Warped False Bottom Question

I recently purchased a false bottom for my 10 gallon cooler on line. When it came out of the box, I set it on a flat surface and it did not set symmetrical on the flat surface. In other words, two opposing edges remained about a 1/4 inch above the surface . . . the false bottom was slightly 'warped.'

It was an as-is purchase so returning it is not an option.

Will this gap be a problem? Will the weight of the grains be enough to close the gap (when pressed lightly, the false bottom sits true on a flat surface but it does take pressure to do so)? In my experience, attempts to re-true something like this only make it worse so I am discouraged from trying to bend it.

I understand that the grain acts as its own filter as it is but did not know if I am asking for a ton of grains in the vorlauf . . . or even if a sparge is possible without too many grains making it through.

Any feedback on this would be great.

snap1042

Domed, I presume?

Before you do anything, put it in the cooler and see how it sits. You never know, I doubt cooler liners are dead flat either, so you might have a good fit already.

In any case, I would spend the time to get the FB to make contact around its full circumference with the cooler liner. I have a 12" domed FB in my 10g Rubbermaid and it's made from some pretty stiff punched stainless steel. I doubt even a 20-something pound grain bill is bending it much if at all (hard to say under all that mush

Anyway, it took a little time to get it to lay tight to the bottom, but avoiding grain clogs in pumps, valves and and chillers makes any preemptive activity worth the effort...

Cheers!

My friend recently ordered a false bottom from Northern Brewer. When it arrived, it was warped a bit. One side of it sat about 3/16" off the bottom of the mash tun. We tried and tried to bend it back, but when we used it we had a stuck sparge almost immediately. Called NB, they apologized profusely and sent a new one out immediately. Good luck.