BrothersBrewing

Recipes 

what are you guys using for false bottoms/screens?

and

valves, im looking a weldless what are your recommendations?

Droot

Recipes 

Yer gonna laugh. Its a piece of 5/16" copper tubing with some holes drilled through it. End is pinched. Been using it since 1993. I get 83% efficiency. I only fly sparge and it holds 20 lbs grain with 6 gallons of water.



David

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Yellow beer (pale ale) in keg

Chocolate stout In keg

Front Porch Porter in keg

weat beer and fruit in the conical

IPA of some kind on Deck!


I get more out of it when I put more into it. :)

Dwain

Recipes 

I bought mine from Jaybird here on HBT. Very happy with it. My valves are welded in. - Dwain

donshizzles

Recipes 

How do you maintain temps? I've been using a cooler that hasn't once lost more than 1F during a mash but I am wondering how y'all keep a converted keg thats used as a tun to hold temp

TwoHeadsBrewing

Recipes 

I'm also using a heavy duty screen from Jaybird. I don't know if he has any more in stock, but send him a PM if you're interested. I will post the thread if I can find it . For my setup, I used a 1/2" brass coupler from OSH and soldered it to some 1/2" copper pipe. This all connects to a 1/2" coupler in the side of my keg with a ball valve. The 1/2" coupler makes removal/cleaning of the screen easier, and means I don't have to disassemble the whole copper diptube to get the screen out. Efficiency is great, and works a lot better than the copper tubing manifold with holes drilled in it . The flow is a lot better, and it made a big difference with the beers with 30+ pounds of grain on top!

Don't skimp on this piece, the peace of mind you get from quality construction is priceless. Don't stress about a stuck mash, disconnected tube, smashed braid, etc. My 2 cents...

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Dwain

Recipes 

Actually, my valves aren't welded in. My couplings are welded in, the valves are screwed in. My false bottom had a hole in the middle of it that would accept 1/2" tubing. I put a stainless dip tube in and bent it down 90deg. where it would go through the false bottom. I marked it and welded a washer on it and it holds the bottom tightly against the bottom of the keggle.
I use a keggle for a mash tun. I recirc the wort through the HLT through a stainless coil. Right now, I try to keep the mash between 150F & 160F so it isn't difficult with that big of a range. However, I'm starting to fine tune my process and if I see that I need to close that range, I'll build a form out of 1/8" wood, spray the wood with diesel or something similar and fill it with expanding foam, cover it with stainless sheet metal. I don't direct fire the mash tun so it shouldn't be too bad. I have only brewed during the summer and it's been hotter than 2 rats fu%$@!g in a wool sock. Hopefully it'll work fine during the winter. - Dwain

caspio

Recipes 

Another Jaybird false bottom user here. Sits in the bottom of the keg with a copper dip tube down through the center.


I have a stainless coupler that's welded in, but before that I used a weldless setup without any issues. I had some other stuff going in to the shop, so I just had the keg welded up at the same time.

Lil' Sparky

Recipes 

Got a 15" FB from Jaybird that was cut in 1/2. I hinged it to fit down through the hole in the top, and put 2 SS bolts to support the middle.

I recirculate my mash and use a burner to direct-fire my MLT to maintain temps. Works great.

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BrothersBrewing

Recipes 

Very nice info....

Droot, how well does that set up clean?

Droot

Recipes 

No big deal. I soak it usually overnight, then scrub it out with a scotch brite pad. I open the valve and let water run out, then put the garden hose on the out and watch water squirt from ALL the holes. I just cleaned it last night from brewing a fat tire clone on Sunday.

Nothing fancy, but it works. It takes me an hour to sparge 12 gallons which I think is fine. I did an oatmeal stout that took an hour and a half, but it has never stuck so it would not drain.

I have a 4 cup grant. 2 cups and its running clear. I fill the grant, pour it back in the tun and sparge away. If I stop and stir, 4 more cups and away I go.

I use no pumps, just gravity. Sometimes I don't even open the valve all the way.

Total cost = peanuts. Efficiency 83% last batch 85%. What more could I ask for?

I tried the steel braided hose and it took way too long until the wort ran clear so I went back to the copper tubing.

Tubing is held in with a compression fitting so I can take it out to clean the tun if I burn the bottom which I do frequently. I just clean it up with a scotch brite pad on a drill. That would be a 3M rollock disk.

David

__________________
Yellow beer (pale ale) in keg

Chocolate stout In keg

Front Porch Porter in keg

weat beer and fruit in the conical

IPA of some kind on Deck!


I get more out of it when I put more into it. :)