balconybrewer (9/7/10)

mmmmmmmm, currently get 78-79% into the fermentor consitently with my dodgy manifold system, might just reuse it unless anyone else can comment on the BB FB results in these setups????

cheers


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## WarmBeer (9/7/10)

balconybrewer said:


> mmmmmmmm, currently get 78-79% into the fermentor consitently with my dodgy manifold system, might just reuse it unless anyone else can comment on the BB FB results in these setups????
> 
> cheers


What formula are you using to calculate % eff? 

I'm a little lazy, so rather than pull out the calculator, I let BeerSmith work out my actual efficiency once I get my cube full of wort into the fermenter, then base my next brew's efficiency on that figure.


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## WarmBeer (9/7/10)

:icon_offtopic: One thing I just thought of, I get losses out of the mash tun of about 1 - 1.5 lt due to the way the BB false bottom sits in the base of the tun. With the way the drainage tube works on the BB false, you're always going to lose a bit, as it has to work against gravity a little bit. 

I also lose a litre and a bit to the kettle, as I don't want to suck up too much hop and break after I whirlpool.

Adding these 2 volumes together (~2.5 lt total) and divide it by my current batch size (16 lt cube from a FWK), explains why I'm not getting to my 70% eff. If I were targetting a 23lt batch, these 2 "constant" volumes would consistute a smaller relative loss, hence a higher % efficiency into the fermenter.

Amazing what you can figure out on a Friday afternoon when you're bored and looking for excuses not to work. :icon_cheers:

[Edit: Clarification]


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## seemax (9/7/10)

The small batches are working against us.

How did we not realise the efficiency anomaly before - I blame your collection of funky belgians and toucans!!!


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## WarmBeer (16/7/10)

WarmBeer said:


> Sorry mate, been meaning to update this thread for a while.
> 
> I ended up buying the 40 lt Techni-Ice, and the BeerBelly false bottom. I didn't want to damage the esky, so found the appropriate parts for the plumbing at the Big Green Shed (tm). It basically involves a brass threaded reducing bush (1 inch OD, 0.5 inch ID if I remember correctly) to fit the inner diameter of the bung-hole, and a brass barb-tail screwed into the back end of that bush. The pieces aren't designed to fit together that way, but with brass being a little soft it didn't take much to convince them  A piece of 1/2 inch all-thread then comes out the front of the reducing bush, and ball valve goes onto that.
> 
> ...


Ok, my sieve-brain finally remembered to take a photo of my mash tun tap setup for anybody interested in buying a Techni-Ice








1/2" brass barb tail. I just use a 3" length of silicone hose to attach to my false bottom inside the tun. Use a hose clamp to secure it if you're a little too vigourous with stirring your mash
1" to 1/2" brass reducing bush. You need to force the barb tail into the back end of the bush, as the thread doesn't go all the way through. Brass is soft enough that it will start it's own threading
1/2" BCP adapter
Standard 1/2" one piece ball valve
1/2" BCP to male camlock. Wanted male BCP to male camlock, but were out of stock, so added the adapter in the middle.

The assembled pieces:





Next time I brew I'll try to remember to take a shot of it hanging out the front of the Techni-Ice, and show how the false bottom connects on the inside.


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## zebba (16/7/10)

What happened to the sexy 3 piece ball valves you bought?


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## WarmBeer (16/7/10)

Zebba said:


> What happened to the sexy 3 piece ball valves you bought?


That's on the kettle, rather than the mash tun.

Better to have the more-easily cleanable ball valve on the post-boil side of wort transfer. 

Doesn't really matter if the mash-tun "out" gets a bit manky, as it's all going to get an hour boil anyway (I do rinse it clean, just can't take it apart to really get in there).


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## SpillsMostOfIt (16/7/10)

You know you're a homebrewer when...




WarmBeer said:


> Doesn't really matter if the mash-tun "out" gets a bit manky...


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## WarmBeer (16/7/10)

SpillsMostOfIt said:


> You know you're a homebrewer when...


Cross posting, eh? Allow me a cross-post of my own in retort...



Zebba said:


> Quiet you. This thread is for the people with the guts to share their beers...


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## SpillsMostOfIt (16/7/10)

WarmBeer said:


> Cross posting, eh? Allow me a cross-post of my own in retort...



Young people these days...


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## Weizguy (26/4/15)

I have been studying my mash tun and the parts I can get, as stainless steel rather than brass, and would like some feedback on this setup.

from L to R:

1" male to 1/2" female reducer bushing, Straight External Threaded Pipe Nipple 1/2" BSP, 1/2" s/s/ ball valve (I have one already, and this is only for demonstration), 1/2" Male Thread Pipe Fitting x Barb Hose Tail Connector




I plan a 6 leg copper manifold in the 80 litre Techni-Ice esky and I'll connect the manifold to the internal threaded pipe with a piece of silicone hose, and no barb. Thoughts?


