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My figuring on most of the hobbies into which I venture that some folks adopt as a profession (home remodeling, car repair, welding, tree felling, and yes, brewing) is that the pros have a reason for selecting the equipment that they do. This has the advantage of setting me up to do some fairly serious and precise work (well, maybe the cutting torch, chain saw and sawzall don't do precise work, but they make up for it in the serious category). It has the disadvantage of popping pretty major holes in the bank account. I figure that brewers use false bottoms for a fairly straightforward reason: They work better. Not to slight the manifold, but once you've settled on a lauter tun that you'll be using for a good while, you may be better off completing it with professional-level equipment.

I just built a mash tun based largely on this design. Great article, and very helpful for the novice!
Just one question though. I couldn't lay my hands on the same kind of PVC tubing used in Barry's set up. Mine is a little thicker (it has an extra layer of PVC on the outside) and won't fit in the copper T-joint. To connect the hose, therefore, I trimmed the last half inch of this outside layer away. It now fits quite snugly but, as Barry says, not so snugly that it couldn't easily be knocked out during a mash. Thing is, I don't have any 10mm copper pipe to widen the tube from the inside and would prefer not to have to buy a full length of it only to use a small piece. Does anybody know if there are any suitable ½ inch hose to copper joint connectors available?

I just saw your post now. How did I miss it?

Glad the item was useful to you. I can't answer your question about the connector 100%, but I'm pretty sure I saw something that stepped from 10mm to half inch, in which case the 10mm end might slip inside your hose while a short length of 1/2 inch pipe would allow this reducer to be attached to the manifold. I'd say go to your local hardware and browse, as you might just spot something. I think I made six visits to hardwares before I got everything I needed, including one trip to Ireland to get a washer <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->

Turns out I was able to clip a bit of 10mm copper off my immersion chiller without any ill effects. Mash tun finished and ready to go! Cheers for the help

I'm having trouble finding reinforced PVC tubing. I'm considering just using a copper connection instead. Has anyone successfully used an alternative?

Qualpex will do the trick. It's available in most hardware stores.