KegWrangler
Well-Known Member
OK, so I've been trying to recreate the wheel with a novel way to heat my mash tun. I run with an Electric HLT and Keggle and I have been holding and/or boosting the heat with regular additions of hot water (from the HLT - 212F).
I have seen some discussing placing another ULWD element below the false bottom but that won't work for my set-up and I don't like how inaccessible the elements are in a RIMS tube.
What I'm wondering if anyone has tried adding a 5500 ULWD element in the MLT wired at 110V so it's in the 1375W range (instead of 220V). Since this would take the watt density down to 12.5 watts per inch (from 50 wpi) it seems like I could get away with minimal stirring or recirculation and still avoid scorching. A side benefit might be to get a pseudo-decoction flavor with no recirculation or stirring at all.
If my math is correct, (and it always is ) I will only need to run the element for 3-5 minutes of every 15 to hold a steady mash temp when in the 150F range and if I leave it on I can raise the mash temperature about 5 degrees for 6 minutes it runs. If so, I would combine the mash-out step and recirculation into a single 15-20 minute phase without having to add several gallons of boiling water, filling my MLT to the brim, and limiting the maximum size of my grist.
Any thoughts, suggestions, or incendiary remarks are welcome.
- Cheerio
I have seen some discussing placing another ULWD element below the false bottom but that won't work for my set-up and I don't like how inaccessible the elements are in a RIMS tube.
What I'm wondering if anyone has tried adding a 5500 ULWD element in the MLT wired at 110V so it's in the 1375W range (instead of 220V). Since this would take the watt density down to 12.5 watts per inch (from 50 wpi) it seems like I could get away with minimal stirring or recirculation and still avoid scorching. A side benefit might be to get a pseudo-decoction flavor with no recirculation or stirring at all.
If my math is correct, (and it always is ) I will only need to run the element for 3-5 minutes of every 15 to hold a steady mash temp when in the 150F range and if I leave it on I can raise the mash temperature about 5 degrees for 6 minutes it runs. If so, I would combine the mash-out step and recirculation into a single 15-20 minute phase without having to add several gallons of boiling water, filling my MLT to the brim, and limiting the maximum size of my grist.
Any thoughts, suggestions, or incendiary remarks are welcome.
- Cheerio