Sparge Water Amounts

What is the best way to determine how much sparge water I need?

Thanks

 

Assuming you are batch sparging probably the simplest is to measure your first runnings then just sparge with however much you need to bring it up to your boil volume. You can also pre-calculate it if you know your numbers: first runnings should euqal mash water minus grain absorption (will differ depending on BIAB or regular tun) minus any tun deadspace. If you're fly sparging just sparge until you hit boil volume.

 

What I do is:

1. Determine what my mashing water will be by using the Brewersfriend.com mashing calculator (quarts to lb of grain).

2. Once I have the gallons of water needed for mashing, and say I will shoot for a 7.5 gallon full volume, I then add the difference to add up to 7.5 gallons.
For example mashing water is 3.5 gallons, therefore I need 4 gallons to equal 7.5 ( 7.5 - 3.5 = 4).

3. Lastly I account for water loss. For my system and water loss, I use .115 of a gallon per pound of grain. So for example: a 10lb grain bill will consume 1.15 gallons of water (10 x .115 = 1.15).
I then add the water loss to the sparge (4 + 1.15 = 5.15).

Therefore, I would use 3.5 gallons of mash water, and 5.15 of sparge water.

Every system is different, and to start I would suggest using .14 water loss compensation, and then start to lower it if you are having too much left over water - it's about tuning.

With this process I hit my full volumes and gravity.

Happy brewing!

 

http://www.dennybrew.com/

In the above link is a solid batch sparging procedure.

 

thanks I appreciate this.

curious about your system I use a couple igloo coolers

 

this^^^^

 

FWIW, I hardly ever go through the rigamarole of those calculations any more. I mash around 1.63-1.75 qt./lb. then sparge with whatever amount I need to get my boil volume.