Techniice mash tun questions

[donald_trub]

Hi guys,

I've decided to steup up my game and move in to all grain. I've had my eye on the fully set up 40 litre techni ice mash tuns on Beer Belly. They come already configured with the tap installed, thermometer drilled through the side and false floor installed. Problem is, with postage to Sydney, they whole thing will be more than $400, which I think is too much. So I have a few questions:

1) Does anyone know of a local (Sydney) option for a fully kitted esky mash tun? I prefer it to be an esky and I want it to be rectangle so it's practical to use for other things. I see the local home brew shops selling the round ones but I don't want that.

2) I could order the false floor and tap kit off Beer Belly and then do it myself (and buy my own techni ice esky). But I'm not very handy at all... the product description mentions you just need to drill a hole in your esky for the tap. Would I be able to use the existing hole on the techni ice esky after I remove the bung? Or is the idea I need to make the hole bigger?

3) Anyone know where to buy techni ice eskies in stores in Sydney? I could save on postage.

4) My planned setup is this mash tun and a Crown 40L urn. I live in an apartment so don't have the option of a gas burner. Any crticism on this planned setup?

Thanks for the help guys. I think I've taken my extract brewing as far as I want to and am very keen to enter the all grain world!

 

[Feldon]

The Techni Ice web site currently has the 40L Classic ice box for $89 (only blue colour available at the mo).

Postage to NSW is $15.

http://www.techniice.com/ice-boxes/techniIce-classic.html

 

[manticle]

You could use the existing hole if your bulkhead has a matching thread.

Fitting out a tun isn't too difficult and there's loads of other brewers up your way who i'm sure would be keen to help you out.

 

[WarmBeer]

Hi guys,

I've decided to steup up my game and move in to all grain. I've had my eye on the fully set up 40 litre techni ice mash tuns on Beer Belly. They come already configured with the tap installed, thermometer drilled through the side and false floor installed. Problem is, with postage to Sydney, they whole thing will be more than $400, which I think is too much. So I have a few questions:

1) Does anyone know of a local (Sydney) option for a fully kitted esky mash tun? I prefer it to be an esky and I want it to be rectangle so it's practical to use for other things. I see the local home brew shops selling the round ones but I don't want that.

2) I could order the false floor and tap kit off Beer Belly and then do it myself (and buy my own techni ice esky). But I'm not very handy at all... the product description mentions you just need to drill a hole in your esky for the tap. Would I be able to use the existing hole on the techni ice esky after I remove the bung? Or is the idea I need to make the hole bigger?

3) Anyone know where to buy techni ice eskies in stores in Sydney? I could save on postage.

4) My planned setup is this mash tun and a Crown 40L urn. I live in an apartment so don't have the option of a gas burner. Any crticism on this planned setup?

Thanks for the help guys. I think I've taken my extract brewing as far as I want to and am very keen to enter the all grain world!

If you're planning on heating your water in the Crown, then mashing in the Techni-Ice, then boiling in the Crown, you're going to have issues with preparing sparge water whilst simultaneously draining your mash tun. This becomes even worse if you plan on fly sparging rather than batch sparge.

If space is a major constraint, why not just get a cake tray and a BIAB bag from Craftbrewer, and BIAB in the Crown?

Simpler, less space, less vessels to clean, plus cheaper.

 

[donald_trub]

Thanks, I'll have a bit more of a look in to BIAB. I thought it was usually done on a pully hook system which I wouldn't be able to rig up in my apartment. By cake tray, do you mean like an oven rack type thing? I don't know why, but I seem to prefer the mash tun method of all grain more. Just seems more 'real' to me. There's probably no reason to it but that's how I feel.

The way I was planning all grain was to reuse my camp pot I've been using for extracts (not sure how big it is... could be 20 L but I've never measured), heat up the strike water on the stove and add that to the esky. I was only planning on batch sparging and I figured the 20L pot would be big enough for both the strike water additions. I think I'd be alright by juggling with that.

 

[HBHB]

For the few minutes between mashout and sparge water going from the urn to the tun, you could hold it in a large bucket. A bit " ghetto " but possible solution. Also to cut costs down, instead of a more traditional false bottom, you could go to a boil screen which don't suffer compaction issues in deeper vessels and have great flow from the grain bed.

Martin

 

[boonchu]

I have seen biab setups using a ladder over the boiler to lift the bag. Cheap simple to rig and easy to use.

 

[yum beer]

I have just put together a techni ice mash tun.
Esky off ebay...$72 delivered 40litres.just bid on a random one, they auction 2-3 everyday.
Copper pipe, connectors, bulkhead, tap etc, $80...probably could be done cheaper, Im in the sticks with no access to cheap gear.

The bung is way too big too use.
I drilled a 10mm hole in opposite end and filed to fit bulkhead....took 5 minutes.

To fit a thermometer will cost another $60 with fittings.
Total cost around $220 dollars.

I tossed up the beer belly set ups, but could not justify the dollars.
If I had the money to spare I would have gone that avenue though without a problem it looks like a good bit of kit.
Even if you buy the falsie kit and the themometer from beer belly and esky of ebay, you should still save about $60-$70

 

[bum]

My falsie is starting to rust on the welds. Lets more husk through than I would like, too.

Would not buy again.

 

[yum beer]

What type of falsie are you using bum?

 

[bum]

The falsie that was mentioned immediately before my post.

By you.

 

[WarmBeer]

The bung is way too big too use.
I drilled a 10mm hole in opposite end and filed to fit bulkhead....took 5 minutes.

1 inch to 1/2 inch reducing bush. Available in brass for less than $10 at any plumbing supply store. Or for around $25 in stainless steel from Geordi.

My Esky mash tun can still be used as an Esky.

 

[yum beer]

The falsie that was mentioned immediately before my post.

By you.

How long have you had that falsie for bum?
How many brews did it get through before rusting, certanily seems a little dissapointing.

 

[bum]

3.5 years-ish? Way fewer brews than many would have gotten out of it in that time. It's certainly not been overworked and I always make sure it is dried out as quickly as possible after a brew/wash (well, high-pressure rinse rather than wash mostly).

 

[JDW81]

The bung is way too big too use.
I drilled a 10mm hole in opposite end and filed to fit bulkhead....took 5 minutes.

To fit a thermometer will cost another $60 with fittings.
Total cost around $220 dollars.

The bung is big, but you can get a reducer (not an aussie site, but it was the first one I found on google) that fits perfectly into the existing hole that you can then put a piece of threaded pipe through and attach your valve on the outside and your manifold on the inside. I took the whole thing into a plumbing supply store and tried fittings until I found ones that fitted.

I think I paid about $100 for my techniice esky delivered and the fittings were about $50 total. Easy as.

JD

 

[Yob]

Drilled a new hole and (Food grade) Siliconed up the bung hole.. Ive got the same brand as Bum I believe.

 

[bum]

Which is made by the mob who make the Techni-Ice coolers. Exactly the same apart from the external design as far as I could tell in the shop.

 

[donald_trub]

Drilled a new hole and (Food grade) Siliconed up the bung hole.. Ive got the same brand as Bum I believe.

One more question... do you need to silicon up the old bung hole? Can I just leave it as is with the plug still in? I could always still use the plug/hole if I use the esky on a camping trip.

 

[JDW81]

Should work just fine.

 

[bum]

The bung-hole (chortle) on these particular eskies is a bit of a good place for nasties to hide. if you don't block it it up (I haven't, too lazy) then it will require a bit of extra attention every wash-up.