3BBL Hold Mash Temps?

[imperialipa]

Question to any of you using a 3.5bbl Mash tun. This is the size we are going to start out with. It will be direct fired with natural gas.

My question is I would like to recirculate using a pump from the false bottom back to the top while flame is attached to the temp controller. Pretty standard Direct Fire RIMS set up. Has anyone run into stuck sparge issues doing this on a tank of this size? Does that weight ratio compress the grain too much?

On larger ystems like 7bbl and 15bbl I imagine the sheer mass of grain acts as an insulator and once you hit temp no additional heat or recirculation is required?

Wondering if 3bbl is large enough in grain mass to hold a temp rock solid for an hour. I'm doubting that it can.

[imperialipa]

So in doing more homework on this it seems that a 3bbl system will hold temperatures due to the sheer mass of the grist involved.

Is that a pretty accurate estimation?

If that is the case I wont have to invest in building a direct fire controller and recirculation system for it.

I would rather recirculate if its possbile. I like the percision of temp control and and clarity of the wort.

So if anyone reading this has experiaence with a 3bbl system feel free to chime in. I would love to hear your thoughts.

[almalkin]

We have a 2 bbl mash tun that holds temps pretty well. I would definitely recommend some type of insulation, but I would think that it should stay fairly consistent barring extremely low ambient temps. Adding some recirculation or a burner might still be a good idea in case you want to step mash or don't hit your temps all the time.

[kbills]

I have a 3bbl and do not need to add any heat to maintain mash temp, only to raise for steps.