Is my MT idea crazy?

[Marsdude]

This will begin with a long explanation. I am an extract brewer just brewing my 5th batch. I have been studying up on all grain brewing and would like to try it in the not to distant future. I was going to build a MT out of a rectangular cooler I have but today, while brewing my 5th batch, I had an idea.

We are on well water and the water that comes out of the tap is around 38 degrees. I always boil about 3.5 - 4 gal. of water, cool it with my wort chiller to around 80 or so, put it in the carboy, then add water up to 5 gal to and hope I get a final temp of about 70 in the carboy so I can pitch the yeast. This has been a hit and miss procedure. Also, I have one of those add-on water filters that has a separate faucet. I like to use the filtered water but it comes out really slow. So - today I came up with the idea of putting an extra 2+ gallons of filtered water in my sanitized bottling bucket and having it sit on the counter and warm up during my boil. It was taking a long time to warm up so I had an idea - I took a heating pad (like you would use for sore muscles) and wrapped it around the bucket. It worked. It raised the temp of the water, slowly but surely.

That is when this idea hit me. Could you use a bottling bucket for a MT? What I would do is wrap a heating pad around the outside and then wrap the pad and the bucket with a couple of layers of the silver plastic insulation you can get at HD. I would make an insulated lid. Why would I want to do this. I have read that people have trouble with the inside plastic of the coolers buckling. Also I wonder if I could get a consistent temp and higher efficiency with this set up.

So - what do you think?

 

[Hammy71]

I guess the questions are...how hot can a heating pad get? How much heat can the bucket take? If your going the electric route and don't trust a cooler to hold temp.... Search on here for an electric MLT. I use a 10 gallon round cooler. The inside buckled because my dumb arse dumped boiling water into it to heat it up..... Now I use 180 degree water to preheat my MLT cooler and haven't had a problem. But hey, I love new ideas.... you might be on to something.

 

[Bobby_M]

You'd want to look at the wattage rating. Odds are it's around 600 watts and you won't get even half of that into the water. I've often wondered about wrapping a metal mash tun with heat tape or an under-tile heating mat and then insulation wrapping around that. Great idea but too pricey.

 

[Marsdude]

You'd want to look at the wattage rating. Odds are it's around 600 watts and you won't get even half of that into the water. I've often wondered about wrapping a metal mash tun with heat tape or an under-tile heating mat and then insulation wrapping around that. Great idea but too pricey.

That is what I was wondering it the heat produced would be enough. You would just need to hold a temp but I don't know if it would. I may do some experimenting with a bucket full of water.

 

[oceanselv]

Not sure a bucket made from pvc would stand up tot the heat. A plastic cooler is typically made with a more heat resistant plastic such as polycarbonate. In household plumbing your hot water lines are cpvc instead of pvc.

 

[Bobby_M]

Buckets are typically HDPE which is good for boiling temps.

 

[arturo7]

The heating pad might do a pretty good job of holding a temp, but probably not enough juice to heat the water.

 

[Marsdude]

The heating pad might do a pretty good job of holding a temp, but probably not enough juice to heat the water.

That is what I was hoping. I don't need to raise any temps just maintain them. Heating pads are inexpensive, $10 -$15. I could use two. When I get a little free time, I will give this a try with my bottling bucket and water that I have brought up to 160 degrees in my boil pot.