I have a 10 gal igloo water cooler (the yellow kind with red lid). I preheat it for 20 min with water well above my mash temp + grain. Every time I mash in a 5 gallon batch I end up about 1-2 degrees above my mash temp. After a 60 min mash I lose on average 4 degrees. I also use 1 1/2" of foam sheeting cut to fit into the cooler to minimize head space to under 6". Is there anything else I can do to hold temps better? The only thing I can think of is I need to add my grain stir, let it sit 10 min then sitr again and recheck my temp incase I am loosing temp in the first 10 min as the grain sucks up some extra heat I dont account for in the first min the grain has been added and stirred.
Igloo water cooler wont stop losing heat
- Thread starter ekjohns
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jiggs_casey
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cover it in blankets maybe?
It can take ten minutes or even longer for the grain bed temperatures to stabilize. Do exactly what you described in your last sentence above and you should be good to go. The foam is a good idea. Check the grain bed temp in several places and take an average. It will never be completely uniform throughout.
prrriiide
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You might try drilling a 1/4" hole in the outer side of the lid and shooting great stuff into the lid. The lids usually aren't insulated. Or, you could take a circle of foam smaller than the inside diameter of the lid and glue it to the underside of the lid. Leave enough room for the lid to screw on. I don't know if your current foam you use to minimize head space is accomplishing the same effect or not.
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I have the same cooler and have no problem. I always check my temp after thoroughly mixing grain and water and again every 15 minutes and get less than degree drop 60 minutes.
Exactly, many times people dough in and take a temp reading. 5-10 minutes later another temp reading indicates a "false" temp loss. IME you need to dough in, wait 5 - 10 minutes for the mash to stabilize, stir again well, and then take a temperature.
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
IMO you need to stir for more than 1 min at dough in. I stir for at least 5 min at dough in, which not only lets the temps equalize, but also makes absolutely sure there aren't any dough balls and has a significant positive effect on my efficiency. If your arms don't get tired, you're not stirring enough.
autobaun70
Well-Known Member
definitely foam fill the top if it is not already, that should help you a lot. Lack of lid insulation doesn't make much difference for use with ice, as the cold air/water stays low in the vessel, but heat does just the opposite.
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
You stir for 5 minutes? Why?
I stir as I add grain to mix it with the water, and that's all.
No dough balls, efficiency is in the 80% range. Less than a degree of heat loss in 60 minutes, in JANUARY.
I think you are losing a lot of heat with that excessive stirring.
I tried to insulate the lid a while back but the great stuff would never set. It would foam up then as it sat it collapsed back down. The foam circle I have is a tight fit and I can lower it all the way to the grain bed. Doing this the lid is cool to the touch. I usually stir for about 1 min (maybe a little less) really well, take a temp reading and then seal it all up. I will try next time to stir for several min. then let it sit for 10 min then take another reading. It should also allow me to identify if this is where I am loosing heat where if see a 3-4 temp drop I have identified where im loosing it. Thanks Ill report back on my next brew in a few weeks
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