Stuck Sparge fix
Keep some rice hulls on hand, use them if you think you should, but when you get that unexpected stuck sparge just throw in a few handfulls and mix and try again.
Fred
I need to know your recipe, mash profile, ferment temp (you mentioned previously) to gage where the fermentation really is. Also brands of extract are very important.
A "starter" is not enough to start a truely stuch fermentation. Make nice to a brewer at a local brewpub and get a growler...