mashing in a heated fridge ?

[brewjohn]

Would this work ? Having just knocked together a fermenting fridge with 60 W heater in and a ATC800+ would I be able to put in my mash tun at 66deg c and keep it inside for an hour and half with the ATC sensor inserted in the mash and keep the temperature constant ? It allways kept fairly constant with insulation around it.

[GrowlingDogBeer]

I don't know for sure but 2 things spring to mind.
1. I don't think a 60 watt heater will provide enough heat to maintain that sort of temp inside a fridge.
2. I am not sure heating a fridge to 66 degrees will do it any good. I doubt it OS designed with withstand such high temperatures inside.

[EoinMag]

Not enough heating with that, the fridges are effective coolers, but the heating is only a small swing it normally does, it doesn't ever have to raise the wort more than room temperature.

If you mash in a pot you can do it in the oven.

[Scotty]

I wouldn't bother to be honest. As Steve as pointed out, a 60W heater (I'm assuming a tube heater) won't be capable of keeping a decent heat.

Plus when you come to sparge, it would be difficult to add extra water for batch sparging or a sparge arm for fly-sparging.

Your best bet is to insulate your mashtun as best as possible. What are you using as a mashtun?

[Bribie]

I'd insulate, likewise. I'm a BIAB brewer and mash in 40L electric water urns (imagine large metal Bruheat) but don't switch on the power during the mash due to the hassle of getting hotspots etc, so I use either a sleeping bag or a ski jacket - couple of quid from a charity shop - and then further wrap the whole thing in an old feather duvet - you can get really cheap Chinese made ones. It actually can get quite chilly in South East Queensland in the Winter, not uncommon to get frosts - I get a temperature drop of about 1 degree C per hour. As most conversion happens in the first half hour or so this yields very acceptable results with minimum fuss.

Here's my mates Urnest and Urnold

[RdeV]

While it is novel and I appreciate the ingenuity, I don't think it will be as effective as hoped due to equilibration and lag. I'd just insulate, works fine as previous posters relate- simple, flexible and effective.

FWIW, I do stovetop BIAB, I overheat the strike water and then place the stockpot on the bench top with the insulation in place, then cover it up for a few minutes, uses that extra heat to bring everything up to working temperature. After I've added add the grain and started mashing, the drop is only a degree or so over >90 minutes, sometimes less, even in winter*. I also wonder if some folks overdo the stirring too, every time the insulation comes off and the mash is stirred there is a considerable heat loss, but just the one stir of the mash seems to be more than enough in my situation.

Bribie, good to see the Urn twins are busy again, looking forward to meeting them!

* However, SE Qld winter is quite tame compared to British ones!

[Horatio]

I'd also be concerned about the plastic fridge interior standing up to that temp for that amount of time!

[brewjohn]

Thanks for all the replies. The idea was to put the mash in at allready 66 degC and using the heater and the insulation of the fridge hope it kept at the same temperature. I did not hope for the 60w heater to raise it to 66 ! I must admit I never thought about the materials of the casing standing that temperature. I allways wrap it well and it keeps temperature ok. This was just a novel idead I dreamed up after a few pints !!!

[Walrus81]

********Don't try this without consulting an expert for advice and to confirm that you are not going to poison yourself and or others! THIS IS JUST how I run things NOT A GUIDE OF WHAT TO DO. IF YOU CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THIS I CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLY FOR THE OUTCOME******

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I use my modded fridge to maintain mash temp.

Initially I used two 6W bulbs to heat the fridge. However I did cause the plastic to bubble on the inside of the fridge( I tested it without the grains in the fridge).

So I changed my approach. I now use a 60W bulb in the middle of the fridge and a low energy bulb these sit beneath the extended crisper ledge. The mash turn sits on a wooden A frame that replaces the glass top of the crisper.

So when it comes to mashing. I turn on my setup to preheat the fridge to 70 degs. I then mash OUTSIDE the fridge.
Then open the fridge and place the mash turn inside the preheated fridge. I remove the non energy saving bulb and close the door. I have a sensor inside the fridge and inside the grain.

I can now maintain the temp of the mash and not loose a degree during the mashinng process. Obviosuly when it comes to sparging it all goes a little funny, basically I then repeat this process whilst the 1st runnings are happening and then run the second batch of water off and proceed as per a normal brew.

My fridge also doubles up as a temperature controlled fermenting cupboard.