False bottom for my BK

I'm gona get another false bottom for my BK. I have a Climax 14.75 false bottom for my MLT already. I like their 11.5 false bottom for the BK because it's cheap, but is it worth paying double the price for the 14.75 false bottom for a BK? I've been having trouble filtering out the hopps after the boil. I've used a scrubby, and tried angling my dip tube but still getting too much hopps into my fermenter. Would the 11.5 in false bottom be sufficient for what I'm after?

http://climaxhomebrew.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_6&products_id=8

i'm going to be soldering in the morebeer 10" this weekend, based on friends' suggestions. so i think the 11.5 would be better

Would the 11.5 be big enough for 10-12 gallon batches or just 5-6 gallons?

For a FB to work well, it has to cover the full area of the base. If it doesn't, you will get solids creeping under the FB, thus defeating it's purpose.

-a.

Islandboy85 said:

but still getting too much hopps into my fermenter.

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I don't think it's a negative if some hops and trub end up in the fermenter. RDWHAHB.

A false bottom will never be 100% effective in straining out debris from the kettle. If the screen was tight enough to keep out all the crap it would get clogged in a hurry and then what do you do?

Try some of the other methods like a hop back or whirlpool. Or just live with hops and trub in the fermenter. Really it should not hurt the beer.

ajf said:

For a FB to work well, it has to cover the full area of the base. If it doesn't, you will get solids creeping under the FB, thus defeating it's purpose.

-a.

Click to expand...

With a keggle the FB is usually below the spigot and there is a tube that sucks the liquid out from under the FB. In those cases the FB is domed and does not cover the whole bottom of the pot.

maida7 said:

I don't think it's a negative if some hops and trub end up in the fermenter. RDWHAHB.

A false bottom will never be 100% effective in straining out debris from the kettle. If the screen was tight enough to keep out all the crap it would get clogged in a hurry and then what do you do?

Try some of the other methods like a hop back or whirlpool. Or just live with hops and trub in the fermenter. Really it should not hurt the beer.

Click to expand...

The 14.75 f.!. Fits my keggle perfectly. I figure the 11.5 f.b. Would fit into the bowl contour enough to seal down. I'll talk to our hydraulic shop at work today. I'll see if they'll build me a pickup tube that'll suck up from the side of the keggle rather than the center. Are you using a pump to whirlpool or just stirring? I don't have a pump...yet.

I use a pump to whirlpool but you can do it just the same with a spoon. Stir it for a minute of two and then let it settle for 20-30 minutes. If your lucky, most of the break material will form a cone in the bottom. Carefully siphon or drain the clear wort from the side. Drain slowly so you do not disturb the cone. Good luck!

maida7 said:

I use a pump to whirlpool but you can do it just the same with a spoon. Stir it for a minute of two and then let it settle for 20-30 minutes. If your lucky, most of the break material will form a cone in the bottom. Carefully siphon or drain the clear wort from the side. Drain slowly so you do not disturb the cone. Good luck!

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Do you use a short dip tube to pick up on the side of the keg? Pictures?

I don't have a keg. I have a big stainless brew pot. It has a valve on the side near the bottom to drain. Attached to the valve I have a short piece of copper that pulls the liquid from the bottom at the side of the pot. Sorry I don't have any pics. but it looks kinda like this one

FWIW I had a have to brew moment yesterday, but my FB for my BK wasn't in. I'm using an upside down ekeggle with a triclover bottom dump. I was looking around the house for a hop sack when I came across my vegetable steamer. I said why not, flipped it upside down and away I went. It worked great, and the hops on top caught most of the break material in 10 min of cooling/recirculation. I'm expecting even better results from a true FB.

trigger said:

FWIW I had a have to brew moment yesterday, but my FB for my BK wasn't in. I'm using an upside down ekeggle with a triclover bottom dump. I was looking around the house for a hop sack when I came across my vegetable steamer. I said why not, flipped it upside down and away I went. It worked great, and the hops on top caught most of the break material in 10 min of cooling/recirculation. I'm expecting even better results from a true FB.

Click to expand...

I thought about using a strainer. I shortened my dip tube up before my most recent batch and it helped a bit. I'm only leaving about a quart in the kettle. I wonder if I can make a deflector plate of some kind to put on my pickup tube so that when it starts to siphon it doesn't cause a current that draws in the hop and break material after I whirlpool.

http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=157

or


http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=159

bigljd said:

http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=157

or


http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=159

Click to expand...

That's exactly what mine looks like. I used the tools in our hydraulic shop. I figured I'd build it myself. If I could maybe tack weld a piece of stainless plate to the dip tube I think it would prevent any crap being sucked up due to the wort flowing in one direction.