plastic bucket boiler insulation

[shocker]

I am in process of making a plastic bucket into a boiler with a kettle element , all that is fine , no problems (so far!) but I am spoilt for choice on the insulation . I choose to insulate as it gives me potentially less heat loss and quicker boil as well as the option of holding a temp more easily for mashing . If I wanted to mash in it at some point .

I have several ideas and materials to hand :

mylar foil covered thin closed cell foam
10mm thick closed cell foam
mylar sheet
expanding spray foam

now I could use double sided tape to fix some mylar sheet then the 10mil foam then the mylar covered thin foam,
...or I could use the same materials in a variety of combinations
....or I could sit the bucket inside a bigger bucket or bin that has been smeared with vaseline (mould release) and spray in the expanding foam to the gap between the two vessels. Then with luck the whole should pop out with the foam cured and stuck to the boiler bucket but not to the outer bin.

The third one begs the question of the need for base insulation - does the base of the boiler need it ?
also the foam , even when cured is quite fragile so would need covering with something like the mylar faced thin stuff for protection . The side benefit being that it makes it shiny

The first 2 methods - given that trapped air is a good heat insulator , would it be better to use various tape to fix the insulation materials on rather than glue them ? Obviously the tapes and glues would need to be resistant to the heat generated .

So folks.....how to do it and why ? :hmm:

 

[shocker]

Come on guys ! Nobody have ANYTHING to say on this ? :hmm:

 

[shocker]

23 views and no comments ?

 

[Springer]

I'll talk to you shock, :)
My thoughts. Definitely worth doing, none on the bottom. Use the foil stuff, can't remember the name, bit shorter than the boiler to allow sticking down, overlapped and secured with heat resist ali tape, on the top and bottom edge and overlap.
S

 

[BigYin]

I haven't bothered to fit any insulation to my plastic boiler, and I'm honestly not convinced it would make a very noticeable difference :hmm:

Keep the access to your tap and element fixing points clear - you WILL need access to them at some point!!

Top tip - DON'T stand the plastic boiler on a melamine worktop - it will discolour it with the prolonged heat from the boil - as I discovered to my cost and the wife's disgust I now stand it on an old piece of wood that takes all the abuse and heat

 

[Nunfa1]

The thing about boiler insulation is that although it helps a bit to retain the heat and boil quicker, you want the opposite when cooling. I use some foil backed bubble wrap held on with a bungee strap that I remove when cooling the wort.

 

[craigite]

I use camping mat. it's easy to wrap round and easy to take off, so insulate when needed and remove to allow cooling. I just wrapped a budgie cord or two around to hold in place.
Still use this method to allow fermentation out in cold garage.

 

[shocker]

Thanks guys....interesting points , Spring says no bottom insulation which is what I had thought but Biggy says that the heat off the base can be damaging - so thats up in the air ! :whistle:

Nunfa mentions the cooling rate , I must admit that hadnt even crossed my mind until now ....food for thought :hmm:

Anymore for any more ?

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

I use a cylinder jacket, £3 from B&Q, couple of elastic bungy jobs. It has halved the boiling time so only using 1 tesco element to do 40 litre brews.

 

[BigYin]

I use a cylinder jacket, £3 from B&Q, couple of elastic bungy jobs. It has halved the boiling time so only using 1 tesco element to do 40 litre brews.

Interesting :hmm: :hmm:

 

[shocker]

Rob , do you take the jacket off for cooling the wort ? I am trying to use the materials I have to hand before I spend anything .Bugger it , I 'll just be honest , Im too tight to spend any money !

 

[Springer]

There is a cheap way, that I used to use, of insulating a boiler, want to buy it Shock, at a very reasonable price.
Definite must when brewing outside, particularly if f there is a slight breeze, or anywhere really. I used to stand my small boiler on a piece of wood for bottom insulation.

Permanent lagging is the tidy solution and don't think it makes much difference to cooling with a immersion cooler, its all about the heat transfer thats takes place in the boiler, easy to verify for the inquisitive types . :)
S

 

[evanvine]

A boiler is for boiling, no insulation, sod the leccy bill.
Cooling done by CFC, 24 ltrs down to pitching temp in 11mins.

 

[Springer]

A boiler is for boiling, no insulation, sod the leccy bill.

Its not about money, who said that, :? for me its about the time it takes getting up to boiling

Cooling done by CFC, 24 ltrs down to pitching temp in 11mins.

11mins :? , something wrong with your pump E. :lol:
Only joking E,
S

 

[Scorrie]

There is a cheap way, that I used to use, of insulating a boiler, want to buy it Shock, at a very reasonable price.
Definite must when brewing outside, particularly if f there is a slight breeze, or anywhere really......

......

Do the reflective strips on the jacket help hold in the heat? :whistle:



And how much for the jacket.......

 

[Springer]

Do the reflective strips on the jacket help hold in the heat? :whistle:

Probably, but the Safety Officer's opinion is that they are necessary to prevent, someone, me that is, walking into 25 litres of boiling wort, should I chose to brew in the dark. :lol:
S

 

[shocker]

A boiler is for boiling, no insulation, sod the leccy bill.

So , Ev....no insulation on your house then ? :grin:

 

[shocker]

Spring....that set up is mighty similar to my own....you havent been rummaging through my mind again , with your psychic powers , have you ? :hmm: :whistle:

 

[Springer]

Sping....that set up is mighty similar to my own....you havent been rummaging through my mind again , with your psychic powers , have you ? :hmm: :whistle:

Crude but very effective, turned out a lot of very good beer, AG brewing doesn't have to be complicated or expensive to achieve results.
I think the most expensive bit was the picnic box, at £16 if my memory serves me well. No cooler shown,that does add a bit to the price these days, but there are other ways.
S
Tower really does need a little more attention to detail to comply with todays H & S requirements :lol:

 

[shocker]

Well that about sums me up...."crude but effective" :lol: :thumb: