I used the shiny bubble foil insulation on my mash tun, but I was wondering if anyone uses it on the hot liquor or boil kettle. I think it would help a lot in cold temperatures, but I am worried about it burning.
I think you should find the temp limits of the stuff you plan to use. I imagine it would be fine on a MT or HLT after flame.
180° F is not bad. When I wear out my yoga mat MT cozy I might try this stuff.
You have to remove it if you are applying direct heat, of course, but it is what I use (double wrap of it on the mash tun).
I use a Reflectix cozy on the mash tun. It gets removed when the direct fire is lit.
Hmm. 180 is really pretty low for a max temp for brewing purposes. I guess I will just keep it on the mash tun. Are there any products that would be acceptable around a direct fire kettle?
One brew buddy of mine constructed a jacket filled with high heat insulation for his direct fire tun. The insulation burned the first few times from the flame, but it held up after that.
Maybe not for a homebrewer’s system, but this might get you thinking about a solution.
Bricks. Really, that is what is used on the Peter Austin brewing systems.
http://www.pugsleybrewing.com/about.php
I brewed twice on the 7 barrel system at a local brewpub. The bricks on the kettle were warm, but you could put your hand on them during the boil