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Bag design with probe in bad position

Post #1 made 14 years ago
by yetiboy
Ive reposted here as PP said you guys with electric elements have similar problems and may come up with an answer?

Hi I am thinking about a bag for my brewpot and have issues with a thermometer probe – I presume it will catch on the bag as I’m pulling it and rip a hole.
Thermo probe is 33cm down from top of pot and sticks out 14cm. (pot is about 50cmx50cm)
I could make a shortened bag that sits in top half of pot only – I would lose mashing volume here and lose efficency maybe? A member of the forum suggested this as a possibility.

Or make a probe guard that will allow the bag to slide and not get caught. My idea is to get 2 cheap ss sieves. Cut out sieves from surrounds so I just have the fine mesh and flatten one. Join them together at edges and cut hole in middle of flat one so that it fits over probe and is fastened into place with original probe securing nut.
Any input into whether this would work would be appreciated.

Thanks
Ian
On Tap: Pale Ale
Fining: Bombay/Punk IPA
Next Brew: Munich Helles
Planned: Doppelbock

Post #3 made 14 years ago
by yetiboy
I could if I had a blanking plate but dont know where to locate one - plus the Mashmaster thermo would come in handy for monitoring mash temps no doubt:)
On Tap: Pale Ale
Fining: Bombay/Punk IPA
Next Brew: Munich Helles
Planned: Doppelbock

Post #4 made 14 years ago
by dick
What you have suggested with the sieves could work. Another idea could be to get a strip of thin metal and bend it so there is an angle in the middle and this is put over the probe, vertically, so a bag can go up without getting caught as it slides along this pieces of metal but the wort can get to the probe around the sides.

It's a good question as to whether a shorter bag is not ideal. My first thoughts were that it's not, but that's really just based on it not being "normal". Then I realised that during a mash all of my grain spends its time sitting in the bottom quarter of my urn - what's the difference??

Post #5 made 14 years ago
by PistolPatch
dick wrote:It's a good question as to whether a shorter bag is not ideal. My first thoughts were that it's not, but that's really just based on it not being "normal". Then I realised that during a mash all of my grain spends its time sitting in the bottom quarter of my urn - what's the difference??
Dick :peace: , one comment and one question...

Comment

I think the short bag is a high-risk solution. I only say this because in the rare cases where someone has had a problem with BIAB efficiency, if it wasn't something obvious, then it was a dodgy thermometer/hydrometer, and, occasionally, a restricted bag has come into play. It actually came into play right from the start when a mash was attempted in a confined bag. Not sure if this was documented though.

I also think there are real practicality problems with a short bag especially for a new brewer. Accurate mash temp measurements (a big advantage of BIAB) are not possible without agitation of the mash. A short bag will make this difficult and awkward.

Question

I think I completely stuffed a post of mine up here on BBI. Can you read this post of mine? There I said the melting point of polyester was 400 C but when we are talking material, I think I have got this quite wrong.

I'd like to edit that post but want some more info from you first.

(Think I had too many screens open and have not posted my 'question' in the correct thread Yeti. Gotta race so sorry about that! Hope you don't mind if dick answers here???)
Last edited by PistolPatch on 21 Mar 2011, 23:25, edited 5 times in total.
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Post #6 made 14 years ago
by dick
PistolPatch wrote:
I think I completely stuffed a post of mine up here on BBI. Can you read this post of mine? There I said the melting point of polyester was 400 C but when we are talking material, I think I have got this quite wrong.

I'd like to edit that post but want some more info from you first.

(Think I had too many screens open and have not posted my 'question' in the correct thread Yeti. Gotta race so sorry about that! Hope you don't mind if dick answers here???)
G'day PP

The advice is good but yes, the melting point of polyester is more like 250 degrees C than 400.
Last edited by dick on 22 Mar 2011, 12:15, edited 5 times in total.

Post #8 made 14 years ago
by yetiboy
I think I may have sorted my problem. I found a small diameter but deep sieve with a cranked handle, I bent it more so that the handle can act as a retainer on the thermometer retaining nut. The sieve now sits neatly over the probe:) I can use a normal sized bag now.
Cheers
On Tap: Pale Ale
Fining: Bombay/Punk IPA
Next Brew: Munich Helles
Planned: Doppelbock
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