Dip tube question

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Jeebas

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So I have a 15G kettle that I am using as a MLT that came with an entire system that I bought a while back. It came with a kettlescreen and a normal bulkhead / ballvalve.

I had noticed that the level of the bulkheads leaves a good amount of liquid in the pot when draining, so started looking into dip tubes.

I am missing something or would using a dip tube force me to have to use a a grain filtering option other than a kettlescreen? It seems like diptubes would only work with false bottoms?
 
for a mash tun generally speaking you would want a center dip tube that would go thru the hole of a false bottom.
 
So basically if you have a kettle, you either deal with liquid loss or buy/diy a false bottom to use with a dip tube?

Yes. I believe you're asking about a MLT, and how to get the wort out of the MLT without getting the grain? In that case, you'd use a false bottom/braid/manifold.
 
Sorry I guess I wasn't being clear about my knowledge of things.

The way I understand it:

#1 In general for any kettle whether it be HLT, MLT, or BK - if you want to get the most liquid out of them and if you have bottom ports that are a bit higher due to curvature of the pot - like the ones in

IMG_02956.JPG


then you have to use a dip tube.

#2 If you use a dip tube in the MLT (and BK to filter out trub - i already plan on using a hop spider for hops) then you are more or less forced to use a false bottom - correct?

Edit: I am really just looking to see if anyone had found a way to use a diptube with a kettle / bazooka screen.
 
The other option is a SS braid, but it will not siphon wort below the valve level. Without a dip tube there is no device that will drain below the valve level. Accept that you will leave wort at the bottom of your MLT and this is not a problem.
 
For the mash tun a false bottom is the best option for using with a dip tube. For the boil kettle you have a few options. The first option is since you are using that hop spider don't worry about separating trub let it go to the fmenter and it will settle out. The second option is to install some sort of a screen around the dip tube. I used to have a giant tea ball that I got off amazon around mine. Now I don't worry about the trub and use a stainless hop basket to keep the hop pellets out of my plate chiller.
 
For the mash tun a false bottom is the best option for using with a dip tube. For the boil kettle you have a few options. The first option is since you are using that hop spider don't worry about separating trub let it go to the fmenter and it will settle out. The second option is to install some sort of a screen around the dip tube. I used to have a giant tea ball that I got off amazon around mine. Now I don't worry about the trub and use a stainless hop basket to keep the hop pellets out of my plate chiller.

I think I might do what you suggest for the BK dip tube - putting a screen of some sort around it as I worry about trub clogging up the plate chiller.

That all being said - 3 dip tubes plus a false bottom = $100 - $150, and I have been buying more and more stuff to add to my system without having actually brewed on it first. So I think I will do a batch or two accepting some liquid loss using the kettlescreens, and then go the dip tube route once I have a bit more $.

Thanks for the replies everyone!
 
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