Two tries with a new false bottom, two stuck sparges!!!!WTF??????????

Ok, so, I had been using a SS mesh hose wrap for a "false bottom" for my 10 gallon rubermaid round cooler and NEVER had a stuck sparge. However, my efficiency bit the big sack when fly sparging but was ok when batch sparging. I have recently bought a 12inch false bottom from Northern Brewer to try and increase my efficiency when fly sparging and I've had two-for-two stuck sparges. I take my time when I sparge (up to 1 hour) but these got stuck right out of the gate. I'm pissed and fed up with the false bottom crap. I did a beer (original recipe for a "Blood orange Black Beefy Hefeweizen") and ,yes, my batch sparge did SLOW DOWN but did not get stuck. Some will ask, "So, Why not stick to what you had???" It is simple, when I sparged, I stirred up the mash really well. I also twisted up my SS hose as well. To do that every time and then replace before the next batch is impractical and in the long run will be expensive. At first I thought it was the "Naked Oats" in the Surly Cynic Clone I did from NB however, the AK47 Pale Mild also got stuck today and I guarantee there ain't no gluten in that beer or anytrhing else to stick that damn sparge. I use a 10 gallon rubbermaid round cooler with a 12inch NortherBrewer false bottom and a 3/8 inch high temp hose (up to 500F) from Midwest Supplies. I vorlauf at a very slow rate and STILL get a stuck EFFING sparge! Can anyone help???? I'm ready to sell the false bottom and go back to my simple sh*t!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to all

i hear your frustrations. It has been my experience that simpler is often easier. Yes, the 'old way' can roll & wrinkle your stainless tube. Have you considered going back to it and inserting a stainless steel spring to the I.D. of the stainless screen tube? That was the trick for me to keep it straight and not get knocked around when I stir in cooler (I use a 54qt rectangle Igloo).

Check out my thread on a 3/4" stainless braid . You can see in the pics that my old wimpy braid was getting pretty thrashed by stirring and dumping grains. I have done 3-4 brews with this new set up, no stuck sparges, and 80-85% efficiency...and it still looks just like it does in the pics :rockin:

I also tried conditioning my malt for the firswt time last brew. WOW, what a difference it made. The crushed grain looked fluffy because the husks didn't get destroyed and I set my Barley Crusher to like .032"...flour, crushed pieces, and big whole husks to create an awesome filter bed that gave me 85% without even thinking of sticking

I had the exact opposite problem, I use a false bottom in my Home cheapo 10 gallon and have only once had a problem and it was my fault because I crushed the grain way too fine. Tried the braid once because of all the positive hype here and it got stuck right away. Same crush same everything, right into the trash, if it aint broke why fix it, anyways check your crush I bet its too fine, and make sure the tubing that connects to the false bottom is double thickness because when it gets hot regular tubing will collapse.

I have the same false bottom setup from NB and have not had this problem.

bandt9299 said:

I had the exact opposite problem, I use a false bottom in my Home cheapo 10 gallon and have only once had a problem and it was my fault because I crushed the grain way too fine. Tried the braid once because of all the positive hype here and it got stuck right away. Same crush same everything, right into the trash, if it aint broke why fix it, anyways check your crush I bet its too fine, and make sure the tubing that connects to the false bottom is double thickness because when it gets hot regular tubing will collapse.

Click to expand...

I would look at this first....

Tim

Thank you to all. I didn't know they made 1/2" SS braids(putting that thread in favorites). I think I'm going back to "the braid" just because I haven't ever had a problem with it. I am going to check out the high temp hose as well. It may be rated to 500F but it may get too pliable and collapse. This would cause a stuck sparge immediately. Again, Thank you to everyone.

Where are you getting stuck? I found when I fly sparged nice and slow, you would get a gelatinous cap on top of the mash. If you were doing it real gentle, this could actually prevent water from getting below it. I don't think this is the classic stuck sparge that rice hulls can prevent and wheat contributes to. Commercial set ups constantly rake the top of the mash to prevent this cap from forming. If this is your problem, you can stir the top few inches, and not disturb your grain filter.

But all this is why batch sparging is easier, faster, and more full proof. You can batch sparge with your false bottom.

