Introduction
Well, it comes up from time to time, "How do I attach a valve to a cooler?", "How could I add a thermometer to my cooler?", "Can I avoid welding of couplings to my keg?" All these things can be done, and as a brewer, you have 2 choices: Get the pre-made fitting and pay a bit more, or build it yourself and possibly save some money. A well known line of weldless/cooler fittings is Zymico's, but other places like MoreBeer also sell them.
In this page, you'll find explanations and links to pictures of some of these fittings, to help you decide on wether "to buy or to build".
Kewler Kitz
One of the first things you'll want to do if you ever get a Gott cooler is replace the plastic valve by a proper bronze or stainless steel ball valve.
Part of Zymico's line of products, the Kewler Kitz is a quick and dirty way of making that change. It can be purchased from the usual suspects, but with a bit of imagination, you can probably come up with all the parts you need to build one.
Alan has a nice picture of the Kewler Kitz in his album on Bodensatz.
Kewler Thermothingy
If, like me, you use a Rubbermaid "Gott" cooler as a mash tun or hot liquor tank, I'm sure you'll agree that being able to read the temperature without opening the lid would be convenient.
Also part of Zymico's line of products, the Kewler Thermothingy is the perfect addition to a Rubbermaid "Gott" cooler.
See Pat's Album Section on the Kewler Thermothingy
RIMS Chamber
One nice solution to avoid water additions for step mashes is using a RIMS (Recirculation Infusion Mash System) Chamber. This is basically a piece of pipe with an internal element into which the mash is recirculated. With proper monitoring of the output temperature, step mashes are possible without extra water additions.
As a side effect, since the mash is recirculated, it should be crystal clear at sparge time. On the downside, scorching of the wort is possible if proper care is not taken when adjusting the temperature and recirculating the mash.
See Pat's Album Section on his WillyWarmer RIMS Chamber
Counter Flow Chiller
Chilling 5 or 10 gallons of wort as quickly as possible can be problematic. Using a wort chiller is the solution. An immersion chiller is a bit slower but easier to sanitize, whereas a couter flow chiller will cool the wort down very quickly but cause bigger sanitation issues.
A counter flow chiller can be built relatively easily and cheaply with standard plumbing parts from your favorite hardware store.
Mainly, you'll need 25ft of 5/8" OD and 25ft of 3/8" OD flexible copper tubing. The rest of the parts can be seen in Pat's Album Section on his Chilly Willy. There are other types of fittings that should work there as well.
When inserting the inner tube into the outer, roll them both out completely and make them absolutely as straight as you can. The slightest bend will be amplified over the length of the tube and make it very
difficult to get it in there. To do over I would grease the outside of the inner tube with vaseline or some such.
You should use a pipe bender (big spring flared on one end) to help bend the tube. Be careful not to kink it or you'll end up with a Hill Billy Chilly Willy ;-)
Last Updated Sunday, January 05 2003 @ 09:51 AM EST 
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