Mash tun insulation???

What type of wrap insulation have you guys used on your keg/pot mash tun?

I wrap the container in cling film, then spray it with expanding building foam (cavity infil stuff) I get about 3" depth of foam, then cut vertically on each side and it's all done. I use it for the mash and the FV .

Velvet Shield Welding Blanket - carbon fiber good to 3000 degrees.

If it's terribly cold out, I'll throw a sleeping bag around my mlt (I cut some holes in it) Normally I just let the RIMs do its thing.

Until I started direct firing, I used a closed cell foam gym mat wrapped with foil tape. Worked surprisingly well.

High temp mineral wool held in place with a removable metal jacket.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#9328k41/=pwkpbw

Thanks guys. I currently direct fire my mash tun but I keep the flame very low so I don't scorch the grain. I'm most likely going to switch to either a HERMS or a RIMS electric setup in the near future so an open flame won't be a concern.
I was thinking about using fiberglass duct insulation. It's fire resistant to a point and should provide a good level of insulation. Than I would possibly wrap it in a harbor freight welding blanket for added protection and insulation and to keep everything looking neat.

I direct fire with the mineral wool and have not had any problems. I'm thinking about putting it on the boil kettle too.

I'm thinking about insulating my mash tun, HLT, and boil kettle. All in an effort to save money on propane now, and electricity in the future. If, and when, I make the switch.

Mike

Snausages01 said:

I direct fire with the mineral wool and have not had any problems. I'm thinking about putting it on the boil kettle too.

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I am thinking about how I can maintain mash step temps in cooler weather with my direct fire mash tun. I can't afford a RIMS system just yet and I like your system. How do you tighten the metal jacket over the wool to hold it in place?

The mineral wool is just glued to the jacket and the jacket is held in place by the two clamps seen on the front. I pull it off after I'm done brewing so I can clean the pot and not have to worry about getting the insulation wet. It also allows the insulation to dry if I spilt anything on while brewing.

Snausages01 said:

The mineral wool is just glued to the jacket and the jacket is held in place by the two clamps seen on the front. I pull it off after I'm done brewing so I can clean the pot and not have to worry about getting the insulation wet. It also allows the insulation to dry if I spilt anything on while brewing.

Click to expand...

That's a great system. 2 more questions, if you don't mind:

1. What kind of high temp glue would you recommend?
2. How did you attach the clamps? I'm guessing that you used bolts and nuts before gluing on the wool - but maybe grommets?

Best,

Steve

My solution is to wrap my mashtun in an electric blanket with another blanket wrapped around it. It is cheap and works well. The only draw back is when I direct fire I have to unwrap it.

Sent from my HTC One using Home Brew mobile app

I'll second the carbon fiber welding blanket, works great and can handle direct fire with no issues.

I want to try this on my blichmann MT how does this look maybe folded for extra thickness??

http://m.harborfreight.com/4-ft-x-6...t-67833.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided

How would you guys attach the welding blanket to the tun? Maybe a stretchable cord of some kind on the top and bottom? If the blanket had a couple of layers, then the bottom part would probably insulate the cord from the heat of the burner.

lhommedieu said:

That's a great system. 2 more questions, if you don't mind:

1. What kind of high temp glue would you recommend?
2. How did you attach the clamps? I'm guessing that you used bolts and nuts before gluing on the wool - but maybe grommets?

Best,

Steve

Click to expand...

I just used regular spray adhesive. The jacket never gets that hot; I can always put my hand on it. The only part of the insulation that gets hot is the stuff on the very bottom that is exposed to the flame when I'm heating strike water with full flame.

The clamps were welded to the jacket.

bbnbrew said:

I want to try this on my blichmann MT how does this look maybe folded for extra thickness??

http://m.harborfreight.com/4-ft-x-6...t-67833.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided

Click to expand...

That is fiberglass, not carbon fiber... I can't speak to its ability to withstand direct fire.

lhommedieu said:

How would you guys attach the welding blanket to the tun? Maybe a stretchable cord of some kind on the top and bottom? If the blanket had a couple of layers, then the bottom part would probably insulate the cord from the heat of the burner.

Click to expand...

I used to have snaps installed on the blanket so I could just snap it in place, but it has stretched a bit over the last 2 years. Now I just wrap it around the MLT and use a bungee cord to hold it in place.

I use the Velvet Shield carbon fiber welding blanket, wrapped triple layer around and secured with some nuts, bolts and washers. Looks like hell where it bolts, but works like a charm. I can post a link to the item when I'm back on my PC, but right after I bought it the price went up like crazy!

Snausages01 said:

I just used regular spray adhesive. The jacket never gets that hot; I can always put my hand on it. The only part of the insulation that gets hot is the stuff on the very bottom that is exposed to the flame when I'm heating strike water with full flame.

The clamps were welded to the jacket.

Click to expand...

Chris, any advice on a specific adhesive? I tried using foamboard insulation adhesive and it didn't hold at all. Mineral wool tore a bit so I'll need to glue it to the sheet metal in a few places - not a big deal but want to make sure the glue holds the second time around to avoid any more tears.

Thanks for the great idea - looking forward to see how it holds mash temp.

Any pictures of final result?