Oh admit it... you LOVE this topic. Pol's probably sitting at his computer DYING for another thread like this to start.
Ok... so here's my thought....
For my MT, I use a 20 gal aluminum pot mounted inside a 30 gal alum. pot and then spray foam insulated in between the two to insulate the entire thing. I have a 25ft 1/2 coild suspended in my HLT as my HEX and I constantly circ my MT. I have a PID controlling a 23 tip natural gas "jet burner" to maintain temp in my HLT.
NOW... granted... we're talking a lot of money and a lot of work (what else is new when it comes to brewing???)...
but....
WHAT ABOUT... grabbing another march pump, taking my 20 pot OUT of the 30... wrapping the entire thing in freakin' 1/2 copper soft-drawn and then sliding it back into the 30... making a jackeded MT?
Then, when I want to step, I would maintain circulating through the HEX but then also kick on the pump for the jacket as well. With the amount of heat those burners put out, I would THINK I could step up at a reasonable rate.
'cause really, the problem that is trying to be solved here is the most efficient exchange of heat from the HLT to the MT without over-heating any portion of the wort during step... right?
So the questions are whether or not the burner would keep up with the heat transfer... (NOT worried about that) and then how quickly the step could take place. Hmmm... it would be interesting to give it a shot.
Now... all this being said, I'll probably never do it because, 1) I just finished the freakin' thing so I'm probably not ripping it apart anytime soon and 2) I'm not 100% sure I buy into the need to do steps anyway...
I'm more interested in getting thoughts on plausability.
Ok... so here's my thought....
For my MT, I use a 20 gal aluminum pot mounted inside a 30 gal alum. pot and then spray foam insulated in between the two to insulate the entire thing. I have a 25ft 1/2 coild suspended in my HLT as my HEX and I constantly circ my MT. I have a PID controlling a 23 tip natural gas "jet burner" to maintain temp in my HLT.
NOW... granted... we're talking a lot of money and a lot of work (what else is new when it comes to brewing???)...
but....
WHAT ABOUT... grabbing another march pump, taking my 20 pot OUT of the 30... wrapping the entire thing in freakin' 1/2 copper soft-drawn and then sliding it back into the 30... making a jackeded MT?
Then, when I want to step, I would maintain circulating through the HEX but then also kick on the pump for the jacket as well. With the amount of heat those burners put out, I would THINK I could step up at a reasonable rate.
'cause really, the problem that is trying to be solved here is the most efficient exchange of heat from the HLT to the MT without over-heating any portion of the wort during step... right?
So the questions are whether or not the burner would keep up with the heat transfer... (NOT worried about that) and then how quickly the step could take place. Hmmm... it would be interesting to give it a shot.
Now... all this being said, I'll probably never do it because, 1) I just finished the freakin' thing so I'm probably not ripping it apart anytime soon and 2) I'm not 100% sure I buy into the need to do steps anyway...
I'm more interested in getting thoughts on plausability.