Proper probe placement with Mash Cooler

I finally have my BCS and I'm wondering where I place the temp probe for monitoring, when I'm using a round 10 gal cooler for mashing without recirc?

My experience with a mash cooler is that if you don't do an excellent job of stirring, including pulling mash up from the bottom when you stir, the temperature will stratify as you add hot water - it will be hotter on top than on bottom. I discovered this after I added a side thermometer to my GOTT cooler mash tun and the measurement did not agree with the digital thermometer I was using near the top. I "assumed" that one of them was off but whan I compared them side by side they measured the same temperature. I did find out that if I did a very careful job of stirring my mash I could get the two temperatures very close but never exact.

This led me to start on a RIMS tube project that I finally finished this week.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/just-finished-my-rims-tube-353184/

Now I just need to brew something....

So I guess that leads to my next question: Do you need a RIMS tube if using a larger cooler like that.

when you initially add the water, if you arent stirring well, the top will be warmer than the bottom. but if you were to stir until the whole mash was a uniform temp, the top of the mash would be the first place to eventually loose heat.

a mash heater isnt really ever *required*, but it makes life much easier if you are using a non-insulated container or doing large batches. it just takes one more variable out of the recipe.

if you are not recirculating, the best place for the probe would probably be dead center of the mash. this would give you the best average picture of what the temp actually was. but that could make stirring harder, etc.

tator2k said:

So I guess that leads to my next question: Do you need a RIMS tube if using a larger cooler like that.

Click to expand...

Thousands of homebrewers mash with a cooler every month and their beer turns out fine, but I bet that some are off target and the homebrewer never understands why. The cause could be mash temperature.

So, if you are as anal as I am about temperature or if you want to do a step mash with precise temperatures then yes, you need one.