Water Meter

[TKOriginal]

How are people controlling the amount of water they put into their mash?

I have a single tier system and the HLT is a tank with no quantity markings. Right now, I calculate the mash volume and heat that water, then transfer to my MLT. I then remeasure my lauter volume, put that in the HLT tank, heat and move to my MLT. This is super inefficient. I have to balance kids and brewing so the less muscle movements the better. So, I would rather heat all the water at once, controlling the volume that goes from my HLT to MLT. I found a flow meter on amazon for $15 i could put inline. Has anyone found better options or tried that one?

I put this is beer stands because I think it has to do with the functions, move elsewhere if more appropriate.

Thanks

 

[Yooper]

I use a sight glass- pump to the MLT until I'm down XXX quarts/gallons.

 

[mabrungard]

Flow meters are often inaccurate, especially when they operate at the low end of their stated flowrate range. If you insist on measuring out a certain volume, your best bet is to weigh the amount added to the vessel or to use a flow totalizer like found on your house water meter.

 

[TKOriginal]

Thanks. This is the system I'm working with. The left cylinder is my HLT. I guess I can suck it up, or look for a totalizer but any other ideas are appreciated. Trying to stay away from drilling or welding and its a bit difficult to see etching, but I might try that.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, on my 3 vessel 5 gallon batch sparge system I fill the BK with strike volume and fill the HLT with sparge volume...

Cheers!

 

[TKOriginal]

That's a legit option.

 

[kh54s10]

I use a sight glass- pump to the MLT until I'm down XXX quarts/gallons.

This is also what I do. Mine is by gravity. I put about 3 gallons more in the HLT than I need. The top of the elbow on the sight glass is 2 gallons.

So if I need 4 gallons and have it filled to 7 gallons I drain until the water is at the 3 gallon mark. Can't be much easier.

 

[IndyBlueprints]

You could find some type of plastic rod or dip tube that will stick out the top f the cilynder, and attach some type of large cork or other floating object to the bottom of it. Place it in your HLT empty and mark the rod where it meets the top of the HLT. Add one gallon of water and make another Mark. Repeat.

Then, as you transfer water into your grains, you can stop when you get down to your target. Kinda like a reverse sight glass.

You might have to put some sort of hardware at the top edge of your HLT to keep it vertical.

 

[DemonsRun]

sight glass for my big system, and I just weigh it for the small one.

 

[TKOriginal]

Thanks guys

 

[purdman10]

What is the temperature of the water supposed to be when calbrating a sight glass? Since water expands in volume with higher temperatures, I have a higher measured volume of water at 180 degrees F. than at the tap water used at calibration.

 

[passedpawn]

You could set the HLT on a scale. Water weighs 8.36# / gal.

 

[day_trippr]

It's kind of arbitrary, given a plot of the density of water vs temperature looks like this:

Which brings up a question I've been meaning to ask of Brad Smith: for strike and sparge volumes, does Beersmith specify the volumes for each at their respective temperature of use - or at some other temperature (like "room temperature")?

Given I've been pretty much nailing my pre-boil volumes and gravities by measuring strike and sparge volumes into the HLT at room temperature I'm guessing it's the former...

Cheers!

 

[passedpawn]

If it wasn't for that reversal of density between 0 and 4, ice would sink and there'd be no life on this planet.

 

[IslandLizard]

In science volumes are typically calculated and measured at either Standard Ambient Temperature and Pressure (SATP) being 25°C at 100kPa, or Normal Temperature and Pressure (NPT) 20°C at 100kPa.

But for beer brewing that would be impractical, until we start fermenting and racking.

Most mash calculators therefore include a wort shrinking factor of 4%, which points to those volume measurements and calculations being done at significantly higher, near boiling temps.

 

[day_trippr]

Beersmith does have the 4% volume shrinkage - but that's at the post-boil cooled down volume.

Given all the losses to get there, I don't think one can conclude it gives a hint what the volume measurement criteria is for strike and sparge volumes...

Cheers!

 

[TKOriginal]

Sweet jebus, this conversation escalated quickly!