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  • Adding Heat Source to Mash Tun?

    I have a 5bbl DME Mash tun that I can't heat it!! It's fucken stupid.


    Is there anyway to add heating to my MT?

  • #2
    Rims

    Add a rims and recirculate through it

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    • #3
      Any idea how I would do that?

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      • #4

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        • #5
          I have a 5bbl DME Mash tun that I can't heat it!!

          No. It's not stupid. It is designed for an isothermal mash - traditional Brit type, which has worked for perhaps hundreds of years like that. If you bought it without checking what you can and can't do with it, don't blame DME, blame yourself for not checking first.
          dick

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          • #6
            why do you want to heat this type of vessel. It is designed to offer you a single infusion mash, nothing else. You could add a HERMS like said above but don't kid yourself, it is highly likely that you will have a very hard time getting uniform temp throughout with this process.

            Better off getting a jacketed mash mixer and separate lauter tun if you desire step or decoction brewing processes. But on that size system, seems silly.
            of you are just trying to increase temp to stop conversion, then just sparge heavy and the mash temp should rise nicely as you run off.
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            • #7
              Well my problem is the mash temp is always off by a couple degrees, and I have no way of corrected it. It's really inconsistent.

              Dick: I didn't pick the system out. Solid input, and user name checks out.

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              • #8
                preheat your mash tun with hot water before mashing in.
                use a grist hydrator to mix your malt and water and achieve more consistent strike temperatures.

                read: Brewing and Malting Science. Hough, Briggs, Stevens and Young

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                • #9
                  I do preheat the mashtun with ~205F for 30-45mins, drain in, then sparge in. I make sure I know my grain temps, I make sure my HLT doesn't have heat stratification, I stir during mash in, and every 15mins during mash. It's extremely hard to maintain a constant temp. If I get just one temp reading wrong, it throws everything off. A lot of variables to get to one mash temp.

                  I wish I had a different mash tun.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Alphaacid View Post
                    I do preheat the mashtun with ~205F for 30-45mins, drain in, then sparge in. I make sure I know my grain temps, I make sure my HLT doesn't have heat stratification, I stir during mash in, and every 15mins during mash. It's extremely hard to maintain a constant temp. If I get just one temp reading wrong, it throws everything off. A lot of variables to get to one mash temp.

                    I wish I had a different mash tun.
                    If it's just to maintain temperature, you might be able to make RIMS or HERMS work at that scale. I think the problems of scale arise when you try get 2 degrees per minute or more temperature rise on 5 bbl or more. I would suggest a small tube and shell heat exchanger, connected counter-flow. Establish an acceptable recirc flow in the mash tun, and throttle the HLT flow to maintain temperature. You could probably hack something together with a convoluted copper CFHX from MoreBeer, just to see if it works better for you. Not much of a risk. If it works well, then buy one of them in SS.

                    Regards,
                    Mike Sharp

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                    • #11
                      If you're calculating strike water temp based on water volume, grain mass, and grain temp then it's pretty easy to just overheat your strike water and use a cold water trim valve in line and adjust as you mash in. You'll need to check the temp multiple times during the mash and you might not nail it on the first try but 3 mashes in you should have it down. I like this method because it's low tech, inexpensive, and forces you to interact with the mash and have a 'feel' for it.
                      ______________
                      Fred Orndorff
                      Rumpus Beer Co.
                      Revelstoke, BC

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                      • #12
                        I usually set temp 2F above what I need I just find it wildly inaccurate. I wish I had a blender, I don't have access to filtered cold water in the mash tun.

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                        • #13
                          Just a thought, but what about adding an insulating jacket to the MT? I understand the wet environment and that should be easy compensate for, but I would think it has to be less of a financial impact to your operation than struggling to brew consistently or facing replacing your MT.

                          Perhaps, with this product or something similar... http://www.reflectixinc.com/products/

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