Keggle Insulation - Keg Koozie vs Reflectix (pics)

fdog · 02-07-2012, 04:02 AM

So I recently upgraded to a Keggle mash tun, and have been struggling with keeping my Mash temperatures respectable.

I bought one of those Keg Koozies (http://thekegkoozy.com/) thinking that would be a great way to keep my temperatures up, but in the first couple mashes, I was all over the place. Also, I'm doing a 5 gallon batch, so I'm typically mashing 6.25 gallons (my keg has 2.25 wasted liquid at the bottom) out of a 15.5 gallon container, so there's quite a bit of air at the top of the keg. YMMV if you're mashing a larger volume of water, which I'd expect to hold its temperature better.

One problem could be that I can't actually zip the thing all the way to the bottom due to the spigot that I'm using, also the neoprene doesn't fit tightly where the thermometer/thermowell is mounted in the bottom of my keg:

Last weekend I bought the 2'x25' Reflectix roll from Lowes (~$25) and some Velcro sticky pads (got 3 of them at $2 each) and built my own.

I wrapped around 4 times, and had enough spare leftover material for a 4-layer lid:

The Velcro works great and was pretty cheap:

Tonight I did a test-run where I heated water inside my Keggle (direct fire Mash Tun) and let it sit for 60 minutes to see what the temperature response was. In each test-run, I heated until the thermometer read 170F, removed from heat and wrapped up the Keggle when it hit 160F. I started the clock there and recorded temperature at 10 minute increments for an hour.

Here are the results:

Code:

Time Keg Koozie  Reflectix Wrap
0     160F          160F
10    150F          154F
20    144F          150F
30    140F          150F
40    139F          150F
50    137F          150F
60    134F          150F

As you can see, the temperature drop-off for the Keg Koozie is really crappy. Given the performance of the Reflectix and the fact that it was half the cost of the Keg Koozie, I just thought I'd post here to let others know that the Keg Koozie *DOES NOT* work well at all to maintain Mash temperatures over 60 minutes.

Given the choice between the two, the Reflectix was very east to cut to shape and work with (it's just bubble wrap with foil wrapping).

MTEXX · 02-15-2012, 08:54 PM

thanks for the comparison. that's very useful.

how about another test using no insulation on the lid- to get a better comparison of neoprene vs reflectix.

**cowgo** · 02-15-2012, 10:44 PM

Sadly that was my experience with a keg koozie too. Couldn't keep a mash temp for any length of time. Looks cool though, I cut out fitted openings with an exacto knife for the valve, thermometer and element. I got the blue koozie which looks great.

There seems to be more than enough elasticity in the koozy though to hold a few wraps of reflectix in place, maybe get the best of both worlds. Looks and functionality.

Off to Lowes for a roll of reflectix.

**woodstone** · 02-15-2012, 10:51 PM

Great post!

I do BIAB...been looking for the Holy Grail...off to the big box store to buy some reflectix!

**graduate** · 02-15-2012, 11:04 PM

I wrapped my keggle with fiberglass ductwork wrap. It is 1/2 inch thick with foil outer surface. Used metal tape to close up the ends and it works very nicely. During the mash process it doesn't lose any temperature.

ghart999 · 02-16-2012, 03:20 PM

A test with the koozy and the insulated lid would be much more realistic. You are loosing a ton of head from the uninsulated lid. Not a fair comparison.

**AnOldUR** · 03-26-2012, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fdog

I was reading through the FAQ on the keg koozie's website when I was first trying to decide between that or Reflectix, and they said that the lid was not important due to the tight fit of the neoprene. I was taken in by it--naive, I guess. But hey, it's obvious now that the lid is indeed important.

One other point, they list the rated temperature of the keg Koozie up to 350F, but I singed the crap out of mine the first time I put it on. I guess it's possible the bottom of the keggle got that hot (highly doubt it), but yet another strike against it.

This thread would be comical if it were not such a disservice to Keg Koozy. The FAQ the OP refers to are for keeping beer within acceptable drinking temperatures in a sealed keg and recommends putting an ice bag under the keg in summer heat. Not even close to the same thing as an MLT with an open top. You could be using the most expensive cooler MLT, but if you leave the lid open the temperature would drop like a rock. A snug fitting base and lid cut from a cheap piece of hard board insulation would have made his comparison fair.

And as for singeing; it’s a plastic product. It’ll handle 350 degrees but not direct fire!

The Koozy works fine for infusion mashing, either single or step. Better yet, they are perfect for improving the efficiency of an electric system.

Did some tests with my induction hot plate and it gets to a boil about twice as fast with the Koozy. I’m happy enough with this that I have two more coming for my MLT and HLT.

I'm looking forward to getting one on my MLT. Look here for someone using a Keg Koozy on a MLT with good results after an intelligent approach.

**DustBow** · 03-26-2012, 08:44 PM

What size pot is that? Looks like a Bayou Classic....I will be building an e-kettle system soon and was thinking the Koozy/neoprene approach would be great since there is no direct fire to worry about

**AnOldUR** · 03-26-2012, 10:07 PM

Yes. It's the 62 quart Bayou. Really happy with it!