Chronic Stuck Sparges

I've brewed 4 AG or partial mash beers now, and all have been very slow to flow out of the mash/lauter tun that I'm using. My MLT consists of a 5 gallon cylindrical cooler and a stainless steel braid fitted to two ends of a 1/2 inch T fitting. I mash with 1.25 qt water/lb grain and have always had 65-70% efficiency.

I chalked up my previous stuck sparges to high proportions of wheat/rye in the grist. I've brewed 1 rye APA, 2 weizens, and 1 roggenbier and each have flowed very slowly. I have always used at least a generous handfull of rice hulls while mashing grains, and for my last brew (a roggenbier) I included 1 lb of rice hulls in the mash. Nevertheless the flow out of my MLT was still dismally slow.

Thanks to the slow flow, I started quaffing hombrew and got clumsy enough to break a hydrometer diromg my last brew session. The madnesss must stop! Any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong that is causing my sparges to suck balls? Mashing grains is fun and the smell of grains in the midst of a decoction is awesome, but I hate waiting 2+ hours to collect enough wort to boil. All input is greatly appreciated.

Sounds like you need a new/different manifold.

Bull

I have learned never to drink on brew day until the yeast is pitched. Even then some equipment goes to bed a little scummy....

With a freakin' pound of hulls you should be able to lauter anything. Maybe check your crush? You can fight back against a stuck lauter by blowing air back up through the braid.

I use a cpvc manifold, after my first stuck mash/sparge, I bought a 5 gallon paint strainer bag from Home Depot. I put my manifold in it, tie it in a knot, poke a hole in it to connect the manifold to the ball valve. Brewed twice since the first stuck mash with the same crush, not a single problem.

I was having FITS until I switched from the small stainless braid to the hot water supply line.. not a single hitch since then.

I use a 5G lowes igloo cooler with a big braid. Hot water supply sounds right, but if you go to the aisle, it is the largest diameter they have. I have it hose clamped to a nipple attached to the ball valve. It goes across, not around. I get over 80% eff until over 12 lbs. I think it has to be your braid. I hate when people quote John Palmer to me. I've read How to Brew many times, and still go back to it all the time... That said, he says 1/2" braids often collapse, but larger ones don't have that problem. I've never used a smaller braid, but I know my big one will run anything off as fast as you want.

Your braid is probably not stainless. I had the exact problems you described, then I realized that my braid was not stainless, it was plastic made to look like stainless.

944play said:

With a freakin' pound of hulls you should be able to lauter anything.

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My thoughts too. As I understand, rice hulls are more or less prune juice for your mash.

maskednegator said:

Your braid is probably not stainless. I had the exact problems you described, then I realized that my braid was not stainless, it was plastic made to look like stainless.

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Actually, I almost made that mistake but caught myself at the home depot checkout line. I'm sure it's stainless. I've got finger sticks from exposed strands of metal to prove it. I imagine it's too small in diameter, though. It's a supposedly a 1/2 inch braid but it's smaller. I'm going to put together a new manifold and I'll try it out. I have some more WY3086 that I need to use up, so I'll try out another weizen and see if it can handle it.