I've got the stuck sparge blues...

I batch sparge with a 10 gal round beverage cooler with a domed false bottom. Stuck sparges have become a fairly common occurrence for me on brew day. Usually it's not a big deal. I just break up the grain bed, let it re-settle, then resume sparging. But today, I had to use a large spoon to get under the edge of the false bottom and move things around to get things flowing again. The situation added a considerable amount of unproductive time to my brew day. :smack:

I have not used rice hulls in my mash as of yet but wondering if I should add that to my mash & sparge process going forward??

Comments/advice appreciate!

Yes, rice hulls will help. I'd be more inclined if I were you, however, to figure out why you're getting stuck sparges on what sounds like a fairly regular basis. Is your crush too fine or are you draining too fast?

I've only used rice hulls once with a 50% wheat grain bill...worked like a charm...most will recommend 1/2-1 pound per 5 gallon batch.

Rice hulls + Bobby_M's large diameter pickup tube = No Stuck Mash

LLBeanJ said:

Yes, rice hulls will help. I'd be more inclined if I were you, however, to figure out why you're getting stuck sparges on what sounds like a fairly regular basis. Is your crush too fine or are you draining too fast?

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I don't drain too fast. I keep it throttled down fairly slow to try and help my efficiency and to try and keep it from sucking the mash tight against the false bottom. I've even slowed it down even more lately but hasn't helped.

The crush from my LHBS has varied but even when they leave it too course, I still struggle a bit with stuck sparge. I'm wondering if the holes in the false bottom are too small??

It could be that your crush is too fine, or that your grainbed height to width ratio is too high (more pressure on the grainbed, compacting it). Either way, rice hulls will help. Even 1/4 pound in 5gal will make a big difference.

jbb3 said:

I don't drain too fast. I keep it throttled down fairly slow to try and help my efficiency and to try and keep it from sucking the mash tight against the false bottom. I've even slowed it down even more lately but hasn't helped.

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Drain rate does not affect efficiency when batch sparging (unless your conversion is incomplete and the extra time allows more conversion to occur, or you don't stir well prior to starting run off.)

Can you post a picture of your false bottom, and any manifold in the bottom of your MLT?

Brew on

I had a problem with stuck sparges once and the cause was the way that I assembled the false bottom.
The pick up tube projected too far through the FB and under pressure it made contact with the plastic bottom of the tun.
I fixed it by loosening the retaining nut/collar and adjusting it.

I would try the hot water heater supply braid available at Home Depot.

I like braids over false bottoms, especially for batch sparging.
Just my preference through experience.

Only $10 bucks and works great. Even with large amounts of wheat flows well and runs clearer than a FB. Easier to clean, no parts to assemble every session, just rinse and repeat

doug293cz said:

Drain rate does not affect efficiency when batch sparging (unless your conversion is incomplete and the extra time allows more conversion to occur, or you don't stir well prior to starting run off.)
Can you post a picture of your false bottom, and any manifold in the bottom of your MLT?

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I've read that channeling can be an issue with some set-ups so thought I would to slow down the flow to prevent it. Though, channeling is probably more an issue with manifold systems. If I think about it, I guess a full false bottom should not have that issue??

Photo posted below...

brewkinger said:

I had a problem with stuck sparges once and the cause was the way that I assembled the false bottom.
The pick up tube projected too far through the FB and under pressure it made contact with the plastic bottom of the tun.
I fixed it by loosening the retaining nut/collar and adjusting it.

Click to expand...

You might be on to something here. As you can see, I added a pvc extension so the pick-up is about a 1/4" from the bottom. I did cut slits in the sleeve just in case it did come too close to the bottom but maybe those slits aren't big enough??

jbb3 said:

I've read that channeling can be an issue with some set-ups so thought I would to slow down the flow to prevent it. Though, channeling is probably more an issue with manifold systems. If I think about it, I guess a full false bottom should not have that issue??

Photo posted below...



You might be on to something here. As you can see, I added a pvc extension so the pick-up is about a 1/4" from the bottom. I did cut slits in the sleeve just in case it did come too close to the bottom but maybe those slits aren't big enough??

View attachment 300275

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Channeling is only an issue for fly sparging when there are sugar concentration gradients from the top to bottom of the grain bed. Channeling will not affect efficiency when batch sparging, since all you are doing is draining uniform concentration wort.

The spacer with slits is a great idea! You might try widening the slits to see if that helps.

You might also want to look into adding rice hulls to your mash to keep the grain bed from compacting too much.

Brew on

jbb3 said:

today, I had to use a large spoon to get under the edge of the false bottom and move things around to get things flowing again. The situation added a considerable amount of unproductive time to my brew day. !

