Galvanized equipment

Can I use a galvanized sprinkler head to build my sparge arm out of since it wont be in contact with acidic wort?

It is one of those small, flat, square sprinklers that is basically like a small showerhead.

Or would something like this be better?

Yes.

Thanks, I wasn't sure if the heat of the sparge water would cause any undesired effects

Although if you ever want to recirculate, you won't be able to use your fancy manifold, and it will get rusty after a while.

klyph said:

Although if you ever want to recirculate, you won't be able to use your fancy manifold, and it will get rusty after a while.

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$hit, thanks for bringing that to my attention! Back to the drawing board haha

I don't use a "sprinkler" type sparge head anymore.

The small droplets cool faster, so your sparge will be cooler than your HLT.
If you circulate (which I do), I would worry about plugging the holes with bits of grain.
As long as you keep an inch or so of water covering the grain and do not disturb the top, I don't think the sprinkler is required.

Ed

Will the plastic hold up to the heat of your sparge water?

Thanks for the advice! I am mainly looking for a way to sparge without using my entire length of siphon tubing. I am looking for a more permanent way to deliver the water from the HLT to the MLT.

My main problem now is that my siphon tubing starts shifting around and is hard to keep pointed at my "diffuser" (currently a collander or bowl or pie tray). Once it starts sliding around it tends to scatter some grain from the bed.

oceanselv said:

Will the plastic hold up to the heat of your sparge water?

Click to expand...

Thats also a valid point...Idealy I am going to put together a nice system from Mcmaster Carrs inpired by another members set up...let me see if I can find the pic

A short length of silicon tubing should float enough to not disturb the bed, and you can add a piece of foam to the end to help. That's how the Blichmann autosparge works.

What size is your MLT? I took a brass hose nozzle from Ace Hardware (http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1272754&CAWELAID=145559371) and unscrewed the outer shell. I then placed the nozzle in my MLT and fed the water from my HLT by gravity. The water comes out in an X pattern and evenly spray my grain bed. I didn't have enough pressure to use the brass nozzle in the light spray setting.

Thanks all for the tips. I was originally going to build a ring of these coming from the lid of my cooler:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#loc-line-coolant-hose/

Part number 25

I've seen that, but I believe the silicone hose with a float would be much more cost effective and equally functional.

klyph said:

A short length of silicon tubing should float enough to not disturb the bed, and you can add a piece of foam to the end to help. That's how the Blichmann autosparge works.

Click to expand...

I don't have the blingman autosparge, but I do use a piece of silicone tubing.

I'm still looking for a good way to float the tubing (I've heard that Blichmann uses a short piece of water pipe insulation).

Germelli1 said:

Thanks all for the tips. I was originally going to build a ring of these coming from the lid of my cooler:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#loc-line-coolant-hose/

Part number 25

Click to expand...

What temperature do you sparge at? The maximum temp for the coolant ring is only 170F.