Reddit reviews 12" Boil Screen 1/2" NPT Fitting
We found 23 Reddit comments about 12" Boil Screen 1/2" NPT Fitting. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Completely stainless steel12" longEasy to installWill last a lifetime1/2" male NPT thread to fit may brew pots
Looks very nice but I think you could have saved yourself a lot of work and easier cleaning by simply going with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Bazooka-Kettle-Screen-brew-kettle/dp/B003ISY2DC
Check out /r/Homebrewing and just start saving. Even 2 dollars a day with you and a friend and you could be rolling in a couple months.
edit: also start saving glass bottles that require a bottle opener. Those are reusable.
edit2: Things you'll need. Feel free to find similar products.
cooler with spigot
valve(I'm not sure of the size on that igloo)
bazooka screen
bottles(make sure they're brown)
caps
capper
some sort of gas stove. say a propane stove, a turkey fryer, or a kitchen stove.
a large pot
starsan
I'm probably forgetting things.
Mine was super easy to build and has served me for about 4+ years now.
The cooler requires no modification. Simply remove the plastic spigot, and install the new ball valve.
The bazooka screen is a bit longer than the diameter of the cooler. Simply bend the end up slightly and it should fit. The new nipple on the ball valve fits 1/2" ID hoses.
Brew days go pretty smoothly, haven't had a stuck mash yet. Filters well as long as you vorlauf and set the grain bed. My efficiency is around 75% currently, using the Batch sparge method.
I have this - http://www.amazon.com/Bazooka-Screen-brew-kettle-mash/dp/B003ISY2DC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380734556&sr=8-1&keywords=hop+bazooca
I had to fold in the end a little to fit in a 10 gallon cooler conversion. Usually get 80% efficiency with batch sparging and have only had one stuck sparge.
Using two steel kettles like that sounds very expensive. How about an upright cooler with a false bottom? There are kits for converting Igloo-brand coolers in this way, like this.
That being said, if your efficiency is bad with a rectangular plastic cooler and braided hose, I'm not entirely sure that your efficiency will be much better with a different style of MLT. I did find that replacing my braided SS hose with a bazooka screen made things a bit easier since it doesn't get crushed in the grain like my SS braid did.
Stand by:
Ball Valve
False Bottom
10 gallon cooler
False Bottom - Valve adapter
Please shop around. I have no doubt you could get some of this stuff for cheaper. I was restricted in that my only form of currency was Amazon gift cards. Especially the adapter could be built / constructed for much cheaper than I paid.
Additionally, instead of the false bottom / adapter, one could simply employ a Bazooka Screen instead of a false bottom, I have just read that false bottoms are more effective and less prone to problems.
DISCLAIMER - Always do your own research and make sure the parts that you are buying are all compatible and properly sized, etc. etc.
Having said that, the parts I listed above are exactly what I ordered and all fit together perfectly, I just needed to go out and buy a female coupler (to attach the valve to the hose from the false bottom) and a washer (per the included instructions with the valve, which had a additional washer for my configuration).
I failed to mention, you'd want to fit the cooler with either a bazooka tube like this http://www.amazon.com/Bazooka-Kettle-Screen-brew-kettle/dp/B003ISY2DC or a false bottom like this http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-an-awesome-Mash-Tun-Less-than-60-Bucks-False/ I've heard the bazooka tubes can clog so I personally went with the false bottom. It would also be prudent to fit a ball valve on the outside of the cooler to attach a hose for draining into your boil kettle.
Alright! So the sparge arm is this connected to this.
I only had to modify the mash tun a little. I had to put a hole in for the thermocouple probe (bigger hole on the outer wall) and a hole in the lid for the sparge arm. Other than that, i just put my bazooka and associated fittings through the existing spigot hole.
As for capping, yes, plain old hand capper. Hopefully I'll be doing more kegging though and won't be required to do so many bottles.
