15 Gal Blichmann False Bottom Diameter?

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mrjofus1959

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Just wondering if someone on the forum who owns a 15 gallon Blichmann false bottom could give me a exact measurement of its diameter? I know the Blichmann web site shows a sidewall diameter of 15.7", but I need the actual measurement of one of the false bottoms.

Thanks, Kevin
 
I will be heading out to my garage in a bit to set up for a brew later today, and I'll bring a tape measure with me then and let you know. It's a very tight fit in the pot, for what it's worth; it's actually kind of a pain in the butt to take it out after a brew.

Can I ask why you need the precise dimensions?
 
I'm thinking about giving it a try in my Bayou Classic 62qt MLT. My current perforated false bottom is 15-9/16" in diameter and is also a very tight fit. Thanks for the quick reply!
 
OK well my measurements *could* be wrong here, but I got a bit over 15.5 inches for the diameter of the false bottom. On the metric side of the tape it was reading a hair over 39.5 cm, which comes out to 15.551 inches. It is an extremely snug fit in the kettle, though, so I am not sure how close it's going to be in another kettle. Also, the bottom of the Blichmann is tapered slightly, and you'd want to set up something similar for the dip tube. The one on the Blichmann has a stainless steel washer the slides over the dip tube to cover up the hole in the false bottom where the dip tube goes through, and the way the dip tube itself slides and locks into place in the kettle is something I haven't seen on other systems.


One last thing--not sure if you've seen a Blichmann false bottom up close or not, but they just have a single standoff in the center, which is the same height as the taper height for the bottom of the kettle.
 
Thanks a lot for taking the time to do the measurement! That sounds like it could be a good fit for my MLT, recognizing I'll have to do some tweaking to get it working. I am familiar with their setup, and I'm starting to wish I'd bit the bullet and just bought a 15 gallon BoilerMaker for my MLT!

Do you by chance use a HERMS or RIMS setup in your brewing? And if so have you had good luck with the Blichmann FB in terms of not sticking your mash with a full flow through a March 809 or similar?

Thanks again! -Kevin
 
I have been doing BIAB (direct-fired) with it. I haven't run into any issues with recirculation, except one time I forgot to put the false bottom in, and the bag kept getting sucked into the dip tube. I haven't used it solely as a mash tun without the bag yet, as I've already got a 48 quart igloo ice cube MLT that works for all of my big batches that wouldn't fit in the BIAB setup.

One of these days I might either buy or build something like the Tower of Power, as at least in my current setup I'd have to stick with propane.
However, we are looking at getting a new house fairly soon, and if we do that, I may end up going electric, so I haven't committed to any big changes or purchases on my current system. The only thing I've really been thinking about is using a basket of some sort to help make dealing with the spent grains a bit easier to manage.
 
However, we are looking at getting a new house fairly soon, and if we do that, I may end up going electric, so I haven't committed to any big changes or purchases on my current system. The only thing I've really been thinking about is using a basket of some sort to help make dealing with the spent grains a bit easier to manage.

I just brewed my 3rd batch on my new electric setup yesterday, a system based on the one over at http://theelectricbrewery.com. I started brewing back in '92 and used propane for my all-grain setup for about 10 years. I've been on a brewing hiatus for a while so I jumped back in with an all new setup. I'd have to say I'm loving the electric heating as compared to propane. Now if I can just get past my recirculating challenges...

Thank you again for taking that measurement!
 
I splurged for the 15G Blichmann w/ the false bottom, plus the burner, and love it for my mashtun. No stuck fermentations, easy sparging, and it is gorgeous. And the sight glass is one of the coolest features I didn't expect to be such a benefit.

Trying to convince the wife I'd be much better off with a 20G boil pot / burner, no luck yet. After buying this, I am a Blichmann fan, for sure.
 
Don't really see an issue. It's original purpose is to be in contact with food at high temperatures for extended periods. Am I missing something?

Well I suppose the part where it's submerged in a light acid for extended periods. So long as the plating holds up, it's probably OK, though.
 
Kevin...did you end up getting the Blichmann FB and did it work with the Bayou Classic 62 quart pot? I'm thinking of going the same route if you had success.
Thanks,
Pete



Thanks a lot for taking the time to do the measurement! That sounds like it could be a good fit for my MLT, recognizing I'll have to do some tweaking to get it working. I am familiar with their setup, and I'm starting to wish I'd bit the bullet and just bought a 15 gallon BoilerMaker for my MLT!

Do you by chance use a HERMS or RIMS setup in your brewing? And if so have you had good luck with the Blichmann FB in terms of not sticking your mash with a full flow through a March 809 or similar?

Thanks again! -Kevin
 
Kevin...did you end up getting the Blichmann FB and did it work with the Bayou Classic 62 quart pot? I'm thinking of going the same route if you had success.

Thanks,

Pete


Pete, I did get this setup working. Here's a link to my thread on another forum: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=297199#297199. I don't have a picture on hand but for the final implementation the false bottom rests only on the silicone covered tube around the perimeter, and I added 3 SS machine screws in a triangular pattern around the FB center to support I there. The screws are trimmed to match the height of the outer ring.

I'm in the process now of adapting a 30 gal Blichmann to fit an 82 qt Bayou Classic...
 
Here are a couple of pics of the standoffs I added...

ImageUploadedByHome Brew1388334926.936671.jpg

ImageUploadedByHome Brew1388334967.588994.jpg
 
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