My Coleman Extreme 48qt mash tun is leaking from the seal by the ball valve. It looks to me like the seal is now getting pushed in a bit causing a void that liquid can get through. A few times ago it was a small drip, but now it is a substantially higher volume after I tried to fix it. Anyone had this problem? Any thoughts on a solution? I was thinking maybe a new seal that would fit the inside factory seal, or maybe a seal with a stainless washer on top holding it against the tun wall.
I think that's the right approach. Take the whole thing apart and rebuild with new seals. I use rubber washers and I've never tried SS. It sounds like it wouldn't seal tight enough. Be willing to try both.
I did with my Rubbermaid Tun that I bought from Midwest. Whoever assembled the damn thing put the small o-ring on the inside, and the larger one on the outside. I fixed it by reversing it. I noticed that whoever assembled it also tightened the shit out of it...which isn't necessary. It just needs to be tight enough to seal well on the inside o-ring...as that's the only thing that matters. So, anyway, my advice it to use the largest o-ring you can find that will fit your purpose. This assumes you have a proper bulkhead and whatnot.
I had the same problem with the same model cooler, in fact the seal totally failed on a brew day. I was able to salvage the day with a big, panicked application of plumbers putty. I used stainless washers and a lot of aquarium grade silicone caulk (safer than food grade; fish are very sensitive to water pollutants, easier to find too) to fix things up.
