Using a cooler as a mash tun?

[Brews-n-Blues]

Hi All!!
I'm new to homebrewing,
with 1 successful 5 gal Brew under my belt!
Can anyone explain how you can use an igloo cooler as a mash tun, without melting the bottom of the PLASTIC cooler? I see pics of the cooler conversions and the cooler setting on top of the propane burner, but nothing about putting fire to the cooler's plastic bottom??
Just curious about using different equipment?
Cheers!!

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Don't put a cooler on a burner, at least when the burner is hot.

 

[Brews-n-Blues]

That's what I was thinking?
But how is a cooler used for a mash tun?
The mash tun is heated to boiling temps?
Am I missing something?
I don't get this?

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Heat the water in a separate vessel. I have a three tier system. The HLT, where I heat the water, is at the top. Once the water is at the desired temp, I drain into the MT, a 10 gallon round Home Depot cooler.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

The vessels are upside down when not in use.

 

[Sammy86]

That's what I was thinking?
But how is a cooler used for a mash tun?
The mash tun is heated to boiling temps?
Am I missing something?
I don't get this?

First, you need to get yourself a false bottom or a filter ( many people use a cpvc or stainless mesh). Next you put in about a gallon of boiling water to preheat the mash tun (this helps with keeping temperatures regulated and lessen heat loss.) Next, you get rid of the boiling water, add your strike water and grain and put the cover on and leave it for 60-90 minutes.

This is how you use a cooler as a mash tun! Any other questions I'll be here all week

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Hi All!!
I'm new to homebrewing,
with 1 successful 5 gal Brew under my belt!
Can anyone explain how you can use an igloo cooler as a mash tun, without melting the bottom of the PLASTIC cooler? I see pics of the cooler conversions and the cooler setting on top of the propane burner, but nothing about putting fire to the cooler's plastic bottom??
Just curious about using different equipment?
Cheers!!

What I have to be the best approach for using a 10 gal Igloo round yellow cooler, at least for me, is as follows...

1. Never add boiling water to an empty cooler mashtun - it will deform the liner, Strike water temperature water will not deform it.
2. Preheat the mashtun first (this will help maintain your mash temp), by first heating your strike water temperature about 8 - 10 degrees warmer than the target.
3. Before adding the strike water to the mashtun, remove 1 quart of strike water and set aside and bring to a boil.
4. Add the warmer strike water to the mashtun and cover for 10 mins to preheat it
5. Check strike water after 10 mins, if warmer than target, dip a clean pot into the strike water to act as a heat sink and drop the temperature quickly to the target. If too cold, pull off some of the water boil and add back. Note, I find that it is easier to drop the temperature with a pot, than it is to boil and add back so the temperature above strike temp I choose usually ends up slightly above target.
6. Once the strike water in the mashtun is at target - dough in
7. Check mash temperature, if too low, use the boiled quart of water from step 3 to raise the temperature. If too warm, use the pot as a heat sink to cool. Note, I prefer to be too low than too high after dough in so as to not denature enzymes. Pulling off the quart and setting aside, as well as adjusting the target strike temperature for my system helps achieve this. Also, I do not like to use ice to cool if the mash temp is too high as it takes time for it to melt and needs a lot of stirring to mix, it is difficult to control.
8. Once mash temp is hit - cover.
9. About half way through mash time, open and stir a little and check temp. If dropped too much, have a quart of boiling water ready to help raise the temp.

By preheating your mashtun you will get more consistent results against hitting your mash temp. Also, take notes on how your system reacted to your process and various formulas used to calculate temperatures and volumes. Over time you can then make adjustments to the calculations to more consistently hit the targets.

 

[Brews-n-Blues]

First, you need to get yourself a false bottom or a filter ( many people use a cpvc or stainless mesh). Next you put in about a gallon of boiling water to preheat the mash tun (this helps with keeping temperatures regulated and lessen heat loss.) Next, you get rid of the boiling water, add your strike water and grain and put the cover on and leave it for 60-90 minutes.

This is how you use a cooler as a mash tun! Any other questions I'll be here all week

Thanks for the Info!
I was wondering and now I know!

 

[Brews-n-Blues]

What I have to be the best approach for using a 10 gal Igloo round yellow cooler, at least for me, is as follows...

1. Never add boiling water to an empty cooler mashtun - it will deform the liner, Strike water temperature water will not deform it.
2. Preheat the mashtun first (this will help maintain your mash temp), by first heating your strike water temperature about 8 - 10 degrees warmer than the target.
3. Before adding the strike water to the mashtun, remove 1 quart of strike water and set aside and bring to a boil.
4. Add the warmer strike water to the mashtun and cover for 10 mins to preheat it
5. Check strike water after 10 mins, if warmer than target, dip a clean pot into the strike water to act as a heat sink and drop the temperature quickly to the target. If too cold, pull off some of the water boil and add back. Note, I find that it is easier to drop the temperature with a pot, than it is to boil and add back so the temperature above strike temp I choose usually ends up slightly above target.
6. Once the strike water in the mashtun is at target - dough in
7. Check mash temperature, if too low, use the boiled quart of water from step 3 to raise the temperature. If too warm, use the pot as a heat sink to cool. Note, I prefer to be too low than too high after dough in so as to not denature enzymes. Pulling off the quart and setting aside, as well as adjusting the target strike temperature for my system helps achieve this. Also, I do not like to use ice to cool if the mash temp is too high as it takes time for it to melt and needs a lot of stirring to mix, it is difficult to control.
8. Once mash temp is hit - cover.
9. About half way through mash time, open and stir a little and check temp. If dropped too much, have a quart of boiling water ready to help raise the temp.

By preheating your mashtun you will get more consistent results against hitting your mash temp. Also, take notes on how your system reacted to your process and various formulas used to calculate temperatures and volumes. Over time you can then make adjustments to the calculations to more consistently hit the targets.

Thanks for the info!
Cheers!

 

[Sammy86]

Never add boiling water to an empty cooler mashtun - it will deform the liner, Strike water temperature water will not deform it.

Did it for 7 years never had deformities or issues. Just saying...

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Did it for 7 years never had deformities or issues. Just saying...

It happened to me the first time I added boiling water to preheat. Probably depends on the cooler.

Aside, I apologize for all my typos in my previous post - guess my coffee hadn't kicked in.

 

[VikeMan]

Regarding "preheating" a mash tun... This isn't necessary if you adjust your strike water temperature to account for the thermal masses of both the grains and the mash tun. Reasonably good brewing software should accommodate this.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Regarding "preheating" a mash tun... This isn't necessary if you adjust your strike water temperature to account for the thermal masses of both the grains and the mash tun. Reasonably good brewing software should accommodate this.

I just like the consistency that preheating and my process provides. I keep my grains at room temperature and my mashtun in the garage, so the temperature of the mashtun can vary by 40 degrees and this can have a dramatic affect on how much energy is needed to raise it to strike temperature. Does brewing software allow for different grain and mashtun temps when calculating strike temp?

I use my own excel software, which works quite well, but haven't built the thermal mass of the mashtun functionality into it yet, but that could be a fun feature to explore. Yep, I need a life .

If anyone is interested, below is a link to a folder with the latest version of my brewing software. It works, it's free, and direct access to the developer is always available.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6lzb8wnkdf9z7ih/AABlyMHLpi6ieulziwF1ImABa?dl=0

 

[VikeMan]

Does brewing software allow for different grain and mashtun temps when calculating strike temp?

I don't know if any account for them separately, i.e. different temps for each. In BrewCipher, there's just one temp for grains and the tun. Actually, I think you're the first person to ask about separate temps.

 

[DBhomebrew]

I don't know if any account for them separately, i.e. different temps for each. In BrewCipher, there's just one temp for grains and the tun. Actually, I think you're the first person to ask about separate temps.

I've thought about it, but haven't built enough data to see if it's worth the suggestion.

With BIAB, the 'tun' is already at strike temp. I currently have the tun's thermal mass set at zero and it seems to work ok, but I imagine there's something to be said for the grain needing to pull the kettle's temp down to mash temp in addition to the strike water.

 

[VikeMan]

With BIAB, the 'tun' is already at strike temp.

With BIAB, the 'tun' is the kettle (and the bag, which I think you can safely ignore). The kettle has some heat capacity, but typically fairly low compared with a cooler-based tun. Some BrewCipher users have told me they get the best result when they set the tun's heat capacity value to something close to 0.

I currently have the tun's thermal mass set at zero and it seems to work ok, but I imagine there's something to be said for the grain needing to pull the kettle's temp down to mash temp in addition to the strike water.

Yes, there is. You can think of the tun as being equivalent to "X" gallons (or quarts, or whatever) of water. That's the way I modelled it.

 

[bracconiere]

This is how you use a cooler as a mash tun!

you forgot the ball valve, so you can sparge slowly....(if so inclined)