Wasting beer, but what can i do?

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jimgriz

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So i made a foolish error last night when i brewed for the first time with my new march pump, counter flow chiller and cam lock system. I didn't account for the lost beer that would end up in the lines (three of them about 4 feet long, 1/2 inch diameter) the pump (minimal) and the counter flow chiller. I must have wasted at least a gallon. I guess i just need to change the ratio on my recipes in beersmith to make 6 gallons instead of 5?
 
Have a gallon of water on hand, and when you are about to lose your prime to the pump start pouring water in the boil kettle, you will get all your wort out of the lines that way...

I measured and tested and found I had 48 oz in my lines.
 
I always make 6 gallon batches with 5.25 in the fermenter. That way I don't have to worry about the pump/lines. It also lets me leave some in the kettle, which is usually sludge anyway.
 
So i made a foolish error last night when i brewed for the first time with my new march pump, counter flow chiller and cam lock system. I didn't account for the lost beer that would end up in the lines (three of them about 4 feet long, 1/2 inch diameter) the pump (minimal) and the counter flow chiller. I must have wasted at least a gallon. I guess i just need to change the ratio on my recipes in beersmith to make 6 gallons instead of 5?

You are losing just under a pint (15.66 oz) in the tubing, and assuming your CFC is 25' of 1/4 ID copper, you're losing Just over a cup of wort(8.15 oz). I don't know how much is in the pump, but you say it's negligible, so you really are not losing that much (24 oz)
 
I keep boiling or very hot water in my HLT. when the pump tells me the kettle is empty I switch the hose from the kettle to the HLT and run hot water through the system until I get clear water to the fermenter. The other advantage is that it cleans my pump and CFC-at least it starts the process.
 
I end up with about 1/2 gallon in my HERMS coil (1/2", 50') plus my pump and hoses (1/2", ~10'). I gravity drain it and put it in the kettle. I use an IC, so I only get losses for the hoses and kettle deadspace when going to the fermenter.

A gallon is a lot of loss for a coil and hoses.
 
Reviving an old thread. My setup is different and my valves are behind my keggles. I did my first all grain on my single tier (centennial blonde 5 gallon). I didn't have a measuring stick to calculate boil volume. I drained the mash tun to about when the pump wouldnt pump much out of it after my 60 min mash. What I did during sparging I made sure I had enough hot water in my hlt and used it to push what ever wort was in my lines into the bk. I did a double batch sparge but the grains swelled up so much I had to add more water to stir and do my run offs. I didn't let the hot and cold break settle much I instantly starting cooling through my cfc back into the kettle. Had some trub in the center. I have a 12" false bottom in the bk with a hole drilled off to the side of the center. It was a real PITA. I didn't make any logs of my first all grain brew. Should have but didn't. I went by what software said and ended up with 5 1/4g in fermenter instead of 5 1/2. I missed my og by 1 point. I need to change some things and if helps ill post some pictures of my setup. I have 2 more batches setup and don't want to screw them up to much. As this one it was frustrating.
 
Reviving an old thread. My setup is different and my valves are behind my keggles. I did my first all grain on my single tier (centennial blonde 5 gallon). I didn't have a measuring stick to calculate boil volume. I drained the mash tun to about when the pump wouldnt pump much out of it after my 60 min mash. What I did during sparging I made sure I had enough hot water in my hlt and used it to push what ever wort was in my lines into the bk. I did a double batch sparge but the grains swelled up so much I had to add more water to stir and do my run offs. I didn't let the hot and cold break settle much I instantly starting cooling through my cfc back into the kettle. Had some trub in the center. I have a 12" false bottom in the bk with a hole drilled off to the side of the center. It was a real PITA. I didn't make any logs of my first all grain brew. Should have but didn't. I went by what software said and ended up with 5 1/4g in fermenter instead of 5 1/2. I missed my og by 1 point. I need to change some things and if helps ill post some pictures of my setup. I have 2 more batches setup and don't want to screw them up to much. As this one it was frustrating.

As it was your first AG it sounds pretty good (1 point off and 1/4 gallon). Those first few times with new processes/equipment always seem clumsy. Sounds like you have very little to tweak though, just need to get use to the new flow.
 
I boil a couple of gallons of water when I am close to cast. When I run out of wort, I switch the pump input to the hot water and chase out the wort. I turn off cooling when I do this. Gotta watch for when the wort turns to water.
 
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