Braid vs manifold

[jmart84]

Hello all,

I’m about to construct a mash tun out of a rectangular cooler and I’m wondering what is going to be more efficient - a braid or a manifold? I am going to recirculate my wort and use a fly sparge method.

Thanks

 

[jmart84]

I also have a sanke that I can convert to a MT

 

[day_trippr]

Leaving aside the question why one would want to recirculate a cooler mlt, I can't imagine a braid could sustain recirculation for long before hopelessly plugging up, and a manifold could easily lead to channeling...

Cheers!

 

[wilserbrewer]

Cooler w/ braid, batch sparge, or full volume mash without recirculation would be my preferred approach.

 

[ba-brewer]

http://howtobrew.com/book/appendices/appendix-d/building-the-manifold


I had a manifold in my rectangle cooler and braid in my round cooler, both work just fine for batch sparging. I used the braid more and it did get stuck more often than the manifold. The braid gave me almost no dead space, I could tip the cooler and get almost all of the wort. I lost efficiency when I retired my coolers.

I think a manifold would work better for recirculating and fly sparging.

 

[RPh_Guy]

question why one would want to recirculate a cooler mlt,

• Easier step mashing (including mash out)
• Improved wort clarity (replaces & improves vorlauf)
• Improved temperature stability & batch consistency
• Allows use of sauergut for oxygen scavenging (low oxygen brewing)