Cooler cooling off

[ol' rummie]

I bought a new cooler a couple of weeks ago and this is my second batch.
With my first batch I missed my OG badly. I started my second batch, preheated the cooler, after strike water and grains were added everything settled at 155F, after 40 mins I checked again and the temp. was 147F.
Just wondering if I should start with a higher temp. to compensate for the drop, or just get a better cooler??

 

[skinfiddler]

Is your lid warping from the heat?

I found that mine was and now use a couple of ratchet strap to tighten down the lid.

 

[bwitt]

Did you open the lid to check on the mash any during the 40 minutes?

I noticed that each time I took the lid off of mine I lost a degree or 2.

Now I only take the lid off at 30 min to stir and check on the mash. Usually at 60 min I have only lost 3 or 4 degrees.

 

[Jester369]

I made a disc of 2" rigid insulation that I can drop right on top of the mash and it holds temps really well. Might help your loss. Added bonus is that I can stick the thermo right through a hole in the foam and leave it there for the mash.

 

[bwitt]

I made a disc of 2" rigid insulation that I can drop right on top of the mash and it holds temps really well. Might help your loss. Added bonus is that I can stick the thermo right through a hole in the foam and leave it there for the mash.

That's a great idea. I've got some 1" styrofoam laying around that should work.

 

[FSR402]

Now I only take the lid off at 30 min to stir and check on the mash. Usually at 60 min I have only lost 3 or 4 degrees.

Why even do that? Is the mash going somewhere? Leave it alone, what are you gaining by messing with it? The grain is in the water so mixing it is only making you lose temp. Again I say "leave it alone".

 

[ol' rummie]

Is your lid warping from the heat?

I found that mine was and now use a couple of ratchet strap to tighten down the lid.

That sounds like it might be worth a try, I did notice some steam coming through the edges, i just threw a towel over it and obviously that didn't work.

 

[Blender]

I have had to clamp mine shut too because I can see the steam coming out of one end of the lid. I also throw a blanket on the top which helps retain the heat.

 

[JMD87]

Nobody asked what type of cooler you used? I'm assuming its a square type? I like that insulation over the top method, but if your cooler is poorly designed to begin with, why not spend the $40 on a decent cooler that will retain heat better? I have the 5 Gal round style, and it only lost 1 degree over 50min. Something is fishy.

 

[bwitt]

Why even do that? Is the mash going somewhere? Leave it alone, what are you gaining by messing with it? The grain is in the water so mixing it is only making you lose temp. Again I say "leave it alone".

Just the way I learned how to do it. It's probably not necessary but I believe it was just to make sure the mash temp was evenly distributed and to prevent hotspots in the grain.

 

[FSR402]

Just the way I learned how to do it. It's probably not necessary but I believe it was just to make sure the mash temp was evenly distributed and to prevent hotspots in the grain.

You're replacing the "hot spots" with cold spots. If you have the mash mixed well and take temp reading all over the place to make sure there are no hot spots you should be fine to leave it.
I would rather have one or two very small spots that are a little hot then to have the whole mash cold.

 

[bwitt]

You're replacing the "hot spots" with cold spots. If you have the mash mixed well and take temp reading all over the place to make sure there are no hot spots you should be fine to leave it.
I would rather have one or two very small spots that are a little hot then to have the whole mash cold.

Point taken As I stated before the 30min stir was probably unnecessary. I also don't really have a heat loss problem. I only lose 3 to 4 degrees over 60min anyway whether I open the lid at 30 min or not.

I was just pointing out to the OP that from my experience opening the lid of the cooler could result in a 1 to 2 degree heat loss each time.

 

[FSR402]

Point taken As I stated before the 30min stir was probably unnecessary. I also don't really have a heat loss problem. I only lose 3 to 4 degrees over 60min anyway whether I open the lid at 30 min or not.

I was just pointing out to the OP that from my experience opening the lid of the cooler could result in a 1 to 2 degree heat loss each time.

Don't take this the wrong way but IMHO 3-4* is huge. If I wanted a mash of 154 and got 150 I would have a different beer..

If the temp does not stay within a 1* swing you should do something to make sure it does. Meaning better insulation or going to a direct fire of some sorts. Just my $.02

 

[WBC]

If you really want control of your mash temperature you must have insulation that is up to the task and if you are outside and the temperature is below 70F I would use a sleeping bag over the cooler/mashtun. The insulation in a cooler can only do so much as it is not that thick. If the above is not to your liking then go to home depot and buy a sheet of foam and cut it to make a box with a top that you can place over the cooler when mashing. Anything you can do to retain heat is better than poorly mashed grain. All coolers are not created equal. Choose a quality cooler and it will do much better at retaining heat.

 

[Revvy]

I swear recently someone posted a pic of their cooler with silver backed insulation wrapped around it...I tried search but couldn't find it...anyone else remember it?

 

[houndhome1]

I aslo use the two inch foam. I then wrap the cooler with an old bed comforter. It really makes the difference. No problems with lose of heat.