Suggestions on how to reduce headspace in my BIAB kettle

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JeffoC6

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I do 1 gallon batches. I do BIAB in a 3 gallon stainless steel stock pot. My system is completely dialed in and I pretty much nail 70% efficiency each time. I'm just looking for a suggestion on how I could keep my mash temps more stabilized. I know for a fact I'm losing temps due to having only half the kettle filled with water/grains. With all of that head space, I'm losing heat.

What would you guys suggest? Any type of "false top" that I could drop into my kettle to reduce the amount of headspace I have? Almost like a plunger of sorts. Hmmm...
 
Are you doing 1 gallon batches? My 10 gallon pot is almost full for a 5 gallon BIAB batch.

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Aluminum foil on top of the mash surface then place lid on top of that. Maybe even invert lid.
 
If your pot fits in the oven you could preheat it to the 150s then put the pot in. That should hold the temp a lot better than being out in the open. This is assuming you're doing this in your kitchen...
 
What are you doing to keep the heat in? I do 2 1/2 gallon batches in a 5 gallon pot and just wrapping the pot with a bath towel keeps my mash temp within a degree. You might need something with more insulation but that extra space shouldn't be much of a problem. Make sure to insulate the lid well.
 
When i do partial mashes I put a cake rack holder thingy in the bottom, grain bag sits on it about 1.5 inches off the bottom and put the pot on a small burner which is on low. My temp stays at 150 the entire time. I open the lid and stir mash about every 10 mins as well as rotate the pot a quarter turn every 5 mins or so.

I was losing heat quickly any other way I tried it, wrapped with blankets, you name it. Never put it in the oven but this current method works great.
 
I second the pot in the oven, as I have found this very effective. I also just wrap a fleece blanket around it and let it mash too. Both give me excellent effic. when doing smaller batches.
 
If you're BIAB in a pot, you can gently turn the burner on during the mash to recover any lost heat. Be sure to stir before you decide to fire, though. Over the mash time, the temps will stratify with the higher temps on the top. If your sensor is near the bottom you will get a false low reading. Stirring will redistribute the heat and give you a more realistic temp number.
 

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