Mashtun Temp Test

[Bamfordjf]

I plan on brewing my 4th AG brew this weekend. I have had problems in the past with heat loss from my MT Cooler. Not as much over the hour, but a lot during the Strike/Dough in. I tested it last night. Filled it up ALL the way last night at 11 PM and it was 150 deg. 10 AM this morning it was 137 deg.

Would you say that is normal heat loss for the cooler and time period?

Cooler: 70 qt Coleman Xtreme w/ SS braid

 

[Clonefarmer]

I plan on brewing my 4th AG brew this weekend. I have had problems in the past with heat loss from my MT Cooler. Not as much over the hour, but a lot during the Strike/Dough in. I tested it last night. Filled it up ALL the way last night at 11 PM and it was 150 deg. 10 AM this morning it was 137 deg.

Would you say that is normal heat loss for the cooler and time period?

Cooler: 70 qt Coleman Xtreme w/ SS braid

Have you been preheating the mash tun before striking?

 

[Bamfordjf]

Have you been preheating the mash tun before striking?

Yes. Still lots of initial heat loss.

This whole ordeal is explained here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/3rd-ag-brew-coleman-xtreme-mashtun-problems-169807/

 

[Clonefarmer]

Yes. Still lots of initial heat loss.

This whole ordeal is explained here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/3rd-ag-brew-coleman-xtreme-mashtun-problems-169807/

When you are mashing/preheating are there any spots on the cooler that are warm or hot?

 

[Bamfordjf]

When you are mashing/preheating are there any spots on the cooler that are warm or hot?

I will check tomorrow and then post results. Taking the hinges off wouldn't affect it, right?

 

[Clonefarmer]

I will check tomorrow and then post results. Taking the hinges off wouldn't affect it, right?

It shouldn't as long as there is still a good seal.

 

[HarkinBanks]

I didn't read you other thread, but why not dump in your strike water 10 degrees or so higher than you need and stir it until it drops to what you need? Dough in, stir like crazy for 2 minutes, put the top on and then 5 minutes later temp check and stir again. Should work even with an average cooler. You could also cover the cooler with a blanket to keep a few more degrees in the cooler.

 

[Catt22]

There are a few important things to understand about coolers when used as a mash tun. First off, heat rises so a cooler will keep things cold much better than it will keep things hot. This is largely due to the cooler lids not being well insulated or sometimes not insulated at all. You can fill the hollow lids with expanding foam that will greatly reduce the heat loss through the lid. Covering the cooler with a thick blanket or sleeping bag will also help, but not as much as the foam will.

The ambient temperature will have a huge influence on how well the cooler can maintain the temps. When it's very cool or cold outside of the cooler, the temperature drop will be accelerated substantially.

Preheating the cooler with boiling water will help a lot to offset the problems with intial temperature drops. Keep a log of your strike water temps, grain temps at dough in and the batch size so that you can then use that information to adjust future strike temps.

 

[Bamfordjf]

There are a few important things to understand about coolers when used as a mash tun. First off, heat rises so a cooler will keep things cold much better than it will keep things hot. This is largely due to the cooler lids not being well insulated or sometimes not insulated at all. You can fill the hollow lids with expanding foam that will greatly reduce the heat loss through the lid. Covering the cooler with a thick blanket or sleeping bag will also help, but not as much as the foam will.

The ambient temperature will have a huge influence on how well the cooler can maintain the temps. When it's very cool or cold outside of the cooler, the temperature drop will be accelerated substantially.

Preheating the cooler with boiling water will help a lot to offset the problems with intial temperature drops. Keep a log of your strike water temps, grain temps at dough in and the batch size so that you can then use that information to adjust future strike temps.

Absolutely. I am very scientific by nature. I will document thoroughly tomorrow's AG brew(Ed's Haus Pale Ale). Right now I am debating between two procedures. 1) Preheat the MT with boiling water and 2) Just add water per Beer Smith Strike temp +15 degrees and stir til appropriate strike temp has been reached then mash in.

Or maybe both.....I'm new to AG

 

[ZWood15]

I was having similar issues, but was losing heat faster (7 degrees in the course of a 60 min mash). I went to HD and got a can of great stuff, some weather stripping, and some latches like you would find on an antique trunk. Drill holes and fill the lid with great stuff. add weather stripping to the underside of the lid (the kind that has 2 ridges on it), and put 2 latches on each side of the lid. The latches should compress the weather stripping and form a great seal. This ~$15 fix held solid on the brew after it for a 75 min mash, didnt lose a degree