Mash Tun Smash Tun!

[crookedeyeboy]

Now its only been my 6th AG and I am getting between 80-82% efficiency but I really need to sort myself out with a decent mash tun.
I made mine from a cheap £16 cool box from Argos and its done the job so far but it loses 4 degrees in an hour!! Rubbish. Seeing as I am now offcially hooked I might consider swapping my unused Cornie from Norm for a really good mash tun....
If anyone has one that is going spare or want to swap/sell please let me know....I refuse to pay £65-70 from H&G or elsewhere for what is essentially a very basic piece of equipment...

[WishboneBrewery]

I know its not a swap.. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MARMITE-THERMOS-C ... 2c51818b1f
Shiny though

[adm]

I've got one just like that.....but I replaced the tap with a ball valve.

It's an excellent mash tun - does me proud, loses bugger all heat and is good for up to 10 gallon batches of good strength beer.

[WishboneBrewery]

You could always Just buy a tin of Expanding Foam and 'Pimp my Coolbox' Filling any Voids and Not forgetting the lid, you can always lay something insulative on top of the mash like a couple of layers of bubble wrap or closer cell expanded foam (not polystyrene).

[OldSpeckledBadger]

Now its only been my 6th AG and I am getting between 80-82% efficiency but I really need to sort myself out with a decent mash tun.

It sounds like yours is already good enough.

[crookedeyeboy]

I knew I would get a load of replies like that! Im being very lazy...haha!
Oh well looks like I will be doing the 'pimp my coolbox' thing tonight.

Yes on second thoughts you people are right! Get it insulated properly and I havent got to spens a penny let alone give away my lovely shiny cornie!
I have some of that radiator reflector stuff thats like bubblewrap and foil sandwiched together somewhere...will have a go at it tonight.

Just read a guys website where he did a load of testing on exactly the same mash tun and he got it to keep within 0.6degrees over 1.5 hours! After isnulation obviously...was more annoyed that it was exactly the same box but he paid £7!! Bloody rip off Argos.....wait till I see Jason!

[tubthumper]

you could get a hot water tank insulation its about £8 for toolstation or screwfix and wrap the insulation round but get some good staps as the sting is crap
i put 1 layer of some insualtion i got from screwfix
this one http://www.screwfix.com/prods/76477/Bui ... 400mm-x-5m
and put some foam underneath and on to the lid aswell of a fermation buket and then wrap it up in the tank stuff
this http://www.screwfix.com/prods/70749/Bui ... 50-x-460mm
and it lost 1 deg over a 2 hour mash and when i left the grains overnight without the wrap it only droped 10 deg over the 12 hours I like to sleep
so those 2 items just over £20 will give you the controll you want

[GARYSMIFF]

get some Armorflex or Armorcell. keep it Hot.

[tubthumper]

but look at the price of the armoflex
http://www.onlineplumbingsupplies.com/a ... lation.asp

[TheMumbler]

Have you tried sticking a sleeping bag or old blankets over it? My false bottom with 2 layers of camping mat and a sleeping bag stuck on it loses nothing over 90 mins according to my glass thermometer. I've had two stuck mashes in two brews... but that's another issue