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## Tahoose (26/4/15)

Fair bit of conversation here also

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/69594-false-bottom-ideas-for-100l-techniice-esky/?fromsearch=1

Other than that sounds fine


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## Weizguy (27/4/15)

Tahoose said:


> Fair bit of conversation here also
> 
> http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/69594-false-bottom-ideas-for-100l-techniice-esky/?fromsearch=1
> 
> Other than that sounds fine


Thanks, guy. I read that in my research. Time to start buying some copper and stainless soon, then. Unlikely to be using the mash vessel very soon, as my brew area is still under a couple of feet of water. Will post pix later in the Brew Cave thread, or elsewhere


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## stux (27/4/15)

Les the Weizguy said:


> I have been studying my mash tun and the parts I can get, as stainless steel rather than brass, and would like some feedback on this setup.
> 
> from L to R:
> 
> ...


Should work if the reducing bush is internally threaded all the way through. No one could confirm this when I was shopping round. This is where the malleability of brass comes in, I was easily able to force my barb/nipple as deep into the fitting as I wanted, where as I might've had trouble with an SS bush. 

Please let me/us know how it goes


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## Adr_0 (28/4/15)

My esky mash tun - in an effort to get 0 deadspace - had a very low sitting draw off point and I did some filling/patching with Knead It Aqua. Unfortunately it didn't stick to the poly very well, so while it was fairly solid I got some leaking between the foam and the skin.

I still wanted to minimise deadspace, so a stainless nut in the side would sit too high, while one in the bottom would also be too high (800mL of deadspace) and would be awkward for the manifold.

So, thought I would solder a stainless washer to a 2.5" length of threaded pipe, then slip my copper manifold in. I haven't measured the deadspace, but it's a tablespoon or two - maybe. It of course goes through a 22mm hole (spade bit) that has been lined thoroughly with Silastic 732.

Photos:







The manifold is 1/2" copper and just slips nicely into the 1/2" pipe.

The catch - if this is one - is that it comes out of the bottom of the mash tun. I have a shelving unit as a brew sculpture, so a 44mm holesaw and tenon saw did the trick. Those with stainless benches may struggle a bit, but those with frames should be fine.


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## Weizguy (28/4/15)

In the picture above, the reducing bush is not threaded right through, but where the thread stops the internal diameter increases, so it's not relevant as far as I can see.

Was also thinking of maybe this option:



Again, intending to use a silicone hose fitted in the back of the 1" - 1/2" reducer nipple. Better? Cheaper? Prob not significantly cheaper, as the copper is the major cost (~$40, with bends and T junctions).

Used a full 3m coil for this, so far.


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## Weizguy (28/4/15)

Adr_0 said:


> The catch - if this is one - is that it comes out of the bottom of the mash tun. I have a shelving unit as a brew sculpture, so a 44mm holesaw and tenon saw did the trick. Those with stainless benches may struggle a bit, but those with frames should be fine.


Not too bad if you have a shelving unit with mesh grille shelves.


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## Cocko (28/4/15)

Adr_0 said:


> The manifold is 1/2" copper and just slips nicely into the 1/2" pipe.
> 
> The catch - if this is one - is that it comes out of the bottom of the mash tun. I have a shelving unit as a brew sculpture, so a 44mm holesaw and tenon saw did the trick. Those with stainless benches may struggle a bit, but those with frames should be fine.



That is killer!

Any pics from below? and the rest of the sealing etc?


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## Adr_0 (29/4/15)

Cocko said:


> That is killer!
> 
> Any pics from below? and the rest of the sealing etc?


The 22mm hole is fairly tight on the 1/2" threaded pipe, but it's just coated with silicone, pushed in around the foam and between foam/lining as much as possible. Going very gently with the spade bit reduces the chances of chunks being taken out of the foam and poly.

The seal on the inside between the stainless washer and the poly lining is a silicone washer, not an o-ring - much better to use a washer in this application as it's not as high and has a wider sealing face.

The outside doesn't have a seal, just another SS washer:



And hooked up with a thread to compression fitting adapter, so it can be disconnected for removal:


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## Weizguy (3/5/15)

I have ordered the above parts, in lieu of brewing (seeing that it's hard to brew with a foot of water in the brew room, and probably more than a little unclean too).

Here's the almost final configuration for the manifold Need another T, as I chopped it unnecessarily (I realise).


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## Weizguy (3/5/15)

I also ordered the Female to Female 1"-1/2"reducing bush, just in case, with only one barb, in case I want to try that option.
Always good to have options.Still need to drain-slot the manifold, but it's gonna be a few weeks before I'm likely to be able to brew with it anyway.


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