Is there such a thing as a long tank connector?

[JammyBStard]

My new Igloo marine arrived today. I thought it had a drain hole pre drilled but it turns out not, so I need to drill through the wall of the cooler.
Its excellent quality the insulation is over an inch thick but it means I cant get a standard 1/2" Tank connector through and get the nut on. I assumed there would be a longer version available but i cant find one anywhere. any help please.

[landy813]

Would this do instead of a tank connector, product number 7786 from http://www.bes.co.uk/

[jmc]

With a thick wall you may have problems getting a good seal and stopping wort seeming into insulation.

To get a better seal, maybe best bet is to just connect to the inner wall.

Clearly you may need to cut a larger diameter hole in the outer skin, and remove some insulation to allow the fitting to reach the inner wall.

There are lots of posts on this is you do a search.

ATB John

[alix101]

Yes you can get them I got mine from ukpumpsupplies.co.uk they are on holiday at the moment so the site is down , there is a, chance I might have once left over from my build, I will check and let you know.

[JammyBStard]

Yes you can get them I got mine from ukpumpsupplies.co.uk they are on holiday at the moment so the site is down , there is a, chance I might have once left over from my build, I will check and let you know.

If you do Alix that would be great. PM me if you find it. I'll be very grateful.

Re connecting to the inner wall, That's my fall back option but I'd like to keep the structure as intact as possible if I can.

[JammyBStard]

Would this do instead of a tank connector, product number 7786 from http://www.bes.co.uk/

That does look like it might work with the two flanges

It would be nice if they told you how long the extended thread was though.

[JammyBStard]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220865819170? ... 1423.l2649
Now this could work:

If I can get a pair of Flanged back-nuts onto this it'd do the trick.
I'm a bit confused by this table at the bottom of the listing though:

Can anyone explain to me what this means? will the pipe take 3/4" Back nuts?

[mentaldental]

Yes it will take 3/4" backnuts.

It will do the job, especially if you solder one of the nuts into place which will seal the thread. Otherwise sealant should do the job.

[fordpopular]

As JMC Said, may be better to connect to the inner wall only, It will be difficult to tighten the nut without pulling the 2 walls together and possibly cracking one of them as the insulation will be squashed

[JammyBStard]

that's a dilemma. my last Mash tun was a cheap supermarket 24L job that had really loose insulation and it did break down quite badly when i fitted the connector. The igloo though seems really dense and solid. I hadnt thought it would be a problem. my gut says it'll be fine, but I might go and have another good look at it.

[jmc]

that's a dilemma. my last Mash tun was a cheap supermarket 24L job that had really loose insulation and it did break down quite badly when i fitted the connector. The igloo though seems really dense and solid. I hadnt thought it would be a problem. my gut says it'll be fine, but I might go and have another good look at it.

I'd be suprised if the insulation between layers didn't compress quite a bit when using 3/4 metal nuts either side.
I think Coleman mash insulation is similar to polyurethane expanding foam and walls aren't that thick.

If you do go this route I'd recommend some sealant, or liquid ptfe / ptfe tape along thread to stop wort soaking past 1st skin into the insulation.

Good luck

[Martin G]

If you fix to the inner skin, you can repair the slightly larger hole in the insulation and outer skin with a tiny squirt of expanding foam and a large washer.

[JammyBStard]

I'll report back!

[JammyBStard]

Big thanks Alix, tank connector you sent has worked a treat! Can't thank you enough. I seem to have a good seal with out over tightening. It's passed the water test anyway!

I've gone for a Braid/Slotted pipe hybrid

15mm copper pipe.
22mm Stainless Steel braided hose.
Stainless Steel jubilee clips.
Various 15mm pipe fittings



The copper pipe has holes drilled along the bottom, it’s then sleeved with the braid hose which is compresses quite rigid and clamped in place by the jubilee clips and the pipes then capped.





What do you think? for Batching I think it's got all the benefit of the braided hose plus it can't collapse under the grain and it drains down to about 5mm from the bottom because the holes in the pipe are the highest uptake point.

[Fil]

fantastic job..whats the capacity of that beast?? i want one!!!. if you do get any leaks with the long tank connector try using silicone baking sheet to cut out soft washers from being soft you should be able to make a good seal with finger tightning alone.

save the drilled pipe for a sparge arm.. you can get just as good a result using off cuts of pipe an inch or 3 long butted up against each other inside the braid

my tun has the innerwall solution with a standard tank connector, when not supported, opening or closing the valve results in the whole assembly moving and flexing the innerwall .. not ideal,, being anchored to both walls yours should be more stable...