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That sounds like what I was considering. When you lift the COFI up to sparge do you lift using the eye-bolt connected to the copper re-circulation tube? This is where I thought things might go SNAFU. When I lift the COFI by this ring it squeezes the grains gently. If you sparge over this...

I've had some low efficiency issues, similar to other posters. Will continue to fiddle with my grain crush, but I see some people are sparging. I'd like to give that a try too. How do you logistically do a sparge with a COFI? In my case, I lift the COFI after mashing using a pulley system...

Maybe this has been covered before, but 88 pages is a lot to read through! I've just was given a big bag of fresh hops, where as I usually use pellets. How do you guys filter out whole hops used in the boil? I assume if I just let them float free they would clog the the pump and/or...

I had the same issue with the pump "lurching" a bit after installing the sight glass. If you cover the little hole at the top of the sight glass with your finger for a moment, making an air tight'ish seal, it usually corrects the problem. A couple times I couldn't stand there holding it, so I...

I've just speed read through that long thread. The moral of the story seems to be: crushing to dust might not be all it's cracked up to be! And I should try a 0.04-0.05" mill gap to see if that helps my efficiency. Thanks, I already mash for 75-90min so this is an easy change to make.

A couple of you mentioned adjusting the pump during mash recirculation. I've been running mine full open each time and hadn't even considered restricting it. I've been assuming maximum flow would equal best efficiency.... Is there any reason I shouldn't be running the pump wide open? Seems...

A question for the BB users with many batches under their belt: what kind of efficiency are you getting? I'm referring to Total Efficiency as you would calculate with Beersmith. I've brewed 4x 6gal batches with my 15gal + COFI system. Each time I've missed my target. Example: last batch...

Never contemplated the pump as a possible problem. That said, I've had the valve downstream the pump's outflow fully open each time. Other than that, the pump is either ON or OFF, right? I suspect my grasp of Beersmith could be better and may be the source of too much wort. What boil off...

I've got my 3rd batch fermenting now from my 15gal BB with COFI. I'm still dialing in my system and was hoping for sage advice from more experienced BB users. Each batch has had lower than expected OG (total eff on last was 58%) and too much wort at the end of the boil. I've been using...

Follow up for future readers. Upon very careful retesting my hydrometer in DI water and then a wort of known gravity, my hydrometer was waaaaay off! New lab grad hydrometers on the way and the old one will be junked.

I've confirmed my mash thermometer is good. Tested against a Thermapen and less than 1F difference. Yes, hydrometer. Which I've double checked against water, but not a known wort SG. I'll try that this week. Currently mashing for the next brew. Got some chocolate malt & acid malt in...

About 3wks ago I brewed my first AG batch in many years. I did a SMaSH of: 12# Maris Otter 1oz Cascade @ 60/20/5min Mash for 75min @ 154F Target OG = 1.054 Actual OG = 1.050 with about 5.5gal into the fermenter Pitched WLP0028 at ~ 64F, 1.5L healthy starter, target FG = 1.012 Note: no...

After reading through this long thread, I note that most people made high gravity brews resulting in >7% ABV beers. Also, most people primary fermented 4-5wks. I have only one fermenter currently and was hoping for a quicker turnaround. Are the long'ish ferments due to the higher OG's or...

I'll use the 55% power as a starting point. I have the slightly lower power heater that is provided with the international version. I'll tweak as I go. Tight overhead is literally a sloping ceiling over my brew bench. The internal ceiling follows the gabled roof's shape. But I think I've...

Thank you for the well explained answers. So if I put together everybody's suggestions, I get: 5.5gal (target fermenter vol) + 1.25gal (strong 1hr boil) + 1gal (grain absorb) + 0.25gal (trub) + 0.5gal (fermenter loss) = 8.5gal strike. If I have a little extra, that's ok. The chances...

Found the "volumes" tab and answered my own question about the extra 0.26gal. Cooling shrinkage. Kinda like jumping in a cold lake I suppose! I admit to not understanding what some of the data on the vol tab is though: tot mash water, water avail from mash, and the spare vol. But I think...

Merlin, thanks for clearing that up (strike vs boil volumes). So, I should add about 1.3gal for the mash to account for grain absorption. 7.76gal boil + 1.3gal absorb = approx 9gal strike. One more gentle nudge for me: 7.76gal - 1gal trub - 1gal boil = 5.76gal. I suspect that I'll...

Next week I'm going to whip up my first beer with a 15gal Brew Boss with COFI. Not only is this my first with a BB system, it's my first home brew in 17yrs. Yes, I probably should have got a simpler system as a Born Again Brewer, but in my other hobbies I suffer from a severe case of...