HACK THIS!! Anova sous vide franken cooler

Anova 900 watt Gen 2 wifi sous vide cooker: amzn.to/2FzZVNh
Rubbermaid 34 quart cooler: amzn.to/2FGQZsv
JB Weld PlasticWeld: amzn.to/2tDt7RK
SAVES a TON of TIME and ENERGY... I modify a Rubbermaid Victory 34-quart (about 8.5 gallon) cooler for use with my Anova Sous Vide immersion cooker. I show you how to modify your own cooler step by step!
If you enjoyed this video and would like to make a small donation, you can buy me a coffee here at www.buymeacoff... Thanks for your support!

[@guidichris]

Great video. A couple of things I discovered. First, there is a 2" PVC repair coupling that does NOT have the ridge. They want $1.50 more for it, but you don't have to grind out the ridge. Second, if you have to buy a hole saw anyway, a 2.75" saw is PERFECT. At least that 's what worked for me. Your actual mileage may vary. Also, there is a 2" plug that just goes in the coupling that just works.

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

Awesome feedback, thanks Chris!

[@massmanute]

John, I took inspiration from your video to hack my sous vide franken cooler. I made a few modifications that worked out great. the first is that I happened to have an old spare cooler (a Coleman of roughly 50 quarts) that had an insulated lid that was shaped a little nicer for this application because the inside surface was flat near the end where I drilled the hole. I think the insulation in the lid might be a little thicker as well. When I installed the 2" inch plumbing fitting I recessed it slightly at the top for reasons I will explain shortly. I found a dedicated slip fit plug that had a flat top. When I ground out the ridge on the inside of the 2" coupling I also enlarged the hole ever so slightly so that I could bottom out the slip fit plug into the coupling, but there was enough friction fit to hold the plug slightly so it wouldn't fall out. It turned out that enlarging the hole in the fitting to that size also make the sous vide device to fit better through the hole. I mentioned that I recessed the 2" fitting slightly when I glued it into the cooler lid. I did this so that when I put the plug into cooler lid then the top of the plug is flush with the top of the cooler lid. That way the top of the cooler is flat when the plug is installed, which is handy for various reasons, such as if I want to stack things on the cooler. This is especially handy when storing the converted cooler. To remove the plug I just push it out from the underside of the cooler lid. I also plan to insulate the inside of the slip fit plug. That way, when I use the cooler in cooler mode the plug won't leak as much heat into the cooler. I have a spare flat circle of plastic left over from drilling the hole in the lid with the hole saw. Just gluing that onto the bottom of the plug and closing off the small guide-hole that the hole saw made will produce a trapped dead air space in the plug, and this will probably be an even better insulator than if I were to fill that space with foam. The end result is very nice. My wife says that it looks "professional". I might end up installing a second sous vide port at the other end of the cooler That way I could use two sous vide units during the heating-up phase of a cooking session. That could pretty much negate the need to fill the cooler with hot water at the beginning. I should be able to just use room temperature water for filling the cooler. Of course that scheme would require running two independent electrical lines so as to not blow the circuit breaker. When the water is up to temperature I could remove one of the two sous vide units and plug that hole and just use one sous vide units to maintain the temperature. I haven't actually decided if I will add a second sous vide port into the lid or not.

[@massmanute]

Correction: The cooler I hacked was not a Coleman cooler. It was an Igloo cooler.

[@MyYewTubeAccount]

You could also use an additional circulation pump to heat up the water and even out the temperature from one end to the other this would not need the additional sous vide. I made a sous vide cooler using a Heating Element, Temperature Controller & a submergible pump which circulates the water over the element. I have the element inside PVC pipe that is 3 times larger and the pump pushes water in from one end and the heated water out the other, this circulates the water and the probe is placed at above the pipe so it registers temperature from already circulated water.

[@deepcdvr69]

2 3/8"Two and 3 eights inch hole saw bit fits perfect no need for pvc spacers.

[@danielmoffett8838]

He wanted the pvc "sleeve" so that he can still plug the hole and use it as a cooler. Plus the sleeve makes for a more sturdy piece.

[@johnchan6191]

Wow, gr8 sous vide cooler. Fantastic vdo on making the hole & yet keeping it as cold cooler. Thx 4 sharing on the internet.

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

Thanks for watching!

[@viol8r007]

did this about 1 week into using the Anova

[@blex5579]

nicked a styrofoam container from my local asian food store- well not really nicked- it was outside the store with other cardboxes etc, so i figured it was fair game...turned out the styrofoam leaked slightly, bit of superglue fixed it tho..lol drilled a hole for the SV-stick and using this as my sous-vide bucket.-2 hours into first `cooking`seems to work just fine..cheers from germany

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

Prost! I love visiting Germany and hope to get back soon once all this pandemic stuff is over! Thanks for watching.

[@michaelrobbins3559]

Nicely done, and also good comments below about how to improve with slip coupling and interior marks. I am going to make one this weekend and cook several racks of ribs.

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

It works great for that! I’ve done a 24-hour slow cook in the cooler followed by 30 minutes smoking on the grill then finish with bbq sauce on a high heat grill (indirect) a few minutes per side

[@johngl8233]

Nice job! If you use a 2" PVC Slip (or repair) coupling, you won't have to remove the inner ridge on the fitting (it doesn't have one!). the Anova fits perfectly (as would your cap system).

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

Awesome tip! Thanks!!

[@user-eb5hd7uo1e]

nice idea and neat job. i get a hint from your work. thanks

[@jaykrusac2981]

great idea and video, I think it would be nice if you made some marks on inside of cooler that match the min/max fill lines for your cooker.