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That may be part of the problem. My buddies mash tun has a false bottom that isn't flush with the edges and is known for moving if bumped to hard. Grains get underneath it and then clog the valve. When using it we have to hold it down with the paddle while dumping in the sparge.

Personally I use a bazooka tube and never had a stuck sparge. Only use rice hulls if I'm using a lot of wheat/rye

jbb3 said:

You might be on to something here. As you can see, I added a pvc extension so the pick-up is about a 1/4" from the bottom. I did cut slits in the sleeve just in case it did come too close to the bottom but maybe those slits aren't big enough??

View attachment 300275

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Good Lord man...!!
What is that monstrosity under that false bottom?
Take that extension off and get yourself the thinnest retaining collar that you can.
The objective is to have about 1/2" minimum from the cooler bottom to the opening of the the intake for the drain.
Those little slots are the only way for wort to get through and once they have grain husks in them, you are stuck!

I can say with some certainty that the root of your problem is in that pvc plug.

conditioning your grain will help preventing a stuck sparge, I do 50/50 wheat to barley with no problem. Before conditioning I needed to add rice hulls or rake the top of the grain bed to get things going.

brewkinger said:

Good Lord man...!!
What is that monstrosity under that false bottom?
Take that extension off and get yourself the thinnest retaining collar that you can.
The objective is to have about 1/2" minimum from the cooler bottom to the opening of the the intake for the drain.
Those little slots are the only way for wort to get through and once they have grain husks in them, you are stuck!

I can say with some certainty that the root of your problem is in that pvc plug.

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Dang... Did I commit some sort of HB sin?? LOL...

I don't have a 1/2" clearance. It's more like a 1/4" between the pvc and the bottom of the cooler. I think I'll start with widening the slits like doug293cz suggested and see how that goes. Then if that doesn't work, I can always cut it shorter later. Or take it off completely and replace it with the stainless lock-nut that came with it. Trying to not leave any more sweet wort behind than I have to...

ba-brewer said:

conditioning your grain will help preventing a stuck sparge, I do 50/50 wheat to barley with no problem. Before conditioning I needed to add rice hulls or rake the top of the grain bed to get things going.

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Conditioning your grain? That's a new one on me. Can you please explain?

conditioning your grain is basically giving it a spritz of water before milling to make the outer husk of the grain more pliable. The husks stay more intact resulting a fluffier grain bed and easier fluid movement in the bed.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=144752

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Malt_Conditioning

ba-brewer said:

conditioning your grain is basically giving it a spritz of water before milling to make the outer husk of the grain more pliable. The husks stay more intact resulting a fluffier grain bed and easier fluid movement in the bed.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=144752

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Malt_Conditioning

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Interesting... I've not started doing my own crush yet but will keep this technique in mind when I do...

wilserbrewer said:

I would try the hot water heater supply braid available at Home Depot.

I like braids over false bottoms, especially for batch sparging.
Just my preference through experience.

Only $10 bucks and works great. Even with large amounts of wheat flows well and runs clearer than a FB. Easier to clean, no parts to assemble every session, just rinse and repeat

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Or use a wilserbrew BIAB bag, amirite???

Sometime there is a air gap between the plastic and the insulation and as the air heats up it can make the plastic bulge some. If that happened under your false bottom the 1/4 in gap could get pinched off so your only drawing liquid through the slots. The added weight of the grain and water could possible help narrow that gap too.

ba-brewer said:

Sometime there is a air gap between the plastic and the insulation and as the air heats up it can make the plastic bulge some. If that happened under your false bottom the 1/4 in gap could get pinched off so your only drawing liquid through the slots. The added weight of the grain and water could possible help narrow that gap too.

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Agreed, especially with certain cheaper round coolers.
And this is why that piece of pvc on the bottom is complicating matters.

Get that stainless nut back on there, you will still only miss about 1 quart of delicious wort.
Totally not worth the trouble of a stuck sparge.

I used a drill bit in a drill press to enlarge the slots at least twice as wide as they were.



Gave it a whirl today while mashing an Arrogant Bastard clone with a 14.5 lbs grain bill. No stuck sparge!

Looks like bottom of the cooler and the pvc spacer were getting too close and the slits were too narrow. So far so good after the modification...

jbb3 said:

I used a drill bit in a drill press to enlarge the slots at least twice as wide as they were.

View attachment 301584

Gave it a whirl today while mashing an Arrogant Bastard clone with a 14.5 lbs grain bill. No stuck sparge!

Looks like bottom of the cooler and the pvc spacer were getting too close and the slits were too narrow. So far so good after the modification...

Click to expand...

Good to hear you got the problem solved!

Brew on