Mash tun and HLT which size for which?

Here's the deal. I have a 10g and. 5g cooler. Building an electric HLT and a new mashtun. I'm thinking the 5 for the hlt. I do 5.5g batches. I've done 10g batches and don't enjoy them, but to have a back up option should I choose too. This setup will be ONLY for 5.5g batches. Average 1065 and under batches. So I want to hear opinions before cutting o
into anything. These coolers are basically my last chance at obtainig a 3 vessel system anytime soon.

This thread should help:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/how-big-your-mash-tun-needs-123585/

I would get another 10 gal. You would definitely want the 10 as the mlt but will wish you had a 10g hlt as well...If you have no other use for the 5g, make a 5g mlt for smaller batches although some would say that is unnecessary...

just my opinion.

I agree. You've "seen" my system, and even with a 10 gallon HLT, there is some downtime waiting for the water for the sparge to heat.

My system is for 5 gallons, and even with starting with 9 gallons of water at the beginning, I'm adding a bit of water for the sparge. Even if you're only mashing in with 18 quarts for a batch using 12 pounds of grain, you'll need 4 gallons +/- of sparge water. A 5 gallon HLT means refilling, and waiting for it to heat, so a HERMS wouldn't work if that's in your plans. Even if you're not going to be doing HERMS, consider how long it takes to heat 4 gallons of sparge water. You'd have to get a bigger element if you're refilling the HLT and going to have it ready for mashout in 45 minutes or so.

I would highly recommend the 10 gallon cooler HLT.

goose1873 said:

I would get another 10 gal. You would definitely want the 10 as the mlt but will wish you had a 10g hlt as well...If you have no other use for the 5g, make a 5g mlt for smaller batches although some would say that is unnecessary...

just my opinion.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the opinion, but the point I tried to get across above is that buying another vessel right now is not an option.

YooperBrew said:

I agree. You've "seen" my system, and even with a 10 gallon HLT, there is some downtime waiting for the water for the sparge to heat.

My system is for 5 gallons, and even with starting with 9 gallons of water at the beginning, I'm adding a bit of water for the sparge. Even if you're only mashing in with 18 quarts for a batch using 12 pounds of grain, you'll need 4 gallons +/- of sparge water. A 5 gallon HLT means refilling, and waiting for it to heat, so a HERMS wouldn't work if that's in your plans. Even if you're not going to be doing HERMS, consider how long it takes to heat 4 gallons of sparge water. You'd have to get a bigger element if you're refilling the HLT and going to have it ready for mashout in 45 minutes or so.

I would highly recommend the 10 gallon cooler HLT.

Click to expand...

I don't plan Herms or Rims. I currently have a 12.5G mashtun that I suppose I could keep, but wanted to upgrade to a round one. I suppose I could go ahead and make the 5G into a mashtun and the majority of the beers I'd use it would work, but I'd still have the 12.5G cube one if needed. Guess I'll just have 2 mash tuns

Any other opinions? Not that I don't value the first two. Just more perspective is always better.

you could turn the 12.5g into the hlt and use the round 10g as MLT...if you plan on batch sparging i would just keep the 12.5g cube mlt.

You could only do about 1.060 beers in a 5 gallon MLT, so I'd keep the 10 gallon as an MLT. If you have to keep the 5 gallon, you could use it as an HLT but you'll need a bigger element to heat the water in time for the sparge. It takes about 90 minutes for me to get 8-9 gallons of water to 175 with my 1500 w element.

YooperBrew said:

You could only do about 1.060 beers in a 5 gallon MLT, so I'd keep the 10 gallon as an MLT. If you have to keep the 5 gallon, you could use it as an HLT but you'll need a bigger element to heat the water in time for the sparge. It takes about 90 minutes for me to get 8-9 gallons of water to 175 with my 1500 w element.

Click to expand...

I don't know if I've ever brewed a 1060 or larger beer
90 minutes to 175 for 8-9 gallons. hmmm...


Something I forgot about when i posted this. I also have a spare keg I forgot about

10G cooler as mash tun, keg as HLT or other way around? I currently want to plan this for a standard outlet so I'm looking at 1500W. This is a temporary thought hopefully until I talk to an electrician about getting a secondary outlet spliced into my garage from my 240 60A Dryer outlet. (swmbo will have to hold out on laundry on brew day, she'll be so heartbroken )

This rig planning on a budget sucks with so many options available. Hell If I can get the outlet, I'll proceed with the EBK as well and go with a 4500W in the hlt as well.

Sorry if this thread gets's messy. I'm kind of planning it out while typing as well.

Maybe using the keg for the HLT would be easiest since I'll be using an element up to 4500W. That'd make it easy to swap out an original 150)W for a 4500W after I upgrade as well......AAARRRRGH

Yeah, I'd use the keg for the HLT. I think you'd lose too much heat with it as the MLT. I like a cooler for the MLT with an electric set up. With an electric HLT, it'll cycle off and on if you start to lose heat, so it's not a problem. You could even make a lid for it, to hold heat better. (And, since you're doing that, why not make a HERMS? )

I'm going over to lschiavo's later today. He got/made a new stirrer for his HLT (which is a keg). I'll check it out and see what he did.

sweet, See if he minds if you snap a few pics.

My 2 cents, i dont know about heat loss on a 5 gallon batch in a 10 gallon round cooler with all that head space, but i also do 5 gallon batches in my 5 gallon igloo mlt under 1.060 and i have virtually no heat loss in a typical mash.In fact i started a mash yesterday and had to go to the hospital i only lost 5 degrees in a four hour mash; hopefully the beer turns out ok!

5 gallon HLT and 10 gallon MLT.

Thanks for everyones input. I guess It currently depends on if my electrician Friend of family can throw me an outlet in the garage or not off my dryer circuit. If so, I'll be using the 10G for a MT and my spare keg for a HLT. If no, I'll use the 5G as an hlt for now. I don't think I'd have a problem reaching sparge temps during the hour mash if I fill it to 5G to start with, fill my mash tun with my 3.5-4G typical strike water, then top it back off to reheat.....I hope. I also like the idea that I was able to pick the Full 5G cooler up yesterday with problems in case there is ever a need during pump failure or what not.