StillSmart

Anavrin wrote:

The idea being you can keep the mash temp constant without needing loads of insulation or you can step mash at different temperatures just by dailing in the next temperature value.

Mashy wrote:Indeedy. The topic is tea urn. Changing a stat. This would not be any good for heating during mashing without further mods.

I must be missing something here...
I have used my tea urn with concealed heating element,no insulation,no lid,occasional stir,using built in thermostat,and separate thermometer to check,to mash,with good results.
It may be redneck,and labour intensive,but don't try telling me that it doesn't work.

It's also a redneck reason for leaving the original controls on the urn,and being able to power it up,with or without a power controller,just re-connecting the thermostat when wanted.

Robert.

Nothing wrong with that, if it works for you.

However it is not a recognised best practice and I would not recommend it.
This is why AG home brewer standard kit tends to be ..
1. boiler for boiling (tea urn)
2. insulated box for mashing [often a picnic cool box]
3. Fermenter

Here is an eBay example.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mash-Tun-Home ... 2c9b237faf

Most people tend to make these themselves. They are a continual source of DIY posts on brewing forums - just like we discussed building stills.

BASIC AG process.
Get water to about 72°C in boiler.
Tip into cooler box and add grains ensure you get to the temperature you want [probably 62-66°C ish]- then seal it up and come back in 90 minutes.
Drain cooler box into boiler. [Sparging as necessary]
Boil. Cool, pitch yeast, airate then ferment etc etc

The exceptions to this process is a Braumeister / grain father etc which do it completely differently. I can only speak for the Braumeister - its method I would liken to perpetual sparging by pumping the wort continuously through the grain, which is held in a seive. and the element is controlled very, very accurately & gently.

THAT SAID. with a power controller [and NOT a stat] you could probably get bloody close manually!!