I've been having problems with my SS braid in my 10 gal round cooler because it was getting clogged and draining very slowly (taking around 90 min for a 10 gal batch). So I build a copper manifold and used it for the first time today and I thought it was working great. It took about a gallon to clear during vorlauf and then ran quickly and clear. I had the ball valve about 1/2 way open.
I split the batch sparge into two 3 gal sparges (instead of the six gallon sparge beersmith calculated). I thought I was having a perfect brew day and it was the fastest one yet at only 3.5 hours, but when I checked my OG, it was only 1.047 which gave me a sad 58% efficiency. With the SS braid I was getting 75-80% efficiency, so I was a little disappointed in 58%.
I was wondering if I should not have opened the ball valve as much as I was draining the MLT, maybe only 1/4 open so the wort drains slower and more sugars are washed.
Other important info: I mashed at 151 degrees (a little low of my target of 154), then round 1 of batch sparging was at 185 degrees and the second round was 175 degrees.
Grain bill:
9 lb 2-row
8 lb Munich
1 lb Chocolate malt
0.5 lb crystal 60
OG 1.047
expected OG: 1.061
I split the batch sparge into two 3 gal sparges (instead of the six gallon sparge beersmith calculated). I thought I was having a perfect brew day and it was the fastest one yet at only 3.5 hours, but when I checked my OG, it was only 1.047 which gave me a sad 58% efficiency. With the SS braid I was getting 75-80% efficiency, so I was a little disappointed in 58%.
I was wondering if I should not have opened the ball valve as much as I was draining the MLT, maybe only 1/4 open so the wort drains slower and more sugars are washed.
Other important info: I mashed at 151 degrees (a little low of my target of 154), then round 1 of batch sparging was at 185 degrees and the second round was 175 degrees.
Grain bill:
9 lb 2-row
8 lb Munich
1 lb Chocolate malt
0.5 lb crystal 60
OG 1.047
expected OG: 1.061