3 Tier Gravity Setup Question

I'm giving some thought to a three-tier gravity fed system but had a few questions: How long can I expect it to take to drain 4-6 gallons from the HLT into the MLT? Additionally, what kind of temperature loss can I expect during that time?

Thanks in advance.

bjohnson29 said:

I'm giving some thought to a three-tier gravity fed system but had a few questions: How long can I expect it to take to drain 4-6 gallons from the HLT into the MLT? Additionally, what kind of temperature loss can I expect during that time?

Thanks in advance.

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temperature loss isn't a big deal. If you have an insulated HLT it will be minimal. Bottom line is that you overheat your strike water then stir down in the MLT until you get to strike temps. It should take 5 minutes or less to drain that off into MLT.

Thanks. I've always just dumped, but I'm getting really tired of hoisting a kettle full of hot water. Right now, I just overshoot 12° and it works out perfect. If I were to drain as mentioned above, any thought on how much over my mash temp to target?

bjohnson29 said:

Thanks. I've always just dumped, but I'm getting really tired of hoisting a kettle full of hot water. Right now, I just overshoot 12° and it works out perfect. If I were to drain as mentioned above, any thought on how much over my mash temp to target?

Click to expand...

Personally I've always gone 180+ for strike water and then sealed up the MLT (no grain in there yet) to let it absorb some of the heat (pre-heat). I check every 5-10 minutes while I finish getting other things ready, put sparge water in HLT, make sure yeast is sitting out if repitch, weigh hops, etc. Then I always dough-in a little high because it takes time to do it right and I'd rather stir down than add more hot water (that I probably don't have prepared already).