Broccoli Box

[achy02]

Hi all,
I know this may sound like a silly question but do you think it would be possible to make a second hand polystyrene broccoli box in a cheap mash tun? I am looking to make the cheapest mash tun possible and these seem well insulated and I can get them real cheap.
aches

 

[peas_and_corn]

You should get them for free, not cheap!

The biggest problem is that though the material is good for insulaiton, you need to be careful cutting into it for taps and whatnot, as it can split very easily.

 

[jayandcath]

Hi all,
I know this may sound like a silly question but do you think it would be possible to make a second hand polystyrene broccoli box in a cheap mash tun? I am looking to make the cheapest mash tun possible and these seem well insulated and I can get them real cheap.
aches

Maybe, But the big thing would be whether it could handle the temps needed (being polystyrene) and I'm not sure how you would mount a tap in it.

Jay

 

[achy02]

You should get them for free, not cheap!

The biggest problem is that though the material is good for insulaiton, you need to be careful cutting into it for taps and whatnot, as it can split very easily.

Yeah when I say cheap it is 3 for $2 at my local chinese takeout. I consider it a donation, they do a mean wonton. I will give it a go and see how much of a mess I can of it. I am thinking of drilling a hole and using a rubber bung with a hole (like the ones you see used in a carboy)

 

[peas_and_corn]

They can certainly hold heat and a certain amount of weight- I put my spent grain into broccoli boxes after the mash because a person my parents know want it for feeding their chickens with. Once I was silly and put the lid on, it was still hot the next morning!

 

[Brewtus]

You might want to re-enforce it, I have some in my garage and I would hate to see the side break when full of hot mash.

 

[RobB]

I'd be worried about how the polystyrene is going to react while it's in contact with your hot, acidic mash. Are you sure it's not going to be leaching foul tasting nasties into your brew?

A certain large, green hardware shop sells 9 litre buckets for 89 cents. These are HDPE which I would feel much happier using. Put a couple of them inside your boxes and stuff the gap with crumpled newspaper. You'll still get the insulation from your boxes but your mash will be in contact with a food grade plastic.

Or you could BIAB and not need a mash tun at all, but that's a 32 page argument which I don't feel like right now..........

 

[GMK]

I would be worried about the compounds taht might be extracted from the polystyrene with teh heat and the PH of the mash.
You could put a food grade / water proof liner in the brocoli box.

 

[trevc]

#6 PS (polystyrene): used in foam "clam-shell"-type containers, meat and bakery trays, and in its rigid form, clear take-out containers, some plastic cutlery and cups. Polystyrene may leach styrene into food it comes into contact with. A recent study in Environmental Health Perspectives concluded that some styrene compounds leaching from food containers are estrogenic (meaning they can disrupt normal hormonal functioning). Styrene is also considered a possible human carcinogen by the World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer.

 

[RobB]

....... I am looking to make the cheapest mash tun possible ...........

Here you go: Link

 

[Swinging Beef]

Here you go: Link

Bucket in a bucket option is way better.
I use Broccoli boxes for worm farms.
The bastards break and break down a lot quicker than you might imagine.

 

[tk75]

Go to the $2 shop/Reject shop and get a bucket there...it's clean and you can be assured no nasties lurking. I wouldn't use a styrene box and I am a fan of doing/making things as cheaply as possible.

 

[Steve]

Go to the $2 shop/Reject shop and get a bucket there...it's clean and you can be assured no nasties lurking. I wouldn't use a styrene box and I am a fan of doing/making things as cheaply as possible.

+1 - yep grab a cheap 25 litre plastic bucket with lid, stick a tap in it, cut long strips of polystyrene from your brocolli box, place them round the outside of your box (from top to bottom) and duct tape the whole thing so no polystyrene is visible. Also cut a round piece of polystyrene for the base of the bucket and duct tape it on. I had one of these when I first started and it was great.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Fourstar]

Depending on how "BIG" you want to mash

you could also go the option of those 'under bed storers'

buy 2 of them, split up the poly and squeeze it between the 'storers' stacked inside of each other.

simply lauter via siphon or drill a hole in the side and make up a bulkhead with a few brass fittings, washers and spacers and you're set..

Alternate to the poly you could use that selly's space invader/nomoregaps. by simply pressing the 2 containers together it will squeeze it all up the sides and make a seal between the 2.

 

[Murcluf]

To get into AGing I bought a 25lt esky set ( came with 6 pack esky and 2lt drink cooler) from Cheap as Chips for $20 and went then went to Spotlight and got a couple of metres of wedding veil material and made 3 or 4 mash bags (Mash bags held 6kg hot wet grain without breaking and they were reusable) total cost for first mash tun setup including themometer was under $40.

Been told broccoli boxes make great temp control boxes for fermenters, but don't know if its true as I have never used one.