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

Great idea Jay! I will add those, will try it with a permanent marker

[@jdickborron1]

Jay Krusac great idea

[@Qingeaton]

I ended up cutting the lid so that the cooker stays submerged when I want to remove the rest of the lid. I didn't want to pull the thing out while running or turn it off to open the lid.

[@liftbigeatbigvideo]

I dig it

[@SiNKarnage]

Thats actually a bad idea to use just PVC. When the Sous vide skirt gets hot it'll begin to stick to the pvc and when you try taking it out it'll end up being stuck to the pipe youve glued to the cooler. This happened to me, but fortunately I figured out how to get it loose by placing it in the oven for a few minutes and it slipped out without repercussion. I almost panicked that Ill have to buy a new one. My advice fork the extra cash and buy some foil tape and apply it inside & outside the pvc that'll fit the sous vide so you dont turn out like I did

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

What temperature range were you cooking at, do you remember? So far I've only done steaks at about 135 F and have not experienced that issue (mine is a 800 watt, so maybe the higher wattage ones may cause this problem?).

[@SiNKarnage]

@@JohnsDIYPlayground Ranging from 140~150, I use a Pro which is 1200 watts

[@massmanute]

I wonder if wiping the inside of the fitting with mineral oil each time before starting a cooking session would prevent the two things from sticking.

[@teejay622]

I'd be nervous about opening that lid (which pulls the Anova out of the water) if the unit was still heating because the heating coil would burn up really fast if it was out of water while heating. I'm not sure how hot it gets but it might be damaged even if it's off if not given enough time to cool down. Maybe I'm being paranoid. Very cool idea though. Thanks for sharing.

[@sleeksalmon]

I thought the exact same thing. I was thinking do you turn it off first, open the lid, then turn it back on after shutting the lid back up? Really there is no reason to open it and check it. I mean what are you really going to see? I think loading the cooler with the meat, shutting the lid and just commiting to the time and not opening it until the cook is scheduled to be over is probably the best. Did you ever do this and how did it work for you, if you dont mind me asking?

[@adabill295]

Did you also seal the inside of the cooler lid. If no won't water get in and turn bad eventually? Good Project!

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

Thanks! Yes, I used that same JB Weld epoxy on the inside too

[@Alphasig336]

How much if its insulated container. The 5 gallon is based on an uninstalled container. Buy a slip coupler. It doesn’t have the lip!

[@ACJr7]

This looks interesting but as a cancer survivor I am Leary of plastic toxins leaching into my food. How safe is this. It isn't BPA free is it?

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

Unknown. However the food cooked in the cooler are vacuum sealed in food grade, BPA free bags. So the water never comes in contact with the food.

[@georgcantor7172]

I just finished watching another youtube video on a Cooler Conversion for sous vide cooking, and he said that if the hole is too snug, then the steam can creep upwards to the Anova Controller and damage the unit. Did you experience that problem? How is your Anova Sous Vide Franken Cooler doing? Did you have to make modifications since 3/11/18? It's 3/18/2022 now.

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

Hi Georg, it’s still working fine, although I’ve only used it a few times. I use a smaller clear plastic container normally with a silicone lid. It doesn’t fit perfectly and I haven’t found any concerns with steam. Sous Vide is still my favorite way to cook ribeye steaks! Cheers!

[@g-whiz286]

I saw a teardown of the Anova unit and there is a small small fan that draws outside air through a louvered vent near the top rear of the head unit and forces it down through another louvered vent at the bottom rear of the head unit just before bracket that holds the unit. This downward forced air flow ensures the electronics stay cool and dry.

[@richpeacock]

Great!

[@nrjwalker]

Sorry, what size of core bit did you use?

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

@Nathan Walker it is a 2.5" diameter hole saw

[@totszwai]

You happen to have the part number or exact dimension of those PVC parts? Is so stupid here that they actually don't sell those here in Canada (Home Depot and what not!) I think I actually need to order them online...

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

The inner diameter of the PVC pipe I used to put the Sous Vide through is 2.5". You still need to shave off that little ridge inside the coupler. On Amazon, you can search "GF Piping Systems PVC Pipe Fitting, Coupling, Schedule 40, White, 2-1/2" Slip Socket"

[@bobeos]

totszwai all this stuff IS available at any hardware store

[@bryansmith775]

@@JohnsDIYPlayground Australia doesn't have this in our hardware stores either. Can you confirm that the following link is right. Only asking because in your video you said it 2" and the link is for 2-1/2" www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008O1UZN4

[@OzzyskylerTheGreat]

Why not use silicon instead of jb, any particular reason?

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

I guess you could use silicone but JB Weld is an epoxy and much stronger to hold the coupler in place

[@bryanbanks1966]

My guess is that silicone would eventually succumb to the heat and fail. The epoxy is a more or less permanent solution.

[@toonerfische6237]

@@bryanbanks1966 nonsense. RTV silicone is good past 400º.

[@VGScreens]

I tried this but it made all my beers gross.

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

LOL! Ha! :-)

[@trilldeal5931]

why no cambro

[@LaidBackGolf]

why not get 2 of those in there eh

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

You could but it will take up more space and really isn’t needed for a cooler of this size.

[@LaidBackGolf]

@@JohnsDIYPlayground what about 3 of them in that bad larry

[@posterestantejames]

Naaaaaahhh...Nope. Try pulling off a sous vide WITHOUT the Inova gadget. I do it often. You're cheating. Bon Appetit, however!