Sorry my minister know's me too well. At even the hint of such a suggestion I would get- 'so what else do you really want it for, and what else are you buying for your hobbies while you are there!
Just to follow up. I used my electric jigsaw to enlarge the slits. in hindsight, should have used this in the first place instead of the hacksaw. Also added a hole in each corner.
When starting the lauter, kept the ball valve about 1/3 open, then to 2/3 after a few litres had been recirculated. No more stuck flows.