Rubbermaid 10 gallon MLT

[ipso]

"Rubbermaid 10 gallon MLT"?  That's one big Mutton, Lettice, and Tomato!

True love [for beer] is a noble cause!

[aschecte]

   

 

Now that's funny great way to start the morning LOL !!!

[Wingeezer]

I found that I lose 16 - 20F pumping my hot water up into my mash tun.  l screwed with the calculations for  a while not believing I was losing that much inline.  Further, I found that the tubing I use can affect this by 4-5F.   Even my copper manifold will affect things.  The colder it is to start, the more it affects things.

I am a lot closer these days but always end up adjusting a little.  Now, I fill my mash tun with the desired volume of water first and make sure it is at the desired strike temp then I add my grain.   It was just easier for me to adjust my process to accommodate the external variables than try to trick the software.  That is never going to be reliable.

When i was gravity filling my mash tun, I never had a problem with Beersmith's calculations (once I dialed in my equipment).

Were you using that much temperature through the pump even when the pump and hoses were warmed up?

I also use my pump to transfer to the MT,  but for several minutes before I start the transfer, I use the pump to just recirculate back to the HLT - of course that immediately drops the HLT temp, but I keep recirculating and heating until it gets back up to the temp. I want and than i start the transfer to the MLT.


Brian.

[jomebrew]

Were you using that much temperature through the pump even when the pump and hoses were warmed up?

I also use my pump to transfer to the MT,  but for several minutes before I start the transfer, I use the pump to just recirculate back to the HLT - of course that immediately drops the HLT temp, but I keep recirculating and heating until it gets back up to the temp. I want and than i start the transfer to the MLT.


Brian.

I prewarmed the pump and other inline gear but circulating hot water back into the hot liquor tank before pumping to the mash tun. 

In the attached picture, you can see the HLT behing the kettle connected to the pump which also has a therminator, inline temp gauge, valve and length of hose.  The screwdriver is there for dramatic affect.

[Wingeezer]

Were you using that much temperature through the pump even when the pump and hoses were warmed up?

I also use my pump to transfer to the MT,  but for several minutes before I start the transfer, I use the pump to just recirculate back to the HLT - of course that immediately drops the HLT temp, but I keep recirculating and heating until it gets back up to the temp. I want and than i start the transfer to the MLT.


Brian.

I prewarmed the pump and other inline gear but circulating hot water back into the hot liquor tank before pumping to the mash tun. 

In the attached picture, you can see the HLT behing the kettle connected to the pump which also has a therminator, inline temp gauge, valve and length of hose.  The screwdriver is there for dramatic affect.

Surprised then that  the temp drop is so much through the pump.

Just last week I decided to try a new method of mashing - instead of trying to work out the correct strike temp to warm a cold  MT and cold  grain to exactly the right temp for mashing, I decided to pump extra hot water into the MT and then just et it come down to the temp that Beersmith said I should need if the MT were preheated - then add the grain.

I put 18L of water into the MT at just over 180F,  and even with the lid off and stirring, it was only down to 175 after five minutes, so it seems I didn't lose much heat through the pump and hoses.


Had to wait quite a while to get the water in the MT  down to about 163F to add the grain, eve with the lid off and much stirring, so next time I won't heat the water quite as much!  Maybe 175!

Brian.
 

[jomebrew]

I usually come in hot and cool it down.  easier than trying to bring the heat up.   It is good for folks interesting in more precision to really understand the components of their system and not guess, like I was, that the temp drop of just a couple degrees.