Question for sanky tun users

what are you guys using for false bottoms/screens?

and

valves, im looking a weldless what are your recommendations?

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

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

Droot said:

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.

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David

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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

Dwain said:

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

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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...

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

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.

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.

Very nice info....

Droot, how well does that set up clean?

fireballbrewer said:

Very nice info....

Droot, how well does that set up clean?

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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

nice, i mite try this...

I use a SABCO false bottom, just like you see above. For me, as a beginner, it was well worth the money, as it freed me up to worry about other things. It works great. Never had a stuck mash. Once in a while I will get a couple grains through. I cant see how it is going around the sides because it fits tight, but it does. I started putting a musilin bag at the end of my tubing to catch any grains before they hit the BK, but its never much at all.

All my fittings are welded. IMHO, it was also well worth the money, as the welds are perminant, and you will never have to worry about it leaking over time. Do the math on parts and labor to weld vs. weldless, and depending on how much you are getting charged for the welding (i got several offers under $50 for 13 welds), it might be a wash.