batch spargers; how do you add your water?

OK, so you have drained your cooler. Now you need to fill it again with water for your second run off. How do you fill it? Do you dump water on top of the grain with a pitcher? Do you pump water on top of the grain through a hose? Do you pump the water in through your hose braid under the grain? What temp is your water? What is the PH of your water?

Since I switched to Batch sparging my home brew has gone to ****. I brewed Blond ale that just had kinda a bad grainy/nutty taste, I brewed a Kolsch that tasted similar and it would not clear even with lots of cold conditioning, gelatin, and PPV. I brewed my tried and true pale ale (only this time with ahtanum instead of cascade) it had the same funky taste. And now my tried and try helles is just not right. It is cloudy after 4 weeks at 31 F. I have never had problems with my helles not being clear.

I pump my water in through my ss braid. My water pH is 8.3; I add 185f h2o to get up to 165ish for mash-out.

I do 2 batch sparges. I add 170F water right on top of the grainbed. I'm sure that there are better ways of doing it, but it's worked so far for me.

Me, too. I do two sparges at 170 and stir the heck out of it stirring away from the braided hose. I also vorlauf three times each time with a big gallon cool-aid pitcher after about 10 or 15 minutes.

I do one or two sparges depending on my sparge volume. I just dump it in, stir up, wait a few minutes, voflauf and drain. I like to KISS because I'm S.

You're sparge water pH looks kind of high. I use 5.2 buffer in my mash and my sparge water.

Yeah 8.3 is crazy high. Maybe some tannin or lipid extraction - something like that.

FWIW I dump my sparge water right on top of the mash as it is actually still draining. Then stop the valve, stir, sit for 10 min, then repeat.

I agree, pH look kind of high. Try not to drain all water for the first sparge so you have some buffer when you add water for the second sparge. I would also check your mash pH.

Did you use Irish moss or a whirlfloc tablet at 15 minutes from the end of the boil?
When doing a mashout you can add water that is hotter than 170F because you have liquid in there and if you stir it is diluted quickly and brings the temp up slowly. It's not really good to go over 170F when sparging on a fully drained grainbed. This allows the husks to extract tanins. Once you drain the tun, water added to the tun should not be over 170F and you should be stiring when this water is added to distribute the heat and loosen the grain so to extract sugars. Then vorlauf and drain.

I don't know man, I use 180-185F and the temp equalizes below 170 so quickly that I don't think there's a chance of tannin extraction. I'm not 100% sure but that's what my thermo and palatte says.

I don't think temperature is an issue here, but pH might be. I just dump my sparge water in with a bucket and stir, but I also treat my water.


TL

I do a mashout with boiling water to bring the temp up to 168*. Then I do two batch sparges at 170*. I drain the tun, and add the sparge water with a hose and gravity, let sit for 5-10 minutes, drain and repeat. My water ph is around 7 and I don't treat the sparge only the mash water do I add the 5.2.

Most likely it is both higher temps and water hardness. Why not pay attention to both.

Ref:
http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15-3.html

thanks WBC I think you are right on. I brewed a red ale that turned out pretty decent. I did the chart in how to brew and I think I am back on the right track to brewing good beer again.
At the same time that I started batch sparging I started brewing with "my water" as oposed to bring water home from olympia.