floating SS braid

i did my first all grain today and everything went well except for the fact that my braid in my mash tun was floating in the middle. the wort seemed to drain fine but is this a problem? does this happen to anyone else?

Mine does the same. The first few times I tried to push it back down, but it started getting crushed in a couple of spots and I decided not to worry about it since it seems to work fine. I thought about bracketing it to the bottom of the cooler, but decided against it. The stainless braid seems less and less permanent though - I'll probably build a manifold eventually. All that said, I haven't had any lauter efficiency issues with batch sparging and the stainless braid.

I used a quick tie to connect a large brass nut to the end of my braid. That keeps it from floating.

Try running some water out your valve before adding your grain. It is just full of air.

Adding a brass nut (as suggested above) also makes it very difficult to float.

I also put a length of copper tube inside the braid to prevent crushing. I bent it to fit the bottom of my cooler better an cut a bunch of slots with a hacksaw. It's working well so far, 6 batches later.

I used a brass end and a hose clamp. No more floating

I've never had this problem, why would stainless steel float in water?

robkeyser said:

I also put a length of copper tube inside the braid to prevent crushing. I bent it to fit the bottom of my cooler better an cut a bunch of slots with a hacksaw. It's working well so far, 6 batches later.

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Like this . . .






Yeah, I bent it a little more after the first pictures to make it fit the tun better.

robkeyser said:

I used a quick tie to connect a large brass nut to the end of my braid. That keeps it from floating.

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+1. And mine drained better after I did that. Better suction, I suppose.

AnOldUR said:

Like this . . .

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I really like this approach. You get all the benefits of both a braid and a manifold, but it is still cheap and easy to manufacture. Best of both worlds with almost none of the disadvantages.

No, it's not a problem.

robkeyser said:

I used a quick tie to connect a large brass nut to the end of my braid. That keeps it from floating.

Click to expand...

+1 to that; I got something similar

Mine was floating when I first installed it. I just cut it down much shorter. Still works perfectly.

I followed the directions in the link on how to build a Mash tun on this site. It clearly states to add a brass plug at the end of the stainless braid. No friggin way it will float.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/

phatuna said:

I've never had this problem, why would stainless steel float in water?

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I'm betting it is not stainless. It's probably that plastic stuff that looks like SS. Be sure you check the label. Mine has never floated, sinks like a rock

phatuna said:

I've never had this problem, why would stainless steel float in water?

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Floating is probably the wrong word. The problem is more just in the movement that occurs from mixing. If you stir gently and with care, and have a relatively thin mash, simply weighting the end of your braid is fine. Stirring more vigorously and bumping the strand enough times will deform and kink it. Some styles call for a thicker mash. If the mash is thick enough and you raise the braid with your paddle, it may not return to the bottom of the tun.

Is it possible to avoid these conditions? Sure, but when it is so simple to eliminate the risk, why would you not?

I have a question that is indirectly related to this thread.

I brewed a batch recently and had a stuck sparge. I was able to clear it up but when I went to clean out the spent grains in the MLT I noticed that I had torn a couple of pretty good sized gaps/slashes in the SS braid (about 1/4") when stirring with the mash paddle. I will replace the braid but I am wondering if there is any special technique that needs to be used when stirring with the mash paddle to break up dough balls/mix the grains in the Rubbermaid 10gal MLT. I use a plastic mash paddle that is about 3"x6" on the paddle head and about a 3' neck. I try to avoid stirring the bottom middle of the MLT where the braid is located but I need to get the gains mixed so I end up coming in contact with the braid at times (I attempt to stir around the sides of the braid but I can feel the paddle scraping the braid). I don't want to have to continually replace the braid every few brewing sessions. Any suggestions? Thanks, Montanaandy

If you tore it, I'd guess it wasn't SS. I've used the same braid for 365 batches and it's a bit dented, but it's never torn.

