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impatient · 01-19-2009, 11:12 PM

I assembled this to sparge my mash with.

6 feet 3/8 copper tube $5
1 3/8 compression T $8
holes 3/32

I shaped it to lay right on top of the cooler. I marked it before drilling so water won't run out down the sides. (SWMBO wouldn't like that in her kitchen).

I plan to use my bottling bucket and gravity to feed it 180 degree water. I'm hoping the water will still be 170 when it hits the grain.

MSUConrad · 01-19-2009, 11:43 PM

That looks nice, and I bet it does a great job for you. I am looking to do something similar on mine.

flyangler18 · 01-19-2009, 11:48 PM

Aren't you batch sparging?

I've thought about doing this, but that would involve swapping out my braid for a manifold.

***Yooper*** · 01-19-2009, 11:52 PM

I'm not very mechanically inclined, and I've been trying to think of ways to rig up a homemade sparge arm that works well, and is cheap. I have the cooler with the bulkhead fitting, I just need to come up with the sparge arm. Let me know how this works out for you!

Brewsmith · 01-19-2009, 11:58 PM

I still don't use a sparge arm. I just use a vinyl hose coming out of the HLT to the top of the Mash Tun. As long as I keep the grain covered I'm fine.

Reddog68 · 01-20-2009, 03:48 AM

I use a very similar setup on my cooler mashtun, and it works great. Just make sure you have a valve so you can regulate the flow. Nice job.

impatient · 01-20-2009, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyangler18

Aren't you batch sparging?

I am not to up on terms, but, based on what I have learned I think I did my first AG as a continuous sparge.

I mashed in with 14 quarts on 10lbs of Vienna targeting 158. At this point I stirred very well to remove any dry spots. Then, I sealed it up and let it sit for 60 minutes.

Next I took 14 quarts heated to 175 degrees and put it in my bottling bucket w/spiggot. I took the lid off of the mash tun and stirred the top of the grains about 3 inches deap very slowly. I then opened the valve to start a trickle recirclulating 2 quarts of wort. I was recirculating the cloudy run-off and also getting a feel for the time.

Now that the wort was running clear, I threw a grain bag folded in half on top of the grain bed and placed my 4 gallon boil pot to collect the runnings. I stood there and used the hose connected to the bottling bucket to trickle the 175 degree water onto the grain bed moving it around.

Once the 4 gallon pot had about 3.5 gallons in, I switch it out and put a bucket in its place and continued until my water was gone.

Two things sucked here.

Standing there sprinkling the water (hopefully I have solved that here)
and
Doing two boils because I don't have a big enough pot for a full boil.

So, I'm not to up on terms. Maybe you can define what I did. It worked. I got 83.5% efficiency and I lost about 1/2 gallon below the false bottom. I will work that out next time.

impatient · 01-20-2009, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyangler18

I've thought about doing this, but that would involve swapping out my braid for a manifold.

I got that false bottom for $29.99 at the LHBS. The bazooka braid was more.

WBC · 01-20-2009, 05:52 AM

An inverted brass or stainless sprinkler head works great. Just keep the sparge water 1 to 2 inches above the grain bed and it does not disturb the grain bed at all.

hopsoda · 01-20-2009, 07:44 AM

I just drain onto Tinfoil w/holes punched into it works for me.
Nice design with the copper tubing

, i would add that to my setup if i could get it built into the inside of my mashtun lid. (keep that heat in)