What is you plan for a mash tun? I went with a 10g Home Depot cooler and something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Weldless-Stainless-Bulkhead-Nipple/dp/B00JHMRH2Q
This is the cooler: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-40-qt-Orange-Water-Cooler-FG1610HDORAN/202260809
You’ll also need a screen or false bottom. I think the screen is a ver economical option https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Bazooka-Screen-Fitting/dp/B003ISY2DC
You sya you don't have the tools to make the mash tun and brew pot. I assemlbe my mash tun, HLT, and brew pot with two 10inch adjustable wrenches, a standard dewalt drill, a carbonate cutting bit, a stepped cutting bit, and some cutting oil. If you have the drill everything else would cost around 50 bucks, then you also gain tools with your equipment. The hardest part is cutting holes in the pot for a thermometer.
Either way to make the Mashtun and MTL you would only need 2 10 inch adjustable wrenches.
Up to you, but here is some all grain kits you could look at:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/10-Gallon-Igloo-Cooler-Mash-Tun-With-False-Bottom-AND-Hot-Liquor-Tank_p_6699.html
https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Cooler-Stainless-Steel-Screen/dp/B013KJKAC0/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1486068034&sr=8-9&keywords=10+gallon+mash+tun
You can make a 10 gallon mash tun for under 100 dollars:
10 Gallon cooler (~$50)
https://www.amazon.com/Igloo-Gallon-Beverage-dispenser-Dispenser/dp/B000F6SHTK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486068151&sr=8-1&keywords=10+gallon+cooler
Ball Valve(~$15)
https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Brewing-Wl301-Stainless-Weldless/dp/B00OC8DXPA/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486068175&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=wedless+ball+valve
Screen (~$8)
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Bazooka-Screen-Fitting/dp/B003ISY2DC/ref=pd_sim_468_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B003ISY2DC&pd_rd_r=45GNPGH763R20241728C&pd_rd_w=MCZcu&pd_rd_wg=n4Wsv&psc=1&refRID=45GNPGH763R20241728C
1/2 female npt fitting(~$5)
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Fitting-Coupling-Female/dp/B003GSKXUU/ref=pd_sim_328_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B003GSKXUU&pd_rd_r=SMJAVJR6CYZ7P9ZBQBQQ&pd_rd_w=h6v7j&pd_rd_wg=eclPX&psc=1&refRID=SMJAVJR6CYZ7P9ZBQBQQ
Total: 78 dollars. You can buy 2 10 inches adjustable wrenches for 20 dollars (https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-90-949-10-Inch-MaxSteel-Adjustable/dp/B000NIDIXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486068379&sr=8-1&keywords=10+inch+adjustable+wrench)
so even having to buy tools its still under 100 dollars to make the Mash tun. The hot liquor tank will be the same price minus the screen, npt fitting, and tools. I personally made mine even cheaper buy using a 5 gallon htl instead of a 10 gallon and that will drop the price 25 more dollars. There is 0 drilling involved you simply unscrew the old plastic tap and put the weld ball valve in its place, it took me less than 10 min to make my new HTL on Monday.
Also, and this is really important to why I say build yourself, any mash tun you buy is going to be put together the same way it just matters whether you put it together or someone else does, either way the quality will be identical.
If you need a sparge arm for fly sparge you can make that out of pvc pipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-jgmgbwvg4
My two cents, even though you don't believe in you. I do, if you feel like saving money you can absolutely make all this stuff yourself and it doesn't require you be good at anything more than thinking like a logical person.
I batch sparge. I bought this cooler: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-70-Quart-Xtreme-Cooler/4807332 and a screen like this: http://www.amazon.com/Bazooka-Screen-brew-kettle-mash/dp/B003ISY2DC
The cooler was on sale and cost me $25. (Looks like they might not be selling it anymore). The screen was about $20. They've lasted me a long time and I can do enormous batches (10 gal batches up to OG 1.080 or so without sugar or extract additions, or any strength 5 gal batches). Efficiency sits around 70%.
For batch sparging, the equipment doesn't seem to matter too much. If you don't grind too fine and are careful with your grain composition (not too much wheat) you won't have sticking problems, and there's no point in being fancy with the manifold since it's a batch sparge.
I am not (yet) qualified to speak on fly sparging. I'm trying to figure out a setup for it but it will take a bit more planning.
