sicktght311
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2018
- Messages
- 684
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So i've had my 3v E-Herms system up and running since January, with at least 10 batches under my belt so far with ZERO issues. Never had a stuck sparge or a stuck mash.
I recently started seeing a slight decrease in my efficiency out of nowhere with a few batches, but i chalked that up to some issues with boil intensity and undershooting my post boil numbers.
In an effort to gain a few more points on my next brew, i narrowed my mill gap to around .40, brewed a Hazy Pale ale with 20% flaked oats and about half a lb of rice hulls (5gallon batch size), and ended up with a stuck mash. I turned off my pumps as i normally do when i mash in. I stirred the mash breaking up clumps, then turned my pump back full bore on and it was fine for about a minute before it slowed to a crawl. I tried taking the hoses apart and blowing air in to clear the line, and it worked for about 15 seconds then clogged again. I ended up limping through the mash, but my temps undershot since the recirculation wasnt fast enough to maintain an even mash temp.
Next brew i did a Blonde ale, so there was no adjuncts in the mash. I moved my grain mill back to .50 as i had it before, and i had no problems with the mash this time. Recirculated full speed, no problems at all.
My recent brew, was a Session IPA with 18% Flaked oats, 18% Flaked Wheat, and the mash stuck again. Nothing i did unclogged it, including blowing air directly into the Mash Tun false bottom, or running a quick burst of sparge water through the herms coil, through the pump, and back into the MT. The temps didnt suffer as bad as the last time this happened, but still missed my mash temp by a few degrees. Sparge went fine and nothing clogged up then. This purely exists during the mash. I tried running the pump at 1/3 to 1/2 speed right after mashing in, instead of full bore as i thought that might cause the issue, but it still clogged
Any thoughts on what i can do next time? So far i've researched and this is what i've come up with for a to-do list
1) Mash thinner (i suspect this might be the major culprit. I've moved from 1.5 down to 1.3 mash thickness, and i think this is causing issues)
2) Mash in with all of my base grains first, let it settle for a minute, then put the flaked adjuncts on top of the grain bed
3) Add more rice hulls
I recently started seeing a slight decrease in my efficiency out of nowhere with a few batches, but i chalked that up to some issues with boil intensity and undershooting my post boil numbers.
In an effort to gain a few more points on my next brew, i narrowed my mill gap to around .40, brewed a Hazy Pale ale with 20% flaked oats and about half a lb of rice hulls (5gallon batch size), and ended up with a stuck mash. I turned off my pumps as i normally do when i mash in. I stirred the mash breaking up clumps, then turned my pump back full bore on and it was fine for about a minute before it slowed to a crawl. I tried taking the hoses apart and blowing air in to clear the line, and it worked for about 15 seconds then clogged again. I ended up limping through the mash, but my temps undershot since the recirculation wasnt fast enough to maintain an even mash temp.
Next brew i did a Blonde ale, so there was no adjuncts in the mash. I moved my grain mill back to .50 as i had it before, and i had no problems with the mash this time. Recirculated full speed, no problems at all.
My recent brew, was a Session IPA with 18% Flaked oats, 18% Flaked Wheat, and the mash stuck again. Nothing i did unclogged it, including blowing air directly into the Mash Tun false bottom, or running a quick burst of sparge water through the herms coil, through the pump, and back into the MT. The temps didnt suffer as bad as the last time this happened, but still missed my mash temp by a few degrees. Sparge went fine and nothing clogged up then. This purely exists during the mash. I tried running the pump at 1/3 to 1/2 speed right after mashing in, instead of full bore as i thought that might cause the issue, but it still clogged
Any thoughts on what i can do next time? So far i've researched and this is what i've come up with for a to-do list
1) Mash thinner (i suspect this might be the major culprit. I've moved from 1.5 down to 1.3 mash thickness, and i think this is causing issues)
2) Mash in with all of my base grains first, let it settle for a minute, then put the flaked adjuncts on top of the grain bed
3) Add more rice hulls