Coleman xtreme mashtun conversion

[ColMack]

Has anyone converted a coleman xtreme?  I've just got a 33L one and am wondering how to attach a tap and manifold without drilling.  It has a drainage hole with a rubber stopper. 

[johnrm]

AFAIK there is a threaded ring and rubber gasket on the inside.
Just unscrew it.

[Hop Bomb]

I just yanked it out with a needle nose pliers.

[Hop Bomb]

The remaining hole was a perfect tight fit for the SS weldless ball valve kit I had. I just pushed it in & stuck a rubber ring on the inside for good measure. Ive done 7 or 8 mashes now with no leak.



(I linked my manifold to it with a threaded nipple, some braided hose, copper pipe & SS jubilee clips)

[ColMack]

Thanks, am I right in saying that you fitted threaded pipe through the hole and fitted what you needed onto each side?  The walls are very thick though.
Incidentally Hophead, are the joints on your manifold soldered or just kinked?  My current manifold has brass fittings which doesn't look quite as sexy as the copper ones.  I've read somewhere that the solder is not food grade.

[Hop Bomb]

This is the weldless kit I have.



Its pretty long so should go all the way through your cooler wall. The stainless tube on the interior of the cooler is threaded so you can screw on a nipple to attach some hose.  You could just plumb in a proper fitting but I had the tap kit already so used what I had.

Think I payed 25e for it in HBW. They dont have them on the site though afaik.

I didnt solder. I pushed a tapered piece of metal into the end of each pipe to make sure they were round & to expand them just a touch. They all push together tightly & come apart with a pull for cleaning.

[ColMack]

Thanks for that, I unscrewed the plug very easily and fitted my existing tap, though the hole is larger than what I had on the old mash tun giving a bit of play around the threaded pipe.  When both sides are tightened it seems ok.  Is this how yours is?

[Hop Bomb]

No play on mine. The steel tube at the end of my tap was slightly bigger than the hole in the mash tun so its a good tight fit/seal.

[Jacob]

@Colmc: I'm using converted coleman so can post some pictures if still interested. Got all the parts in B&Q, no drilling needed.

[ColMack]

Yes please Jacob, that would a great help.  I'll be hopefully heading to my local DPL tomorrow.

[Jacob]

Yes please Jacob, that would a great help.  I'll be hopefully heading to my local DPL tomorrow.

[Ciderhead]

sure we all have colemans right
Jacob have you been bathing in yours

[ColMack]

Thanks for all the pictures lads.  My concern remains that the hole is 1 inch in diameter so when fitting my existing 1/2 inch tap there is a lot of hole still left.  Does this matter if I am closing off both ends?  I was thinking of sealing the insulation with some silicone sealant anyway.
I spent a tenner on 3/4 inch fittings on Saturday and they are slightly too big. 
Here's a couple of pictures to show what I mean.

[St. Fursey]

can you pull the sealing gasket off the pluc and fit it onto your threaded coupling and back through the hole? - that worked a treat for me

[Saruman (Reuben Gray)]

Nice job there, A wiki article would be nice