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kamjones

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Hi I've been a member for a while now and enjoyed much of the forum and have finally started putting the equipment together. nothing special until I'm happy with techniques etc..
PROBLEM is the temperature control the mash tun the best i have managed is a drop of 3 degrees over 90 mins that's with water only BTW
question is, is that too much and how can I improve it.
any help will be much appreciated
 
Insulate it well with a duvet, dressing gown, or what ever you have hanging around. This should keep the drop to ~1C over 60 mins. Even a 3C drop over 90 mins isn't too bad. Most the conversion is done in the first 15 minutes.
 
Thanks for the info
I have actually encased it in some 60mm celotex flooring insulation that i had left over from a job.
the cool box I'm using is a pretty cheap affair though. Would it be worth investing in a better model, a Coleman for instance.
 
My mash tun is a 20 squid cheapie from Argos, I used the insulation from a camping mat around it and that helps a lot plus a sheet of baking foil on the top before the lid is on seems to help also then wrap a thick towel around it and pop another on the top. My loss is about 1.5 to 2 degrees c in 60 to 70 min. But still getting about 74% conversion. Preheating the tun helps also.
Cheers
 
Lots of insulation is the key.

My tun is a plastic 35L bucket. I used three layers of thick camping mat foam all round topped off with foiled bubble wrap. Extra layers of foam underneath as compressed foam is a less efficient insulator. I don't wrap the tun with anything when in use, though I do wrap the tap in a heavy towel. Usual loss is ~1degree over 90 mins.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks again the 15 min info is interesting Ill try to steal something from the airing cupboard to boost the insulation.

When im happy I want brew up a small batch maybe 12lts I have ordered a clone kit and will split it to give me 2 batches in case I screw it up first time
Is there any problems with brewing small amounts?

Thanks again for any info and help

Kamjones
 
I am in a similar position, I have some foil backed camping mat. Does it matter which side the foil goes on i.e. against the cooler or away from it.
 
private4587 said:
I am in a similar position, I have some foil backed camping mat. Does it matter which side the foil goes on i.e. against the cooler or away from it.
Click to expand...

The idea of the foil is to reflect radiated heat I believe so I would think toward the MT
 
foil to the cooler, though if you do multi-layer just make the last layer foam. lots of examples of using radiator insulation which is foil-bubble wrap-foil - everyone loves shiny!!

Pat
 

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