insulating mash tun

[goodly dudscrew]

hello all, ime new here, and have virtually no experience at brewing at all, although i have been reading up on the subject for quite a wile and also visiting this and other forums to read the posts and get info that way as well.

I am going to have a go at making my own boiler and mash tun, the mash tun first as it appears to be the hardest task.

So my question is, is it possible to put too much insulation in the hollow sections of the cool-box? Ive seen the pic's of the cool-box conversion and wondered if loft insulation and silver foil would be ok? as I happen to have some loft insulation left over.

 

[tubby_shaw]

Loft insulation will be fine :thumb:
Just don't compress it too much as it is the trapped air that does the insulating :)

Welcome to the forum btw :

 

[Moley]

I've only done two mashes so far but have been quite satisfied with the £14.99 Argos coolbox as it is. I did see a larger one elsewhere for the same money but the insulation was lousy.

I stand my coolbox mash tun on a layer of foam rubber, haven't bothered wrapping it in anything and have only been losing just over one degree over a 90 minute mash. With my liquor tank on the gas close by, ambient temperature has been around 25°C.

If it works, why mess with it?

 

[goodly dudscrew]

Thanks tubby, ime glad i posted the question now, i was going to compress as much as possible and ram as much in as possible, and thanks for the welcome.

Thanks moley, a drop of 1 degree sounds very good indeed, when i finish mine ile do a test and let you know how mine goes.

That's the beauty of a forum, people can compare and learn which is the best way and this forum is the best ive seen. Cheers.

 

[Wez]

this forum is the best ive seen. Cheers.

Wow - we don't get alot of feedback, so thats nice to hear - enjoy the forum :thumb:

 

[goodly dudscrew]

Hope ime not pushing my luck here, but ive just had another thought, which is probably a bit silly, but ile risk it anyway.

I was thinking of when i come to making the cooler, my mash tun is rectangular one, so would the copper cooler pipe have to be formed in rectangular shape to fit the shape of the tun, or would it be ok if it was formed round like the one's ive seen before.

I have read that when your sparging you have to spray the hot water to spread it around, so that it does not cause hot spots in the grain, is it possible to cause cold spots by not having a cooler the same shape as the tun?

 

[Moley]

I was thinking of when i come to making the cooler, my mash tun is rectangular one, so would the copper cooler pipe have to be formed in rectangular shape to fit the shape of the tun?

But the cooler (if you bothered with one) would go in your boiler, not your mash tun.

I don't have a cooler, I left my first mash to cool naturally and it took hours. I've brewed again today but drew my boiled wort off into sanitised PETs and dropped them in a sink of cold water. A couple of water changes over 20 minutes or so and they were down around 25°C.


As of today I have now done TWO All Grain mashes so my advice is probably worth Jack Sh!t, but it strikes me this can be as simple or as complicated as you want to (or can afford to) make it, and you can add more stuff as you learn and develop.

 

[goodly dudscrew]

Thanks again Moley, that will do me for starters, i am now eager to get started.

 

[Parva]

Do some more reading before you try. Cooling is indeed done after the boil and plays no part in the actual mash. You can also batch or fly sparge the mash, each has their own advantages and disadvantages. I'd recommend that you do some more reading before you take the plunge, and I don't mean that in a condescending way. :)

 

[goodly dudscrew]

Thanks a lot Parva, i really appreciate your advice.