Keg based mash tun - suggestions appreciated

[tekwyzrd]

I'm building a keg based mash tun and am still making certain crucial decisions regarding the design. I would appreciate suggestions and opinions about any of the items below.

1) Screen tubes vs false bottom

2) False bottom position relative to pickup tube/valve

3) Thermometer position relative to false bottom or screen tubes

Basically, when I decide on screen tubes or false bottom and position the thermometer accordingly I can start assembling.

 

[Nohup]

1) I use a false bottom in my sankey MT, and have always done so. It still has the occasional stuck sparge when using some oats or high-wheat grists. (I probably crush too finely, but that's beside the point) Stuck sparges in a sankey are a PITA, and you really need a good mash-paddle to get the grain back into suspension.
I would guess you'd have more stuck sparges with a screen, and that would be no fun. So, I'd suggest going with the false bottom. You'll probably be able to drain faster at any rate. Anything to speed up those 10 gallon brewdays is a plus.

2) Every false bottom for a sankey that I looked at went the full-width of the keg. They all folded in half to accommodate the cut opening in the keggle.
Mine goes under the valve opening, with a dip-tube that goes down through the false bottom. I can't see any other way to do it other than a bottom draining tun, which I have no experience with.

3) Thermometer. dunno. I check mine at dough-in by stirring wildly for 5 minutes, and swirling a thermo-pen around the surface. After that, the insulation keeps it at temp for the mash. I'll re-stir it afterward, and check the temp. (usually lose a degree or two,)

Good luck with the keggle-MT. It's a great way to mash. Make sure whatever insulation you put on is removable, wort getting down in there can turn nasty.

 

[Bobby_M]

The options are somewhat limited. If you plan to direct fire it (flame underneath), you'll need a full false bottom and you'll need to recirculate the liquid. No reason to have the false bottom above the drain when diptubes work fine. If you plan to make it passive, you will want to insulate the hell out of it and in that case, my preference would be to flip the keg over, cut a hole in the bottom and bottom drain it. You can get away with a smaller 12" false bottom in this configuration. You can also add a RIMS tube or HERMs coil later to this system. A second choice in a passive tun is to construct a dip tube that hugs the bottom contours and cover it with a large stainless braid. It's more complicated but certainly cheaper than a false bottom.