QUESTION
Most people use coolers for mash tuns, but living in an apartment myself I can tell that having the least possible equipment is a priority. I know some people use their secondary fermenters as mash tuns. How can one do that?
ANSWER
I converted my plastic fermenter into a mash tun/fermenter a few months ago and it works really well. Here are some pics showing how I did it:
http://picasaweb.google.com/halite1977/MashTunFermenter?authkey=Gv1sRgCOW-2ufb-fT7rwE#
In terms of heat loss, the heat loss from the water test earlier is a bit misleading because the water will lose temperature a lot faster than mash liquid. On my first all grain using this system I lost only 2 degrees over the course of an hour (I did have a blanket over the top of the mash/tun fermenter and then a belt tied around this). Use this for your mash and then simply wash and sanitise your mash tun while you boil, ready for it to be your fermenter.
Mark http://riverroadbrewery.blogspot.com/
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