"If you tore it, I'd guess it wasn't SS"

Certain that it is SS. I bought it at Ace Hardware and it is specifically labeled as SS. Perhaps it is just a cheap/substandard SS version. I have a Watkins that I purchased at Lowes that looks to be a bit more substantial. I will see how this new SS braid works. Montanaandy

I know we're getting away from the topic of this thread, but you could try doing a thinner mash. I usually use about 1.25 or a little more quarts/lb. may help with getting the lumps out

Montanaandy said:

I have a question that is indirectly related to this thread.

I was able to clear it up but when I went to clean out the spent grains in the MLT I noticed that I had torn a couple of pretty good sized gaps/slashes in the SS braid (about 1/4") when stirring with the mash paddle.

Click to expand...

I have had this same problem 2 times out of the 20 AG batches that I've brewed. Both times were due to a stuck mash and me bumping the braid with my paddle.

The first time it happened, I posted the problem and the same reply's came back (it's not stainless steel).. Well, it happened twice to me and both braids were in fact stainless steel. Upon further investigation, the braid did not tear, it just frayed or became unbraided in one section, leading to vast amounts of grain to make its way through.

Sorry Andy that I have no fix for our problem, other than - don't bump the braid to get it unstuck.

"Sorry Andy that I have no fix for our problem, other than - don't bump the braid to get it unstuck."

Yeah I think that we may be SOL short of going with a piece of copper inside of the SS braid or using a copper manifold. I tried using the PVC/insert that was part of the SS braid but that too became stuck. I have still not tried putting a coiled piece of thin copper wire inside of the SS braid. I think that I will give this a try with the replacement braid. Montanaandy

I use a stainless steel spring inside mine to keep it from crushing, but that didn't stop the unravelling.

"I use a stainless steel spring inside mine to keep it from crushing, but that didn't stop the unravelling."

OK, nix that one. Thanks for the heads-up. Montanaandy

This may be incentive I need to finally look at my braid and figure out why it works so much better than other braids. I just can't understand unraveling, tearing, or crushing when mine has been completely trouble free for 10 years.

"This may be incentive I need to finally look at my braid and figure out why it works so much better than other braids"

Yeah that would be great if you could provide some insight for those of us experiencing problems with the SS braids. The fact that your braid is 10 years old may be the answer in itself - it was probably made here in the US with a better grade of material than we can get these days. Montanaandy

could use plastic pipe instead of copper, I now use drilled plastic pipe within a very fine muslin bag, the pipe is only to hold the bag open of course.

Well I was able to salvage the remains of the SS braid and it is a bit shorter but should still work. Fortunately the tear was near each end of the braid so I was able to take it off and cut out the bad parts with scissors. Put a coiled piece of thin SS inside just for the heck of it. Also folded the ends inside of the braid as per suggestion using a pliers and it made things a lot easier on the fingers. So a couple of inches shorter but it looks like it will work. I will put it to the test this weekend when I brew. Montanaandy

Changing mine from a stick to a loop and inserting a spring helped mine a LOT. Use a tee and loop the braid around. Also using a more blunt mash paddle has prevented damage to the braid.

"Changing mine from a stick to a loop and inserting a spring helped mine a LOT. Use a tee and loop the braid around. Also using a more blunt mash paddle has prevented damage to the braid."

Interesting. I will probably give that a shot. I am not certain I understand what you mean by a "more blunt mash paddle". I use a skinny plastic paddle that is a couple of feet long or so. Are you referring to the wooden paddles?

I was examining the Watkins SS braid that I got (still intact) and it looks and feels much more substantial than the SS braid that I am using so that my be the source of my problem/solve my problem. Thanks, Montanaandy

just be careful not to hit your braid while you stir and you will be fine.

Montanaandy
I made a paddle out of copper tubing and fittings. It probably pulls more temp from my mash than I need but i tend to overshoot my temps by a few degrees anyway. My old mash paddle was a huge stainless spoon/spatula thing but the edges and corners were kind of sharp, it was beating up my braid. Wood would probably be ideal. Here is a pic of my braid and paddle: