Insulating Keggles

[Golddiggie]

Here's what my keg mash tun looks like with a single layer of the carbon fiber blanket glued to it...

I'm contemplating adding some to the area around the hole, to add a bit more insulation there. I'll have to see if I have enough glue left, that's usable, to do that. If not, then I would need to order another can, and I might not get enough benefit from that to make it worth the expense.

With the Velcro you see glued to the keg, as well, I can secure another layer of the blanket (goes around 1-1/2 times) for even more insulation.

 

[cardinalsfan]

if i use reflectix, does it go shiny side towards the keggle or shiny side out?

 

[Golddiggie]

Both sides should be shiny... Just don't fire the mash tun with that around it, or you'll quickly find out why some of us have stopped using it. With how my mash tun is configured, it would have been too much of a PITA to try to get it to slip over the top. I do still use a circle of it on top of the lid for the mash tun, to help insulate the top. It's far enough away from the higher temps to be safe. But the lower 1/3-1/2 of what was around the keg got it's insides melted. Didn't smell all that nice.

 

[cardinalsfan]

I do BiaB in a 5 gal kettle so I was hoping to use this to maintain temps during the mash. Since no heat will be directly applied to the kettle while the reflectix is on, I am not too worried. This is just replacing the towels I use to surround the kettle during my mash. I don't think it will be an issue.

It's also BIAB on a indoor stovetop, not gas or propane.

 

[terrenum]

Hi!
I also have to insulate my mash tun. I occasionnally fire the mash tun when doing multiple steps.
I am curious to know how the blanket worked for you?
Were you able to maintain your mash temp?

 

[Bobby_M]

In order to know if the welding blanket is helping much, you should really do a heatloss comparison over some measured time.

 

[bajabrewer]

I found the following used for keg insulation... has anyone used this??? They claim it's heat resistant to 350°F.

http://thekegkoozy.com/mash-tun-insulation

any reviews???

 

[Golddiggie]

I found the following used for keg insulation... has anyone used this??? They claim it's heat resistant to 350°F.

http://thekegkoozy.com/mash-tun-insulation

any reviews???

Interesting... Be curious to see if any HBT members have used one for a keg mash tun yet. Might be worth picking up. Just not sure how it will handle the insulation I already have around my keg mash tun...

 

[kmk1012]

Just out of curiosity, why would you insulate your vessel? So you can walk away and do something else? You should do as I do, watch the temp fall at a steady rate, drink your beer as needed, then refire to maintain a somewhat steady temp. Just kidding, normally by the time the mashing in my un-insulated direct fire keggle is done, I have to take an average of temps and guess what to record in my brew book. my average rate is 4 beers for a 60 min mash or 6 beers for a 90 min. I've gottem pretty good and almost don't need a stop watch!

 

[sv_1]

Interesting... Be curious to see if any HBT members have used one for a keg mash tun yet. Might be worth picking up. Just not sure how it will handle the insulation I already have around my keg mash tun...

I ordered one. Ill report back on how well it works.

 

[terrenum]

I ordered one. Ill report back on how well it works.

Please do. I guess it is easy to take it off with the zipper if you have to fire up your mash ... and then put it back in place once you have reached the desired temp.
Let us know how it goes and how much degrees you loose in 60 min.

 

[Bobby_M]

I used to think I'd be happy with a removable jacket on my direct fire tun. It became a hassle and I'd often forget to remove it when firing. If you're going to direct fire a tun, insulate it with something that can take the flame.

 

[fdog]

So I recently upgraded to a Keggle mash tun, and have been struggling with keeping my Mash temperatures respectable.

I bought one of those Keg Koozies (http://thekegkoozy.com/) thinking that would be a great way to keep my temperatures up, but in the first couple mashes, I was all over the place. Also, I'm doing a 5 gallon batch, so I'm typically mashing 6.25 gallons (my keg has 2.25 wasted liquid at the bottom) out of a 15.5 gallon container, so there's quite a bit of air at the top of the keg. YMMV if you're mashing a larger volume of water, which I'd expect to hold its temperature better.

One problem could be that I can't actually zip the thing all the way to the bottom due to the spigot that I'm using, also the neoprene doesn't fit tightly where the thermometer/thermowell is mounted in the bottom of my keg:

Last weekend I bought the 2'x25' Reflectix roll from Lowes (~$25) and some Velcro sticky pads (got 3 of them at $2 each) and built my own.

I wrapped around 4 times, and had enough spare leftover material for a 4-layer lid:

The Velcro works great and was pretty cheap:

Tonight I did a test-run where I heated water inside my Keggle (direct fire Mash Tun) and let it sit for 60 minutes to see what the temperature response was. In each test-run, I heated until the thermometer read 170F, removed from heat and wrapped up the Keggle when it hit 160F. I started the clock there and recorded temperature at 10 minute increments for an hour.

Here are the results:

Time Keg Koozie  Reflectix Wrap
0     160F          160F
10    150F          154F
20    144F          150F
30    140F          150F
40    139F          150F
50    137F          150F
60    134F          150F

As you can see, the temperature drop-off for the Keg Koozie is really crappy. Given the performance of the Reflectix and the fact that it was half the cost of the Keg Koozie, I just thought I'd post here to let others know that the Keg Koozie *DOES NOT* work well at all to maintain Mash temperatures over 60 minutes.