I have what sounds like the same setup, although it all came from Midwest. The 3/8th inch hose; is it braided or clear? If clear, I have a similar hose I use for other purposes and that will collapse when warmed up. It also likes to loosen up from it's connections. My braided hose in the MLT has never caused an issue. If you can make that FB work, I'd stick with it. You'll be happier in the long run as it will give you a more even flow through the grain bed, which is more important if fly sparging.

Also, what's the roller gap on your crusher? I had issues below .035. I also would have issues with Maris Otter if I didn't use rice hulls, which you may not have depending on your water profile.

When I looked into a cooler for a MT I noticed lots of people having trouble with a false bottoms in round coolers. The false bottom doesn't always seal up good around the edge or lifts up. Some coolers warp inside when hot, allowing the mash to get under the false bottom.

I went with my copper manifold setup and get no stuck sparges, great efficiency also.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/copper-manifold-10-gal-rubbermaid-cooler-228061/

If you use 3/8 thermoplastic tubing inside your tun(northern brewer) I bet you won't have any problems, rather than spend more money, get your false bottom set up right and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Trust me.

bandt9299 said:

If you use 3/8 thermoplastic tubing inside your tun(northern brewer) I bet you won't have any problems, rather than spend more money, get your false bottom set up right and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Trust me.

Click to expand...

This post beat me to it... That is exactly what I do and it works great. The thermoplastic tubing is stiff enough to hold everything in place and it will never collapse.

You can heat up and force the 3/8 thermoplastic tube onto a 1/2 inch barb if needed... Mine connects the 3/8 barb on the FB to the 1/2 bard on my bulkhead. In this set up you do not even need hose clamps to hold everything together, the tubing is stiff enough to stay put. This also makes it very easy to slip the tube off of the 3/8 bard to cleaning.

I have a NB false bottom in a 10g Rubbermaid cooler. I don't think I could get a stuck sparge if I tried. I use a JSP malt mill with the non-adjustable gap set to 0.045", but I haven't tried it with large amounts of wheat or flaked grains.
Bitterbrush brings up a good point. If the FB doesn't sit firmly on the bottom of the MLT and you can get grain underneath it, then it is very easy to get a stuck sparge. One thing I learned a long time ago, was to run a small amount of strike water out of the spigot to fill the outlet with water before adding any grain. This prevents airlocks when starting to drain. I also recommend using some tubing running from the spigot to the base of the kettle so you get a siphon action.

-a.

MX1 said:

I would look at this first....

Tim

Click to expand...

Completely agree, I'd start there too... I'd consider a copper or stainless dip tube to prevent it from collapsing.

Midwest makes some beefy SS screens. I use a 6-inch for my 5-gallon cooler, and it's heavy duty to be sure.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/6-boil-screen.html

They make a 12-inch version, too, for kettles or larger coolers.

Never had a stuck sparge with mine, and it looks like new after a few brews with it. I'm also careful about stirring around the braid, not slamming into it, and use a plastic mash paddle.

Have you considered rice hulls in the mash? They're practically a requirement for mashing non-malt items like oats, and they work very well to prevent stuck sparges. They're dirt cheap, too.

Are you sure the siphon tube opening under the FB is not bottoming out on the floor of the cooler stopping the flow?

Well, after reading all the posts, I think the general consensus is I used too flimsy of a hose even though it's rated for high temps. I ordered the 3/8" Thermoplastic tube and when it got here, I could definitely see a difference in the rigidity versus the one I used. It had to be collapsing. I will give it another shot, I am making a smoked vanilla rye porter (should I use rice hulls in that?) soon, for our May brew club meeting. It was a little easier to dump the mash tun when the AK47 Pale stuck with only 5 and1/2 pounds of grain than the Surly Cynic recipe. I really don't want to do that again. I am also going to check the "seal" of the false bottom against the cooler floor although, I do believe it deforms a little when heated so it may mean nothing at room temp. I definitely will have a braid ready if I get another one stuck, just so I can use the HLT as a mash tun in a pinch.

Good luck. I have never used rye but I would use the rice hulls just in case.

I use a CPVC manifold in a converted 52q cooler and have never had a stuck sparge. I usually don't even bother to vorlauf. It was about $5 to make, I batch or fly sparge depending on how I feel.