New mashtun

[ralphstralph]

soo im making the leap to AG . I having been slowly building up my brewery and the next thing i need is a mashtun is there particular make/brand that makes relable esky's that hold there temp consistently also looking on advice on what size to get i will be doing around 23liter ferments..this might seem like a silly question but hey .... thanks every one :drinks:

 

[Mardoo]

The Techni-Ice ones are awesome. They have a couple seconds brands that are the same thing, just cosmetically imperfect. I love mine. The hold temp to within 1 degree over an hour or more mash. Once you work out the thermal absorbtion, etc.

 

[yum beer]

+1 for techni-ice, once pre heated they temp really well and are easy to drill for adding taps and bits.
You used to be able to get them cheap off ebay ( Ipaid $70 for a 40 litre) but they don't seem to be available cheap anymore, have a look and see.

 

[gava]

When I started out in AG I got a cheap esky to be used as a mashtun and I found it could loose up to 5c over the hr mash and I had to put foil on the top of the mash to stop it leaking heat.
It also depends on how full your esky is going to be. i.e. if you buy a huge esky and only do small brews your head space is going to effect your temp over time unless you put something on the top like previously stated or get a blanket.
It's been over 5years since i've used an esky so things may have changed but that what I remember being issues with my esky.

-Gav

 

[Mardoo]

As Gav mentioned some are better than others. Headspace definitely affects temp retention. I actually increased my batch size to decrease the headspace.

Also, look for one with an insulated lid, or insulate the lid of the one you get. Otherwise you get the big temperature drops as Gav mentioned. The cheap Willow ones aren't actually much of a deal in my opinion because of temperature-loss issues, but some people on here seem to be OK with the results they get.

 

[Yob]

horn..

>LINK<

 

[gava]

horn..

>LINK<

my fav bit of that is the bottle opener and catch tray.

 

[r055c0]

horn..

>LINK<

Oooffff!!!

 

[ralphstralph]

wicked cheers for all the tips guys

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

26ltr capacity is ideal for 23ltr brews

 

[sp0rk]

Hmm, this is making me rethink using my cheap Willow esky i bought from Aldi to use as my new mash tun...

 

[Trevandjo]

What's the best way to check the temp of an esky type tun without constantly opening the lid? Or should I just set and forget?

Cheers
Trev

 

[jyo]

If you're worried about temp loss, as gava has said, just cover the mash with alfoil, then place a cut-to-size piece of camping mat over the alfoil. This works really well to minimise temp losses.

 

[sponge]

The sleeping bag/quilt method has worked for many a brewer as well.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Cut a peice of polystyrene ( from a brocolli box ) that neatly fits in the tun and place that on your mash. Make a small hole and poke your thermo thru it into the mash.

A drop of 1-2*c over 60mins is nothing to worry about

 

[ralphstralph]

what shape is prefurred a round one or a square one or does it not really matter ?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

No real difference.Just whatever works best for you