going to a rims system

[HBCBrewmaster]

I am about to loose my 10 gallon cooler in favor of a 30 gallon Blichmann and a march 809 pump and set up a rims system and I have some questions for you more experienced folks...

How important is the flow rate on recirculating the wort?

Should I recirculate constantly during the mash?

I have a home made sparge device made out of a coiled up section of 1/4 inch soft copper tubing with holes drilled in the underside that I've been using with pretty good success so far. It's like a giant showerhead. Can I use this to recirculate the wort or would it be better if I just pump the wort out of a hose into the top of the grain bed?

any thoughts would be greatly appreciated before I drop my cash on this new 30 gallon pot!

 

[Reelale]

i am about to loose my 10 gallon cooler in favor of a 30 gallon blichmann and a march 809 pump and set up a rims system and i have some questions for you more experienced folks...

How important is the flow rate on recirculating the wort?

very. You have to match pump flow in and out to preclude compacting the grain bed and/or losing pump prime.

should i recirculate constantly during the mash?

yes, that's the normal procedure.

i have a home made sparge device made out of a coiled up section of 1/4 inch soft copper tubing with holes drilled in the underside that i've been using with pretty good success so far. It's like a giant showerhead. Can i use this to recirculate the wort or would it be better if i just pump the wort out of a hose into the top of the grain bed?

imo, it's best to pump to the top of the grain bed. Recirculating like that the entire mash results in very clear wort into the bk.

any thoughts would be greatly appreciated before i drop my cash on this new 30 gallon pot!

123

 

[HollisBrewCo]

i use a 30 gallon blichmann with a false bottom on my direct fire rims. I control the flow out of my kettle using a flow rate meter and a gate valve, i recirculate back into the kettle using the blichmann sparge arm without the float attached. I agree with reelale in that you should recirculate to the top of the grain bed thats what i do and I'm getting great results. I have not had problems with compaction or pump issues in the 6 or 8 brews i have done with my system only controlling the wort flow out of my kettle.

 

[HBCBrewmaster]

Thanks guys. It sounds like I've got the right idea. So when you say "i recirculate back into the kettle using the blichmann sparge arm without the float attached" are you referring to the "auto sparge"? I was thinking about getting that attachment installed but from what I can tell it looks like I'd be returning the wort to the top of the grain bed through single hose that floats on top. I say that based on the pictures on his website which don't seem to show enough detail. What I don't see in those pictures is any sparging or sprinkling Am I misunderstanding how this thing works? My main concern here is that I want to have uniform flow through the grain bed. It seems to me that if I have basically a running hose at the top of the grain bed, the wort would be more likely to channel through it. Which is why I was going to use my home made shower-head contraption.

thanks again for any additional thoughts...

 

[swatman260]

while I don't have the blichmann system, I do use a rims system to brew. I'm using a copper diy spurge arm that I use throughout the entire mash. It works very much the way you've described your copper return tubing. I've had excellent results with this system and my efficiency has increased quite a bit.

 

[pearlbeer]

I find with a March 809 pump and 1/2" tubing, opening the "out" ball valve on the pump 1/4 to 1/2 open is fine. I'm sure others have had problems, but I find it very difficult to compact the grain bed.

The only reason not NOT use the sparge arm for everything is hot-side aeration. Which is, in and of itself, debatable.

 

[HollisBrewCo]

yea deschuetz i ment the auto sparge. i dont find i get any channeling in my grain bed it seems as if the wort on top of the grain doesn't push right through but rather swirls around the top, however if you have the shower head contraption built go for it they look cool.

 

[Reelale]

Thanks guys. It sounds like I've got the right idea. So when you say "i recirculate back into the kettle using the blichmann sparge arm without the float attached" are you referring to the "auto sparge"? I was thinking about getting that attachment installed but from what I can tell it looks like I'd be returning the wort to the top of the grain bed through single hose that floats on top. I say that based on the pictures on his website which don't seem to show enough detail. What I don't see in those pictures is any sparging or sprinkling Am I misunderstanding how this thing works? My main concern here is that I want to have uniform flow through the grain bed. It seems to me that if I have basically a running hose at the top of the grain bed, the wort would be more likely to channel through it. Which is why I was going to use my home made shower-head contraption.

thanks again for any additional thoughts...

Think of it as a continuous batch sparge, without the addition of fresh water. I guess apart from heat loss issues, fly sparging is possible. IIRC, channeling is more an issue in fly sparging than batch sparging. Manifold drain design takes that into account. False bottoms as well.

 

[swatman260]

I use a false bottom in my system and really get excellent results. I don't seem to have any channeling issues when using my DIY sparge arm, and my wort flows clear within just a few moments. When I pump it to my BK, the wort is amazingly clear when compared to how it was prior to my use of the RIMS system.
I only open my valves a small amount so that I have a relatively slow flow rate, but I've never had an issue with a stuck mash either.