Brute Mash tun with Sous Vide heat control?

[GreenEnvy22]

Hi all,
I tried searching for this but only got results about people using their mash tun to cook food sous vide style, which is not what I want to do.

I've been mashing in a cooler like most people, but had an idea. Not sure it's a good idea, so thought I'd run it by everyone.
I have a few 20 gallon, and a 32 gallon, brute garbage cans I use as fermentation vessels for my wine and all grain brewing.
I've been experimenting with on the grain fermentation, and need to be able to do larger batches than my 52qt cooler can handle.

So my thought was to set a 20 gallon brute inside a 32 gallon. The 32 gallon has warm water in it, with a sous vide cooker to keep the water at the prescribed temperature. These pump the water around at a specified temperature, so should keep it even.
My mash goes into the inner brute, and I can then cover it and keep the temp steady as long as I want to.

My main concern would be that high heat in a brute. They are NSF certified, but not sure about any leaching concerns at 150ish degrees. Not that I'm much more confident our plastic coolers are any better.
I don't need to sparge or vorlauf with on the grain fermending, but with normal mashing, I suppose that could work with a valve and some tubing going through from the 20gal to the outside of the 32 gal, with the typical setup to keep out sediment/particles.

Thoughts on why this is a good or bad idea?

 

[J_Flint]

Hi all,
I tried searching for this but only got results about people using their mash tun to cook food sous vide style, which is not what I want to do.

I've been mashing in a cooler like most people, but had an idea. Not sure it's a good idea, so thought I'd run it by everyone.
I have a few 20 gallon, and a 32 gallon, brute garbage cans I use as fermentation vessels for my wine and all grain brewing.
I've been experimenting with on the grain fermentation, and need to be able to do larger batches than my 52qt cooler can handle.

So my thought was to set a 20 gallon brute inside a 32 gallon. The 32 gallon has warm water in it, with a sous vide cooker to keep the water at the prescribed temperature. These pump the water around at a specified temperature, so should keep it even.
My mash goes into the inner brute, and I can then cover it and keep the temp steady as long as I want to.

My main concern would be that high heat in a brute. They are NSF certified, but not sure about any leaching concerns at 150ish degrees. Not that I'm much more confident our plastic coolers are any better.
I don't need to sparge or vorlauf with on the grain fermending, but with normal mashing, I suppose that could work with a valve and some tubing going through from the 20gal to the outside of the 32 gal, with the typical setup to keep out sediment/particles.

Thoughts on why this is a good or bad idea?

Im not sure I would want to drink anything mashed, fermented, or held otherwise in one of those brute containers. Even if they are NSF certified, they have been certified for their /intended purpose/....holding trash. I would be concerned very much so about leaching nasties into your beverages.

 

[GreenEnvy22]

Im not sure I would want to drink anything mashed, fermented, or held otherwise in one of those brute containers. Even if they are NSF certified, they have been certified for their /intended purpose/....holding trash. I would be concerned very much so about leaching nasties into your beverages.

They are certified for holding food. And they are used by hundreds or thousands of home winemakers, with Wine being a good deal more acidic then beer in general.
The temperature is the only real concern I have from a safety standpoint.

Edit: link to the website https://www.rubbermaidcommercial.co...te-food-handling-containers/?sku=FG263256GRAY

 

[J_Flint]

They are certified for holding food. And they are used by hundreds or thousands of home winemakers, with Wine being a good deal more acidic then beer in general.
The temperature is the only real concern I have from a safety standpoint.

Edit: link to the website https://www.rubbermaidcommercial.co...te-food-handling-containers/?sku=FG263256GRAY

Ah Okay, my bad. Well then I would say that the concern would be on a similar level as any of the coolers people use as youd mentioned already. I personally dont use ANY plastic in my brewery, and even in my kitchen. I care lots about my mental and testicular health....plastic aint no good for you lol.

 

[Staticsouls]

In theory it sound like it could work to some degree. The one thing I can see being an issue is how well the sous vide heater can circulate the water jacket. I can see it working but also having hot and cold spots. Water test it to find out just run the whole thing with water only and no grain to see if the inner section does stabilize to the temps you think it might.