Thermowell For Mash Turn

[gwk453]

How high above the false bottom should I place my thermowell for monitoring mash temperature in my 70 qt. square cooler.

[foomench]

Given some debates I've seen on this issue in the past, I'm amazed no one else has responded to this. You can see photos of my temp probe installation in my mash tun here. Without my mash tun in front of me with ruler in hand, I'm guessing I installed that 3 to 4" above the false bottom. I wanted it closer to the bottom than the top since the hot water and recirculation starts at the top, and I might do batches with less grain some time. For a high gravity 10 gallon batch, the probe is about 1/4 from the bottom. For a middle gravity 5 gallon batch, it will probably be right in the middle.

[Bugeater]

Unless you are doing a continuous mash recirculation, temperature readings using a fixed thermowell can be misleading. No matter how well you think you stirred, there will still be hot and cold spots in your mash tun. I use a long stem thermometer to measure several places in the mash. If there are drastic differences, I stir a bunch more. If the readings are close, I settle on an approximate average. If your thermowell happens to be in a spot that is significantly warmer or cooler than most of the mash, you may have problems with your attenuation later.

Wayne