Given the choice between the two, the Reflectix was very east to cut to shape and work with (it's just bubble wrap with foil wrapping).

 

[bajabrewer]

Great Report fdog!!! Thanks for sharing... I was getting ready to buy the koozy, but not after reading this. Heading over to Lowes today after work.

 

[slakwhere]

of COURSE youre reflectix worked better... it has a lid

 

[fdog]

of COURSE youre reflectix worked better... it has a lid

Yea, seems pretty obvious in hindsight

I was reading through the FAQ on the keg koozie's website when I was first trying to decide between that or Reflectix, and they said that the lid was not important due to the tight fit of the neoprene. I was taken in by it--naive, I guess. But hey, it's obvious now that the lid is indeed important.

One other point, they list the rated temperature of the keg Koozie up to 350F, but I singed the crap out of mine the first time I put it on. I guess it's possible the bottom of the keggle got that hot (highly doubt it), but yet another strike against it.

 

[SeanGC]

A buddy and I use the Keg Koozy in our set up.

Our biggest issue with the Keg Koozy is there is no insulation for the top and bottom of the keggle (as already stated in this thread). We cut holes in the neopryene to accomodate our brewmometer and ball valve. We also purchased some additional insulation for the top and put a insulating foam board underneath the keg. This seems to have solved all of our problems. Our temp readings are similar to fdog's reflectix report. About a 10 degree drop before stabilizing.

I can't say I had any problems with singeing our Koozy. It has handled heat very well.

So it has its pros and cons. Obviously, the major con is the top and bottom being uninsulated.

Just another report on the keg koozy to compare and contrast with others.

 

[Gridlocked]

Here is what I used. I loose less than a half of a degree over an hour rest.
Disclaimer: I had enjoyed a few beverages before filming.


I like the fact that I can still direct-fire the bottom of the keg if I want.

Product: http://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/quiet_duct_wrap/quiet_duct_wrap.htm?d=26

 

[AnOldUR]

A buddy and I use the Keg Koozy in our set up.

What's the diameter and height of a keg? Wondering if one of these would fit my 15 gallon pot.

Love your exhaust hood!

 

[fletchsj]

Here is what I used. I loose less than a half of a degree over an hour rest.
Disclaimer: I had enjoyed a few beverages before filming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF-I9YIRjFI&list=UUdIYuuWoTd3SY2HTnRUXDnw&index=8&feature=plcp

I like the fact that I can still direct-fire the bottom of the keg if I want.

Product: http://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/quiet_duct_wrap/quiet_duct_wrap.htm?d=26

you say in your video that you could do this for 20 bucks... um the website says it is 70+ for a 15' roll. seems like a nice product but fairly spendy

 

[LMGK]

Does anyone use a set up for a brew keggle that Bowes out toward the bottom to catch heat coming up the sides of the keggle. I feel I lose a lot of heat. Right now I use aluminum flashing and pin in around the keggle top and it pitches out like a christmass tree toward the burner. I was thinking I could set up a system that uses insulation such as mineral wool and use the same set up. Does anyone know if this would really make a difference in terms of heating the keggle faster?

 

[Golddiggie]

I wonder how the keg koozy would work on my keg mash tun. I already have the carbon fiber blanket glued to it (single layer) and sometimes wrap it with another section that goes around it 1-1/2 times. If the koozy does as good a job as the second wrap, and is easier to remove/add, then it could be worth it.

Maybe I'll use some of the reflectix I still have on hand and make a slip-over insulator for the mash tun. With the blanket glued onto the keg, that should offer enough protection/barrier to prevent the plastic inside the reflectix from melting on me (again). I probably won't go all the way to the bottom either, stopping a bit from the bottom weld in the keg. Or glue a flap of the carbon fiber blanket that I can lift up to cover the lower edge of the reflectix to protect it.

I did notice very little temperature drop when the mash tun was almost full. So it's really just a matter of increasing the insulation for when it's not that full. I should be able to get that taken care of before the next brew day.

 

[Gridlocked]

you say in your video that you could do this for 20 bucks... um the website says it is 70+ for a 15' roll. seems like a nice product but fairly spendy

Yeah, the website prices are slightly inflated. If you call, the stuff is $1.09 a square foot ($60 for the roll) and you can wrap either three or four kegs with a whole roll (4'x15') without a problem. So, if you can find a buddy or two to split the cost, it's close to twenty-bucks a keg. Plus, I had been drinking a bit before I filmed.

Fletchsj - I can't send you a pm. Shoot me an E-mail. ted(theatsign)stopnoise(d0tkom)

 

[LMGK]

Just finished copying bobby m thread for insulating max keggle tun with mineral wool. It works great.

 

[ghart999]

of COURSE youre reflectix worked better... it has a lid

Yeah I would love to see another test where the keg jacket has the same insulated lid you used with the reflectix.

 

[elmito]

I don't direct fire so I went with the standard water heater blanket. A razor knife and some duct tape was all that was needed.

Please tell me that was originally meant for a fish tank stand. I'm not the only mad man?