Mash Tun Element Conversion

by **Flux** » Sunday May 13, 2012 7:35 pm

Hey guys as it says I'm just brewing a Sierra Nevada PA and had a mash out temp increase from 68C to 76C so I cannot do it as I have a rubbermaid 10Gal mash tun so I'm just going to add a decoction and pull a heavy 6 Lt and boil to reach it but I don't really want this step in the first place so my question is this.
Has anyone here put a thermowell and element in one of these coolers and if so please help a fellow brewer so I don't stuff it up and ruin the lamination of the tun by doing something wrong when I drill the holes to incorporate the 2 additions to allow my rubbermaid tun to heat my mash.
Thanking you in advance.

by **squirt in the turns** » Monday May 14, 2012 11:22 am

Hi Flux, I can't give any advice about adding an element as I've never done it (in fact have no experience with directly heating the mash). However, if your only reason for adding one is reach mash-out temperatures, you probably have several easier options available.

First of all, is there any reason you would do a decoction instead of another infusion (of boiling water) to reach 76C?

If a decoction is your only option (e.g. you have no space in the tun for an infusion), it isn't too difficult. When you say "pull a heavy 6 Lt", do you refer to a thick (mostly grain) decoction? For a mash-out, there's no need to do this, you can just drain off some liquid through your manifold/false bottom and bring it straight to the boil, no constant stirring or stressing about it catching and burning. The main reason for thick decoctions is to leave the enzymes in the mash tun. For mash-out, this is irrelevant.

The other option is just to not do a mash-out step at all. I don't bother with one for most single-infusion recipes.

by **bullfrog** » Monday May 14, 2012 11:56 am

Nothing I've experienced personally but I've both heard and read of cases where people have warped their mash tuns over time just from the heat of adding their strike water.

With that anecdotal evidence, I'd be a bit wary of an esky / rubbermaid's suitability to having it's own heat source installed.

Again, nothing I've experienced myself so happy if I'm wrong.

by **Flux** » Monday May 14, 2012 2:25 pm

squirt in the turns wrote:First of all, is there any reason you would do a decoction instead of another infusion (of boiling water) to reach 76C?
.

I didn't have the room for an infusion is all matey, the mash profile was a single decoction mash, I just added another to reach target temp all went well, thanks for the heads up re the decoction density for mash out, I dunno why I did that? I suppose I had forgotten and was just in my decoction zone maybe? as I usually pull a thick decoction.
I only do the mash out to stop myself getting a stuck sparge in reality, I am not overly worried about holding the sugar profile as I don't really understand it in truth.
But thanks for the advice I appreciate it.

bullfrog wrote:I've both heard and read of cases where people have warped their mash tuns over time just from the heat of adding their strike water.

Funny you should say that as a few months ago I did my usual preheat of my mash tun where I just add a jug of near boiling water and did exactly that, now I have delaminated the inner liner off the side all the way down the side wall with a 30 x 30mm protrusion.

Your probably right as I thought that myself but have heard of people adding elements, but I do wonder about the life expectancy of the tun following this add on?

by **squirt in the turns** » Monday May 14, 2012 5:08 pm

Flux, as it sounds like you've already b0rk3d your mash tun, I'd say it's time to start again and build a HERMS.

Of course, the naysayers will say that they're not suitable for step mashing, but the odd mash-out would be do-able.

Of course, by the same reasoning, if your tun is falling apart anyway, stick an element in it - doesn't matter if it gets mangled. All you've got to lose is a batch of beer... actually that'd be tragic. Forget I mentioned that.

by **emnpaul** » Monday May 14, 2012 9:44 pm

I think an over the side jobbie would do the trick. You wouldn't have to drill any holes in your mash tun.

by **Flux** » Monday May 14, 2012 11:16 pm

haha I'm running 2 march pumps so heights are no issue for me, my set up is all on the same level.The Tun is still ok and intact. The only thing I was worried about was if my sparge sprinkler wouldn't rotate anymore but it still does so I'll keep it.
Yeah maybe this isn't such a good idea after all.
I would love to build a HERMS, I have a spare sanke keg too. Maybe when I get my engineer on, I will do just that, but for now I'm comfortable

by **tazcat** » Wednesday May 23, 2012 3:11 pm

I got lucky when I was looking for something suitable to build a HERMS, it came in the form of an old stainless steel wormald fire extinguisher collecting dust in the back of a secondhand shop. Ten bucks and it was mine. The only problem I had was finding a place to supply and form a S/s coil to fit inside. After drawing a blank locally and on the mainland I found a guy in Vietnam who did an excellent job for a good price. All I had to do was cut the bottom out of the fire extinguisher and fit it in.

I had a mate that welded in a new heavier bottom plate, element socket and coil in place and Bob was your fathers brother. Incidentley I had a Rubbermaid mash tun in the early days and it only lasted a year as the inner lining split vertically down the sides, probably because it didn't like heat, so it is now used as a cooler only.