Temps all over the place?

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kscaglio

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So I have a new mash tun, a 42 quart polarware with false bottom. Now my mash temps are all over the place. I mash in and am alright, within 10 minutes my temp has dropped 10 degrees, if I stir again crazy things happen. I think it may be due to too much headspace, any thought/ideas? I'm doing 5 gallon batches so my tun is only half full at most.
 
You're just getting stratification in the mash. When you stir, you end up repositioning the hot and cold spots, which leads to the swings you're seeing. However much you're stirring at dough-in, it's evidently not enough.

Too much headspace will certainly cause you to lose heat more quickly, but you can fix that by cutting out a disk of styrofoam and floating it on top of the mash.

Also, is your thermometer calibrated?
 
You're just getting stratification in the mash. When you stir, you end up repositioning the hot and cold spots, which leads to the swings you're seeing. However much you're stirring at dough-in, it's evidently not enough.

Too much headspace will certainly cause you to lose heat more quickly, but you can fix that by cutting out a disk of styrofoam and floating it on top of the mash.

Also, is your thermometer calibrated?

It is definetly stratifacation. if I recirculate (manually, I don't have a pump) teh temp of the liquid is right on to a little hot. I am mashing in at 1.25 quarts per pound, should I up it to 1.5 per pound?
 
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