This is all I use in my igloo, and it works great:
http://www.amazon.com/Bazooka-Screen-brew-kettle-mash/dp/B003ISY2DC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406924473&sr=8-1&keywords=bazooka+screen
I can vouch for the quality of HomeBrewStuff's products. Their pots are very solid. You can also add the bazooka screen to mash in it as well.
I'm building a new brewing system, and today I built a 10 gallon cooler mashtun using all SS fittings. Having learned from past experiences, I came up with this build, which is just about the simplest way to make a mashtun.
What you'll need:
10 gallon Igloo cooler $41
Bayou Classic 1/2" SS Bulkhead $30
1/2" MTP Bazooka Screen $9
1/2" Male hose barb $8 (you can probably find one of these cheaper at your LHBS, I had one lying around)
Tools: Teflon tape, and a crescent wrench.
Total Cost: $88
So I finally put my mash tun together last weekend. I hit a few small snags that I should have seen ahead of time based on reviews of the spigot I bought!
Items
Total Cost: $76
Time to assemble: 15 minutes +- 5 minutes for testing the seal
Main suggestion - get either a false bottom or one of the short bazooka screens. The long bazooka screen is a pain to work with -- it barely fits in the cooler. I also heard there are spigots you can buy that come with a female connector so you wouldn't have to buy the coupling.
Take a close look at the instructions for the spigot - it spells out how to put it together correctly but the diagram was super confusing to me for some reason.
My primary frustration was that none of my local hardware stores had the coupling so I had to get and wait for it from Amazon. Lame!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003ISY2DC?pc_redir=1409004119&robot_redir=1
I added a Kettle Valve to each of the kettles. I am building a sparge arm out of CPVC that easily connects to the HLT valve. Plan on just connecting a piece of sanitized hose to the valve on the boil tank as needed for moving into fermentation buckets. I also have the screen on the boil tank for helping to remove leftover boil/hop sediment (hopefully this won't plug).
Not sure what your kettle setup it's like but you could consider a bazooka filter. https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Bazooka-Screen-Fitting/dp/B003ISY2DC. They have them at most Homebrew shops.
Looks like the last piece of the puzzle is the mash tun - you need to convert a large cooler (10 gallons is a good size). If you have one with a drinking spout, you can unscrew the spout and install a ball valve. The inside end of the ball valve then attaches to something you use for lautering (filtering the wort out of the mash).
Ball valves are maybe $5 at Lowe's/Home Despot. You need some PTFE tape to seal the threads, and maybe a neoprene washer or two (although you can probably steal those from the existing spout you unscrewed from the cooler).
For filtration, you have a couple options --
I also recommend a thermometer, but honestly I think putting one into the cooler is pointless. Get a digital insta-read version like the thermapen, worth every penny of $100, and you can use it in the mash, on the wort, and while cooking. With a hand-held unit you can take temperature readings at different locations in the mash, and the thermapen probe is about 8 inches long.
This link doesn't work for me for some reason (maybe it's from your mobile?) so here's another link
That's the biggest problem with using the braided stainless steel hose as a false bottom; it has zero structural integrity. I'd recommend buying at least a kettle screen to replace it, though it seems like you've already found a work-around.
I use one too, with similar efficiency. I don't really want higher than mid-70s because that's what recipes are generally built for. Here's one on Amazon for about the same as what it would cost to build a SS braid filter: http://www.amazon.com/Bazooka-Screen-brew-kettle-mash/dp/B003ISY2DC
Plus, it's 1/2" MPT already, so it should thread directly into the bulkhead you attach for your ball valve. Easy peasy.
One thing is that for the 10gal Igloo cooler the 12" are slightly too long. I just bent the last 1-1 1/2" back on itself.
I started with the bazooka screen linked below. I have brewed 12 batches with it and have no intention of "upgrading" to a false bottom. Make sure you select the one that is sold by Arbor Fabricating. For some reason it is only $.50 plus $4.99 shipping right now and it is really well made. I actually just bought a backup when I saw how cheap they are. :)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ISY2DC