Temp loss durring batch sparging with cooler

I have a 48qt coleman mashtun that I made to Denny Conns specifications. I will heat up my cooler with hotter water and wait for it to settle down to my strike temp before stirring in grain. The question I have is do you need to stir it several times durring the mash or can i just stir it at the beginning and forget about it for an hour? I fell like most of my temperature loss is from opening the mashtun.

i have a 5g iglo cooler, i stir it one time at the begining and than forget about it for an hour. this way my temp goes down only 2 degrees in 1 hour.

I check it at 15 minutes. If it is cooling too much, I stir in some of the sparge water.

In summer I move my cooler into the sun as soon as the right temp is hit. This seems to keep it at that temp perfectly for a long time (~90 minutes is the longest mash I've done and the temp was still spot on). I also put something heavy (~25Kgs) on the lid cos the lid is old and busted and doesn't seal properly anymore.

In winter I mash indoors and check at 30 mins. I usually have to top up just a little bit.

I use a 48 qt. cooler and almost never lose more than 1F over the course of a mash. Keep in mind that every time you open it to check temp or stir you lose heat.

I use a couple of old blankets to wrap the cooler in. works great.

Denny said:

I use a 48 qt. cooler and almost never lose more than 1F over the course of a mash. Keep in mind that every time you open it to check temp or stir you lose heat.

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I've got one of those electronic kitchen thermometers with the probe on a long thin cord. I just stick the probe into the mix and close the lid, and I can watch the temp without opening it up.