Steam jacketed mash tun

Steam powered cooking and distillation devices.

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Texas Jim
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Steam jacketed mash tun

Post by Texas Jim »

A buddy of mine has a steam jacketed mash lauter tun that he said I could have. I guess, in theory, I could mash, ferment, and distill in the same container.

I’m thinking of using my regular still to create the steam to send to the jacket. I’d need a release safety valve.

So, I have a couple of questions - how long does it take to heat a wash up to distillation temperatures? Must take a lot longer than propane, right?

I was going to use my existing pot still head but the opening on the top of the tun isn’t centered and is tiled to the side. Other than creating a bit more reflux, do you think this will matter?
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kpex72
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Location: Down by the River

Re: Steam jacketed mash tun

Post by kpex72 »

This is an old thread, but since you are still active, I'd toss my .02 cents in.

If you have a double walled mash tun, yes, you can mash, ferment, and distill all in the same vessel. You would need to make sure the top has an appropriate sized tri-clamp fitting, or have the lid modified to accommodate one. By the sound of it, I would have an angle adaptor fabricated to make the column vertical. Any welding shop can do this, especially if you provide the ferrules. If only using for a Pot still, it shouldn't matter.

You lost me at using your old still for steam. The double wall mash tun boiler generates the steam between the walls. Typically using electrical heating elements on the bottom. The unit itself is self contained and you shouldn't need any other equipment, unless it is some super sized commercial unit. Fill the jacket 1/3 full of water, and the steam rises internally and exchanges into the inner wall to heat the mash.

Most jackets have a port for the addition of a pressure relief and vacuum break device. These can be bought just about anywhere. Any home brew store, ebay or amazon, etc. You just need to know what the jacket was designed for. I've never seen a double wall not have a series of plugs for the relief valve. So it probably already has one somewhere. If you don't know the pressure value of the vessel, be safe and make a steam wand to vent into the mash.

As for heat up time, that depends on your element wattage. My experience is that steam heats up faster than propane. Make sure to get an appropriate controller for the elements. I had a 50L Sanke keg on propane taking about 50 minutes to bring to temp. I jumped to a 100L double wall steam jacket and it reaches collection temps in 40 mins with 11kw of input. Your mileage may vary.

Post a pic and more people will chime in, I'm sure.
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