Round cooler with braid.....

So I have two mash tuns. My good dependable rectangular cooler with a bazooka tube, which gave me no problems other than temperature control...even with preheating. My best friend and I put together his round MLT before Christmas, and I loved how it did not lose even a degree over a 90 minute mash.
Flash Foward.
I bought the same 10 gallon cooler and followed FlyGuy's build, except for a rounded braid. The MLT worked great the first time I used it. Since then I have had four stuck sparges. I have a 1/2 inch braid with tubing inside of it with holes cut into it to allow drainage. Now I am looking for new manifold ideas as I am about ready to throw this cooler up in the air and pump it full of geese shot from a shot gun.
Thanks guys.

take the tubing out, problem solved.

false bottom.

You could also get a bazooka screen, which goes by other names, which is just a very solid braid, more or less uncrushable.

I went through your pain, got the bazooka, got a keggle and false bottom and now am resting in a state of nirvana.

I have almost the exact same build - 10 gallon round cooler with circular braid and thermally insulated tubing with holes cut.

It always gave me stuck sparges until late last year. Inexplicably it started lautering faster, but giving me massive efficiency losses.

I have used a braid for 4 years with no stuck sparge. I do not have a tube inside of it. Not sure why you would need one. I bet that's your problem.

Special Hops said:

I have used a braid for 4 years with no stuck sparge. I do not have a tube inside of it. Not sure why you would need one. I bet that's your problem.

Click to expand...

Probably, I am just frustrated because I have taken the thing apart twice. Maybe I will try a new braid without the tubing. If it comes back to the last resort I will get a couple of bazooka tubes and make something of it.

I used this braid from a 3/4 inch water heater supply line. Home Depot ~$12


It goes most of the way across and slipped over the nipple on the inside and is hose clamped on.

I got this cooler valve kit from Northern Brewer:


I have not even come close to a stuck sparge.

Oh damn! I just jinxed myself again!

False bottom. I had nothing but issues with the stainless steel braid.

1+ on removing the inner tubing. I do 35 gallons with a stainless hose braid. I use about 36" ow water heater hose braid.

I have never stuck a sparge with my braid, my oatmeal stout uses 1.5# of oatmeal, and 1.33 qt per gallon. I think thats a pretty sticky mash and if anything were to get stuck it would.

Just sparge / lauter slowly and take the tube out, the braid stops all the husk...

I concur with taking that tube out of your braid. I run my mashes at 1.25 and have no problems with my braid. The only stuck sparge I've ever had was with my pumpkin ale, but that's another story!

copper or cpvc manifold. No issues, never.

I built my tun with a the same braid. It worked well for two brews and then I had stuck mash on the the next three brews. I got the smaller hose (exactly like the one in the cheap and easy build thread). Out thinking myself again, I drilled a bunch of holes in the plastic and inserted it back into the braid. Stuck mash again. Took the tube out of the braid and everything has been fine since.

I tried to improve on an already tested process and screwed up. Once I went with the original build, everything was fine.

My advice is to just use the smaller sink braid without putting anything inside of it.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/members/lpdjshaw/albums/brew-equipment/7205-copper-manifold.jpg
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/members/lpdjshaw/albums/brew-equipment/7204-mlt-interior.jpg
Here's mine that I made, never stuck a mash.

Hey thanks for all of the advice and suggestions. I took Shelly's advice just for one last go of the braid, and it is successfully draining with good flow as we speak. I did start working on an octagonal CPVC manifold, since I had 6 feet of it laying around in my basement. Now I just need to figure out how to connect the 1/2 inch CPVC to my 3/8 brass connector. Any ideas???

Are you sure its a stainless steel braid? And I say this because I did it myself and had some stuck sparges turned out I Home Depot sales the braids listed as stainless but they are plastic and just coated with a stainless material. I have had zero problems since even though my actual stainless braid looks pretty abused.