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Ok so here is a question to kick around guys. Could a big cooler style mash tun be made out of a 250L ish sized food grade plastic insulated fish box (new of course)? I know plastics don't take heat that well but what exactly does it do? It seems to work well with coolers.

I can't seem to find the specs on what temp range this kind of thing can handle.

What type of plastic is it made of?

TimG wrote:What type of plastic is it made of?

It's really hard to find specs on this stuff. Best I've found so far is "Manufactured from Polyethylene (PE)."

Yeah the big thing is that things are rated food grade for a specific temperature and etc. A mash tun is hot, slightly acidic environment. So to answer your question I don't know

CorneliusAlphonse wrote:Yeah the big thing is that things are rated food grade for a specific temperature and etc. A mash tun is hot, slightly acidic environment. So to answer your question I don't know

I was thinking the exact same but hoping someone would know for sure. So do many home Brewers use cooler mash tuns without really knowing for sure if they are safe? I wouldn't think coolers would be rated for heat.

Now that you mention it I have no idea if my mash tun is safe, but it is the same stand up orange cooler from Home Depot that many homebrewers use so I have just assumed that it is fine.

Well I found a spec sheet for one company and they said that the heavy duty tubs could withstand 70-80C temperatures. That's well within the mash temp ranges.

And I've seen these used in wineries to ferment the wine must in so they must be able to stand the acidity.

http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Food-Grade-Buckets" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PE isn't quite specific enough, but is a good start. If it's HDPE (High density), it's most likely fine. YMMV.

Edit: Looks like it should be fine at mash temps.

As long as it's safe I can't see why it wouldn't make a great mash tun. Could put a false bottom in that and drain out of the port.

Temperature ratings for plastic buckets etc are usually for deforming and not for melting or for the chemicals they will release. Food grade will depend on dyes and plasticizers used. But most of those plasticizers aren't more readily dissolved at hotter temperatures because they are really small and dissolve readily into cold water. So if it is good grade at 10c it should be food grade at 80c.

http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?p ... radio-2013" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This page has two podcasts on toxicology and beer making. The toxicologist goes through the relative risks of using different plastics etc. First part is in November and the second in December. I highly recommend all homebrewers have a listen.

To figure out HDPE from LDPE just feel it. If it is soft like the soft Nalgene bottles it is likely LDPE if it is more rigid like the liner or exterior of a cooler then it is likely HDPE. HDPE won't melt till above 100c but it will deform. i don't think deforming hurts it just makes it wavy.

Celiacbrew wrote:Temperature ratings for plastic buckets etc are usually for deforming and not for melting or for the chemicals they will release. Food grade will depend on dyes and plasticizers used. But most of those plasticizers aren't more readily dissolved at hotter temperatures because they are really small and dissolve readily into cold water. So if it is good grade at 10c it should be food grade at 80c.

http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?p ... radio-2013" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This page has two podcasts on toxicology and beer making. The toxicologist goes through the relative risks of using different plastics etc. First part is in November and the second in December. I highly recommend all homebrewers have a listen.

To figure out HDPE from LDPE just feel it. If it is soft like the soft Nalgene bottles it is likely LDPE if it is more rigid like the liner or exterior of a cooler then it is likely HDPE. HDPE won't melt till above 100c but it will deform. i don't think deforming hurts it just makes it wavy.

Thanks so much for the info buddy. I'll check that out.

Pretty sure those tubs are rotomolded HDPE.

That's a big mash tun, what size batches were you planning on?

Don't ask!!!

S

amartin wrote:That's a big mash tun, what size batches were you planning on?

Well I was looking for a mash tun to match up with this kettle. It's about 380 litres. So about 300 litres of finished beer is the goal. But as the day goes on I'm thinking more of just making a pull out mash basket to fit the kettle. This is an old scallop bin off of a fishing boat. I was thinking of going with a fishing themed brew system. Kinda fitting for Digby.