Just made a new MLT, questions

[mc_eric]

This weekend, I put together an MLT from one of those round 10 gal home depot coolers and a SS braid. I just followed all the directions in the wiki (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Converting_a_cooler_to_a_mash_tun, the last design at the bottom of the page), all of the parts are exactly the same. I filled it up w/ water and everything is tight and leak free.

I've been brewing all grain for a couple years, doing a kind of BIAB method, but I've never actually used an MLT before. I know there are a bunch of people on here that use ones exactly like mine, so here are my questions:

1) From searching around on HBT, it seems like I shouldn't have to worry about the braid collapsing right? The thing doesn't seem particularly sturdy, though it is definitely stainless. It doesn't have any internal support, but it would be easy enough to add some if I have to. How much grain can I use with it like this? Can I just fill the thing up to the brim? The nice thing about the BIAB technique is that there's no such thing as a stuck sparge.

2) When I mash, I always add water to grain. The only time I put the water in first I wound up overshooting my mash temp (beer turned out great though). However, it seems like it might be kind of hard to stir the mash with the braid in there if I put the grain in first. How do you guys do it? Water first or grain first?

3) Just out of curiosity, what kind of efficiency #'s do you guys get out of these things? I plan on breaking it in this weekend, so I guess I'll find out soon enough, but it would be nice to get an idea of what I can expect. One of the reasons I decided to switch to the MLT was that I figured I would get more consistent efficiency this way. I was getting anywhere between 60-80+% using BIAB, it was all over the place. I'll be batch sparging BTW.

Thank you guys in advance, I guess I'm just looking for a little reassurance before I go using a piece of equipment I've never used before. Here's to HBT!

 

[IrregularPulse]

Fill it to the brim if need be and I do water first because I like to add it 7-11° hotter than my strike temp to preheat the tun itself. Then add grain while witting it with a paint stirrer on a dril, being careful not to hit the braid.

I get 75-80% efficiency depending on if I bought my grain crushed from NB(75) or BMW(80)

 

[mc_eric]

Sweet, thank you! I figure the efficiency swings are probably due more to differences in crush than anything else, I just thought of that right after I posted.

 

[damnitbeavis]

Fill it to the brim if need be and I do water first because I like to add it 7-11° hotter than my strike temp to preheat the tun itself. Then add grain while witting it with a paint stirrer on a dril, being careful not to hit the braid.

I get 75-80% efficiency depending on if I bought my grain crushed from NB(75) or BMW(80)

+1. Preheating your cooler is the most important thing that I found when I used to use a cooler for mashing. I would also fill your tun with water first, then add your grain if you are worried about compression of your braid.

 

[theonetrueruss]

I like to add 3/4 of my water, then grain, then keep adding water and stirring until I hit the temp I was shooting for.

 

[rico567]

I am using the same MLT as the OP, and the braid kit from Bargain Fittings. I ALWAYS preheat the MLT. Early in the morning I heat 3 gal. H2O to 170F and put it in the MLT. I then go run my errands in town. I come back and heat 5 gal of strike water to whatever my calculated mash temperature is going to be (on an average batch of 10-12 pounds of fermentables, that works out to Mash Temp + 8F). I pour out the preheat water, which is going to be (at that point) 145-147F. I install the braid, pour in the grist, pour in the strike water, and stir like mad until I'm sure the temperature is uniform throughout.

The above method hits my mash temp right on the money and produces the correct numbers in the refractometer an hour later. Methods may vary, and other methods may be just as valid as this one, but this one works.

(Note: I tried hitting mash temps using brewing software, with no luck whatsoever.....)

 

[gopherh3]

I load the grain first and pump the water in through the drain filling the grain bed from the bottom up. Never had an issue with stuck sparges or making paste using that method. I leave the mash tun inside overnight so I always start with the same thermal mass (grain and cooler) and hit my temps every time (within a degree or so.)