Aluminum or plastic wrap

[mm1473]

Hello--

I just have a quick question I have not been able to find the answer to by searching. I am having some problems maintaining mash temps in my cooler even with preheating and having my grains at room temp. I saw one thread where someone suggested that there was too much head space in that person's cooler and they needed to take it up with Styrofoam. I though this might be part of my problem so I was going to give it a try and got some Styrofoam. My question is this: since I don't want my wort in contact with the Styrofoam nor do I want a bunch of little white floaties in my wort--what should I wrap it in--aluminum foil or plastic wrap. I can come up with plusses and minuses to each so I thought I would throw it out at the experts. Thanks for your time and replies

 

[evrose]

I wouldn't put thin plastic (saran wrap) in 150F wort for an hour and expect it not to melt a bit.

I'd go with aluminum foil. Heck, my mash tun/boil kettle is aluminum... aluminum is perfectly safe. Hot plastic... well... not as much.

Having said that, why not just insulate the OUTSIDE of the mash tun? Seems a lot easier and less messy.

 

[mm1473]

I tried that with a below zero sleeping bag and blankets and still lost 7degrees in an hour mash. The Styrofoam was free and got the aluminum and plastic wrap for a buck at the dollar store so I thought I would give it a shot. I know I need a different cooler but this one was free and that makes the price right--especially in the disapproving eyes of the wife.

 

[WDT]

What kind of cooler are you using and where are you at?

I lose 1-2 degrees in a 90min mash with my igloo 10 gallon round cooler. No extra insulation, headspace and all. Ambient temps for me when mashing are around 70-80F.

 

[mm1473]

Same ambient temps--it is a 50ish quart cooler and I usually do 8-10lb grain batches. Have tried many tricks and this headspace one is my next try. Figured it would be worth a shot.

 

[WDT]

So plan for it, 30 minutes in add a measured amount of water to bring the temp up. There are a few online calculators that help you determine what volumes to add.

 

[rklinck]

I wouldn't put thin plastic (saran wrap) in 150F wort for an hour and expect it not to melt a bit.

I'd go with aluminum foil. Heck, my mash tun/boil kettle is aluminum... aluminum is perfectly safe. Hot plastic... well... not as much.

Having said that, why not just insulate the OUTSIDE of the mash tun? Seems a lot easier and less messy.

Saran wrap is fine at 150 degrees. I have used it to wrap ribs that sat in a 225 degree oven for 4 hours and it did not melt (picked this up from a food network show).

 

[mm1473]

I am currently adding hot water to keep the temp up. I just keep a wireless thermometer in the cooler and when the mash cools down too much I add the water. It is kind of a PITA and it actually takes more water than you would think to get the temp back up which messes with sparge volumes etc...I would like to be able to stop doing it--so enter the Styrofoam idea. I just didn't know what to wrap it in so that is why I posted--sounds like I would be fine either way though.

 

[C-Rider]

I do 3 gallon mashes in a 5 gallon cooler which I pre-heat w/water from the hot water tank at about 140*. If my strike is say 162 with 4 lbs of grain I can hold an average of 152 over 75 min here in an un-airconditioned house in Hawai`i.

 

[slarkin712]

What kind of lid does the cooler have on it? Does it fit tightly? Is it hollow, i.e. uninsulated? I do mashes in my 60 qt igloo cooler that leave a lot of headspace. I used to lose ~3 F over an hour. I added great stuff spray foam insulation into the lid, which was hollow. Now I may lose 1 F over an hour.

 

[mm1473]

I think it is hollow which I have always figured was the majority of my problem. I thought about the spray insulation but that costs like $12 a can and styrofoam is free. Like I said--anything to keep the wife happy--and free keeps her happy!!

 

[LovesIPA]

It's got to be tough to brew at all when you can't spend $12 on a can of spray insulation.

 

[JrBeerGut]

$4.96 a can on The Home Depot website.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/GREAT-STUFF-16-oz-Big-Gap-Filler-Insulating-Foam-Sealant-248314/100029171#.Uh54m0LD85s

 

[primalyeti]

I'm curious to know how this worked out, I'm having the same problem. I brew 2 gallon batches which leaves me with lots of headspace. Preheating with 180 degree water and waiting for it to drop helps, but i still lose about 6-8 degrees over the hour, makes it a pain in the ass.

My next step is to try 1. insulating the lid and 2. the styrofoam in the headspace.

 

[fvirzi]

I always put aluminum foil on top then put the lid on to hold it tight. Seems to help a little and doesn't touch the goods