Monitoring temps on the foundry

[RyPA]

Does anyone use any other type of thermometor to measure mash temp, or do you rely on old faithful at the bottom of the unit? I was thinking of getting either a probe or use my meat thermometer and put the probe about mid way down to give me a better idea of what the midway down temp is. Or, is there not enough of a difference between the top and bottom for it to matter?

Something like this https://a.co/d/dqBRKz4
Or your classic grill meat thermometor that uses a stainless line connected to metal probe

 

[doug293cz]

I use one of the 24" versions of this: https://www.thermoworks.com/t-grip/ . Allows you to probe pretty much anywhere in the mash to check temperature distribution.

Brew on

 

[Climb]

@RyPA - Your post above sounds like you are interested in the relative temperature change in different parts of the mash. The thermometer you link to may be good enough for relative temperature changes, but you won't know for sure. Notice there is no accuracy spec on the Amazon product web page. It only mentions a resolution of 2 C (3.6F). I wouldn't want to use that thermometer for actual temperature measurements for mashing.
Notice that the Thermoworks thermometer linked to by doug293cz has an accuracy of 0.9 F between 14 F to 212 F, the range of interest for mashing. The Thermoworks thermometer probably is better than you need, but you need to determine what your accuracy needs are. This is a good example of you get what you pay for; i.e. $10 vs $65.

 

[cfrazier77]

Here is what i do. I use a waterproof digital thermometer probe to put in my mash. I use this one from thermoworks. https://www.thermoworks.com/tx-1002x-np/
I use this with it. https://www.thermoworks.com/chefalarm/
I attach it to the wall behind my foundary and use it's timer for the mash. They do have cheaper ones, like this. https://www.thermoworks.com/dot/
But, you need a waterproof thermometer probe. But with this you will know what your mash is doing.

 

[RyPA]

What do you guys set your temp control on the Foundry at for your mash? I found setting it +2F and around 70% gets me at my desired mash temp, when measuring from the top 2-3".

 

[cfrazier77]

At 240 volts I use 2 degrees higher at 60%. But I flow pretty fast. I use rice hulls

 

[hiphoppotamuss]

Have any of you found a good hack for setting your temperature when doing a no sparge mash? I’ve noticed that the top third of the Foundry when mashing with 7 to 8 gallons of water can be as much as 10° colder than the PID temperature setting.
I just tend to increase the temp about 5° above my desired mash temp and stir a whole lot. I’d love something more precise!

 

[RyPA]

Not me, I wish the foundry was more of a set it and forget it. The only things i can think of is to have a super fast circulation, which isnt realistic, or have a separate heating element for the top half.

 

[cfrazier77]

Have any of you found a good hack for setting your temperature when doing a no sparge mash? I’ve noticed that the top third of the Foundry when mashing with 7 to 8 gallons of water can be as much as 10° colder than the PID temperature setting.
I just tend to increase the temp about 5° above my desired mash temp and stir a whole lot. I’d love something more precise!

I stir about every 20 minutes. I think the big thing is recirculation speed. Before the foundary I brewed on a 3 vessel RIMS system. That is the same in principle, wort is being pulled out of the mash tun, heated, and returned on top. The faster you can go the more uniform the mash temp will be. I stir to prevent channeling spots. Rice hulls is your friend, so is Beta Glucanase Enzyme. It makes is so you can flow faster without getting a stuck mash.
https://labelpeelers.com/beer-makin...id=2072767&search_query=Beta+Glucanase+Enzyme
https://www.morebeer.com/products/cellarscience-glucabuster-placeholder.html

When I move my temp probe around the mash tun, I get less than a .5 ° temperature differential.

 

[RyPA]

@cfrazier77 never heard of Beta Glucanase Enzyme. Does it make a noticeable difference? There’s mixed feedback in the reviews on morebeer, but that could be user error or unrealistic expectations.

 

[tracer bullet]

I'm also +2 degrees (if I want to mash at 152 I set for 154). I also recirculate, and do frequent stirring and / or lifting the basket and of course lowering it again (slowly).

That all put together seems to give me really close to what I want. It is extra effort but not too bad, and I'm mostly already doing it for more even extraction (mixing in that dead space around the sides).

 

[cfrazier77]

@cfrazier77 never heard of Beta Glucanase Enzyme. Does it make a noticeable difference? There’s mixed feedback in the reviews on morebeer, but that could be user error or unrealistic expectations.

It seems to for me. I had read it somewhere that is it helps with flow. I do use it with rice hulls also. But it seems to allow faster flow with it.

 

[RyPA]

I'm also +2 degrees (if I want to mash at 152 I set for 154). I also recirculate, and do frequent stirring and / or lifting the basket and of course lowering it again (slowly).

That all put together seems to give me really close to what I want. It is extra effort but not too bad, and I'm mostly already doing it for more even extraction (mixing in that dead space around the sides).

That sounds close to what I do. After doughing in I let it sit for around 10 minutes and then turn on recirculation at a lower flow rate. Then every 15 minutes I lift the basket and let it drain until the wort drops below the malt level, then I bring it back down and stir it.