I am FINALLY replacing my Cooler Mash Tun. My Cooler mash tuns have done me very well, but when this last one started to poop the bed, I fugured I'd buy something that would last me a lifetime. So, I purchased a Blichman Boilermaker 20 Gallon Kettle with the False Bottom. I have experience with these Kettles as I have the same Kettle for my Boiling Pot. They are over built and will last a lifetime. Question though. I need t figure out a way to insulate this thing so that it will hold heat. I do not want to direct fire my Mash Tun. I want to stick with my HLT set up. So, if you have a Keg as a Mash tun, or any other Metal Mash tun, LMK what you used to insulate it if you do not direct fire it. Pictures would be even better.

Picked up some Water Heater insulation. Has an R Value of 11. Crossing my fingers that it holds heat well.

Sweet! let us know how it works. What do you think causes your coolers to shit the bed? I've read on other forums where people are using them for years and years with no issues. Personally, I'm only worried about mine crapping out because I pre-heat with boiling water first.

I ALWAYS Preheat my Mash Tuns with Boiling water. I'm going to pre heat this one with Boiling water also. I think that my Cooler Mash Tuns Crapped the bed becasue of the way that I build them. I Should have used 1/2 inch copper instead of the 3/4 in that I like to use for my lautering arms. Ya see, with the 1/2 inch Copper, you can use a Stainless steel Washer to prevent any leaking from the ballvalve. I just could not find a Stainless Steel Washer big enough for the 3/4 inch Copper. So, I have been making do with Rubber Gaskets. Of course those gaskets needed replacing every 5th or 6th batch. A pain in the ass. But, it was my fault in the design process.

I wrapped my keggle with water heater insulation. I used "proper" duct tape.

All was mostly fine--but it doesn't like direct flames. Word to the wise.

Until I had to clean the keggle. I washed it out and got some water trapped in the insulation. Three days later in the garage, I thought there was a dead squirrel, going by the stink.

Then lifting the keg, if you squish the insulation, a plume of stink comes out.

Dunno if heating after washing will prevent this. I heated it up after this issue and decided to get a 100Quart igloo. I'm donating the keggle to my cousin and will recommend he pulls off the insulation and uses it as a brewpot.

Someone in the BN army has to have a good idea for this.... I am about to go to a sanke mash tun. I will have probes that will prevent me from removing the insulation. Stink is bad.... I want no part of that. Whatever it is, it should be somewhat rigid, and waterproof... What if you made a form, 2-4 inches bigger than your MT (in diameter), and then sprayed a bunch of expanding foam in there? Then maybe you could spray it with an epoxy paint?

Or maybe you can put a bunch of wooden staves on it, and wrap it with some metal bands?


Mylo

I mash in a converted Sanke Keg with a double bazooka tube. I live in Illinois where it seems to be cold all the time. I heat my strike water in the mash tun then turn the flame off when I reach my temp and then add grains. This seems to do a good job preheating the kettle before mashing. I wrapped the tun with foil backed fiberglass insulation that I got at Home Depot and sealed the seams with high temp aluminum tape(It is amazing how well it stays on). I even insulated my boil kettle and it seems to reduce the time it takes to get to a boil. I have been brewing all winter with temps below zero at the edge of my garage with the door open and I have been able to maintain my mash temp with about a 3 to 4 degree drop over an hour. I do put a lit on my mash tun. Hope that may help you in your journey for great beer.

I just wrap mine in an old blanket when it is cold outside of the tun. I had it wrapped in foam insulation but experienced the same sort of cleaning issues that others have reported. Now I can take the blanket off when its done and have no more probs. The blanket can go into the washer if it gets dirty.

Chris