rubbermaid 50qt cooler for mash tun

Hi,

I got a rubbermaid 50qt cooler (one of those wheeled DuraChill), and I was wondering if it would be good enough to do 5 gallon batches on it.

I'm worried that it will lose temperature too fast because of the big head space that will be left with so little grain and water. If this turns out to be the case, is there any work around? Maybe doing small decoctions to bring the temperature up to the right level again?

What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

ps. correction, its a Five Day Endurance wheeled cooler.

I asked a similar question about my 48 qt rectangular Gott cooler, and was told by several people that it's precisely what they use, that the temp won't dip and it will work great. I have mine rigged but haven't had a chance to use it yet.

I think as long as you pre-heat it the headspace won't make too much difference over an hour or so, and as was pointed out to me, you won't have to upgrade to do high gravity brews or 10 gallon batches! good luck.

Yeah, you're good to go.

One of these guys?

I have been using mine for nearly 2 years. It works just fine. I have noticed after a 90 minute mash there will be a bit of a drop, maybe 1-2 degrees, but I have check after 60 minutes a number of times and the temp has not dropped. Above all, I think as long as you pre-heat it well, it will be just fine.

Slightly different cooler but still the same result.



Like Beerrific said pre heat the tun and you'll be fine. On really cold days I wrap in an old wool army blanket. I've heard of other folks making a floating lid from foam insulation to remove the dead space.

Yep, you'll make some fine beer with almost any coller as mash tun.