need help with fly sparge runoff

So I have the requisite 10 gallon cooler mash tun fitted with a fancy domed false bottom supplied by Williams brewing. (It set me back, but hey....)
I have had trouble with my runoff. As in, it doesn't run off. To circumvent the obvious, yes, I use 180 degree laughter liquor from a tank that I run into the mash tun using gravity as the laughter progresses. I am reasonably confident that my crush is good (not too fine, at least, I have my own mill). But when I open the valve to start laughtering, it just sits there. This has happened to me a couple of times to varying degrees - I have rescued it twice by emptying the whole bloody thing into other containers and re-loading the tun. This has worked, but threatens to end my brewing career!! One idea I have is that maybe it is air-locked, and if I ran a tube down to the false bottom from above the mash level maybe that would allow for flow.

Anybody out there recognize this??
Any help is apreciated

 

When I switched from a bazooka tube to a false bottom, I had terrible trouble with stuck mashes. What the ...! This thing has way more area than the old bazooka tube! How could it be stuck?! Turns out grain was getting under the FB perimeter and clogging the pickup. Solved by minor bending of the FB to better fit the cooler bottom. To add suspenders to my belt, I also split some 5/16 ID silicone tubing and attached it to the FB perimeter. No more stuck mash.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

Thanks for that, I couldn't figure out what was stopping the flow...

 

You may be sparging too fast, for a 5 gallon batch I would plan on spending at least 30 minutes sparging, but more like an hour is the norm I would say.

If your using a lot of adjuncts you need to be especially careful, and for goodness sakes rice hulls are cheap insurance against a stuck sparge!

 

Ditto on the rice hulls.




--Rob C
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 1986.

 

I have a false bottom in my igloo cooler also. The tube comes from the middle up and out via a pipe to the ball valve.

In a few batches I was over zealous in my stirring and hit the pipe which let grains get through and clogged up.

Now I stir in a horse shoe pattern back and forth(still vigorously) while paying attention to steering clear of the pipe. That could be it.

 

I hate to say it but that center connector is probably the problem. Here's a picture showing what ships with domed false bottoms on the right and the fitting we use instead on the left.

 

I had the same issue about a year ago. Same setup as you have. My problem was the fitting beneath the false bottom was really close to the cooler. I just cut some slots in it with a hacksaw about 1/2" long and my next batch went perfect.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

Dang! I wish I'd seen this before placing my order yesterday morning! How do you connect the elbow to the false bottom from below?

And for those who are suggesting rice hulls, how do you figure how much to use in a batch?

Just had my first stuck sparge after several years of brewing. This thread has been very helpful!

Cheers!

 

The full fitting is like this:

 

Thanks! I forgot another item on that order so will get another one into you guys in a few days.

Oh, and for what its worth, I think you guys do a great job! You've got the best selection of hard-to-find stuff and very competitive prices. You'll be selling me a pump and related hardware in another month or so.

Cheers!

 

Will 1/2" silicone tubing fit? Is a hose clamp necessary or will it fit snugly enough without one?

 

Yes, 1/2" fits a little snug.