Looking to build a Copper Manifold...

[Pure Rock Brewer]

... for my cooler mash tun. it is a 50qt rectangular cooler.
just seeing if anyone has any suggestions or pictures of one
they have already made that they would share.

i've been using a bazooka screen but i haven't been hitting my OG to well so I'm looking to go for the manifold.

if there is a forum thread for this already can someone point me in the right direction. thanks!

[siwelwerd]

First, you might play with your crush and mashing regimen first, as they play a bigger role in your efficiency. But if you're still set on a new manifold, here's where I got my info for when I built mine: http://brewtech.blogspot.com/2008/06/co ... ooler.html

I oriented mine so that the long pieces were running parallel to the flow direction of the outlet (this would theoretically minimize some channelling if I fly sparged). Also, I cut slots in mine with a dremel instead of drilling holes like his. And finally, I think I spaced mine a little better (once again, would only make a difference, and I don't know how much, in fly sparging)--you want to minimize the distance from any point in the mash tun to the manifold, so if your long pieces are spaced d apart, you want d/2 between the cooler wall and the end piece.

[FreakBrothers]

I use a design that is similar to the previous post but it's in the shape of a 4 pronged fork.

I used 1/2" copper pipe for the tubing and used a hacksaw to cut the grooves into the pipe. To go through the cooler wall I used a female connector on the inside then screw the ball valve right into the copper manifold inside like a "weldless" kit. Just take your time and get all of the pieces to the right size before soldering them together and you'll be good to go.

Cheers

[Pure Rock Brewer]

thanks for all the input! i'm going to put something together this weekend hopefully. i'll post pictures once i have it finalized.
cheers

[linuxelf]

Mine is very similar to Drew's.

[Bugeater]

I built one like the one in the picture a few years ago. It worked great but now I use a braid. One suggestion however, don't solder it together. Just push the pieces together. This way you can take it apart to clean. Chunks of husk and other junk will get inside. By taking it apart you can run a small brush down the inside to get it clean quickly.

Wayne

[Pure Rock Brewer]

hey bug. i was thinking of not soldering the pipes together. it seemed like it would be tough to clean.
would you use a pbw solution to clean the copper each time?
thanks!

[siwelwerd]

would you use a pbw solution to clean the copper each time?

I just disassemble and rinse it off with water well each time. Every 5-10 brews I'll fill the mash tun with PBW and give them a good soak. Seeing as this is on the pre-boil side of things, you don't have to be so anal about cleaning.