[Gary Glass]

I have a converted keg (legally obtained) mash tun. I'd like to add some insulation to the tun so that it holds temperature longer and more evenly.  I heat my strike water directly in the mash tun, so the insulation either has to be removable or fire proof.  Any suggestions?

[majorvices]

We are fixing to insulate a 55 gallon SS mash tun. Have you tried plain 'ol water heater insulation? That's what we were planning on trying.

[james]

I put some of the bubble foil wrap on my keg mash tun.  Wrapped it around twice and secured it with 3 strips of velcro.  So I can remove it if I want to direct fire it or for cleaning.

Holds heat pretty well, but not as good as the cooler I use occasionally

[The Professor]

I've insulated one of my mash vessels as well as my electric keggle with foam insulation wrap from Home Depot...it's relatively thin and covered with a heavy duty foil material.  A couple of layers does the trick nicely...works like a champ.

using it on the mash vessel was a no-brainer, but I put it around the keggle as an afterthought and saw immediate improvement in both the time it took to come to a boil, and the intensity of the boil.

[majorvices]

So I assume it is not flammable?

[denny]

I don't know if you can assume that since the Prof said he has an electric kettle.

[majorvices]

Ahhh - ooops. I saw that but missed the ball completely!

[Crispy275]

While the bubble wrap insulation from Home Depot won't go up in flames, it does melt. I used it for several years while brewing in the Michigan winters, and in time I would forget and light the burners while recirculating the mash and...smell something. It never caught fire, but was unpleasent to smell.

I just used masking tape to hold it to the keg, and in time I would punch a termometer through it into the thermo-probe thingy on the kettle. This worked to also keep it in place.

[The Professor]

While the bubble wrap insulation from Home Depot won't go up in flames, it does melt.

Right.  You definitely wouldn't want to use this stuff where a burner is involved.    My home made keggle uses a high wattage, 220V  element inside the vessel.  That also allowed me to put some insulating material on the bottom as well (another afterthought that made a measurable difference).

[dontblake]

I have a 10-gal brewpot that I use for my mash tun.  After the infusion (not directly heated), I wrap an old camping sleeping pad around it and keep it in place with bungee cords.  I lose barely a degree over the course of an hour.

[planet_scott]

Isn't there a fiberglass insulation with a metal/foil outer layer? Find that and some foil aircraft tape and that might work.

[hophead]

I use a jumbo silver bubble insulated car windshield sun blocker, modified with velcro.

Best to remove when direct firing the mash tun, which I rarely do. 

[hjherbenson]

I use direct fire kind of... I have a 1/4" steel plate that sits between my mT and the burner, this has help to keep from scorching the wort and I don't worry so much about the insulation catching fire. I went to HD and picked up a roll of waterheater insullation.

[skotrat]

For whatever reason I do not insulate my SS MashTun.

Just a lid and even in a New England winter I do not lose more that 1-3f over a 90 minute period.

So...

Is the insulation really needed?

[hjherbenson]

Alot depends on the pot...I use a 20gal ss. The wall thickness is less than a keg and so depending on the temp in the garage?even with the insulation my temps will drop 5+ degrees in an hr.