I’ll answer for Denny, since I’ve asked the same thing multiple times. His braid does not crush. I had problems with mine (different model of braid) if I had a large grain bill, so I bought a compression spring at the hardware store to stick in there. The spring quickly migrated into my ball valve, making things unpleasant. I just picked up a bazooka… although in hindsight, I should have just gotten the same braid Denny uses Lasco part no. 10-0121or 10-0321.
Thanks, uber! I’ve used that braid in all the coolers I’ve built. The oldest one has 493 uses and the braid has never come close to collapsing. Sure, it’s dented in a few places but it works fine. I highly recommend that if you’re building a cooler, you use the Lasco braid. I found it at a local home improvement store, but I know Amazon carries it.
Thank you Denny and Uber!!! For now I will probably just use the bazooka screen since I already have it. I tried it with some water and all but a pint drained out. It would be best to use a cooler with the drain hole actually below the level of the bottom of the cooler. I know there are some like that out there but every one I looked at was above the bottom of the cooler.
For those looking at building a mash tun from a rectangular cooler I think the Coleman Extreme is the best. It actually has the drain below the level of the cooler and if you use a SS braid you should (in theory) get every last drop. I paid 16 bucks for mine and I can almost guarantee it wouldn’t keep the mash above 140° overnight.
