bigger braid for 10 gal ?

Have decided to get bacy to AG brewing.

took valve/spigot setup out of the 5 gallon victor cooler, and installed in 10G rectangular red rubbermaid (10 gallon I guess)

do I need a longer braid, or can I keep the one that was in the 5 gal victory round cooler?

I would think the braid needs to run the length of the cooler. If it is too short you may want to buy a new one.

If it were me, I'd go with a longer one that is as long as your cooler. If anything just to be sure you're not leaving too much behind.

Ok, I'll buck popular opinion...for batch sparging...braid length is not critical...most of the wort takes the path of least resistance and passes through the braid w/in the first several inches of the bulkhead.

Sure, your friends in the locker room may chuckle at your short braid...but it will do the job all the same.

No longer then the cooler circumference. When I first built my system, I was under the impression that bigger was better, but it was not true. A longer braid was not better. It just got tangled.

I use the same Phil false bottom from my 5 gal round in my 10 gal rectangle. Same efficacy as before.

The braid doesn't need to be as big as the cooler. It will just get banged around more.

wilserbrewer said:

Ok, I'll buck popular opinion...for batch sparging...braid length is not critical...most of the wort takes the path of least resistance and passes through the braid w/in the first several inches of the bulkhead.

Sure, your friends in the locker room may chuckle at your short braid...but it will do the job all the same.

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You're absolutely correct. I've experimented with braids from 3" tp several feet and found no difference in performance. You can prove it this way....putasome water in your cooler and start letting it run off. While it's running, lift up the end of the braid farthest from the drain. You won't see any difference in runoff speed til the braid is almost completely out of the water.

OK - VERY helpful ... I have original braid in place, and will chisten the new unit with Ed Wort's Pale Ale.

BTW - I picked up an extra braid at Wally World today --can't tell if thhe supply line is braided w/SS or plastic ///

Does it matter ??

Yes a plastic braid will collapse under the weight of the grains. You should be able to tell the difference if you look close enough. If it was shockingly cheap it was probably a plastic braid.

any good online sources for ss braid ? (I know I cld search, but why reinvent the wheel ?)

I buy mine from Ace or HD for around $6. I'm new to AG brewing, and I've done a bunch of searching around the braid issues as my first attempt w/ AG I had some issues w/ my braid.
One post said to fit a spring into the inside of the braid in order to keep it open and flowing better. I did this on my second batch, and everything flowed perfectly. As long as your messing around w/ the braid, you might want to pick up a small diameter spring or two, worked great for me.

p.s., my braid is much shorter than the length of my cooler, no problemo's!

Good luck!

Whiskey said:

Yes a plastic braid will collapse under the weight of the grains. You should be able to tell the difference if you look close enough. If it was shockingly cheap it was probably a plastic braid.

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If it pokes the crap out of your fingers while you're disassembling it, it's SS!

+1 to that. That's what I ask people if they don't know if it's plastic or SS. "Did it make you swear in pain when it stabbed you? Yes? then yes, it's SS"

OK - Thx..

I will get SS braid at ACE ... I an sure that for $3.98 that supply line is plastic (and maybe that is why I had that stuck sparge earlier ..

This will be a new beginning ...

The strands of the polymer braid are much coarser than the stainless braids. The plastic strands are about the thickness of 20 lb test fishing line. The stainless is made of very fine wires. Once you are familiar w/ the appearance of each, it is kind of obvious.

Also, the plastic braid has a softer "buttery" feel to it.