2 tier - HLT+MT high, or MT+BK low?

[user 246304]

Great. Thanks, Sleepy. My guy has made the point that even untreated mild would last a long time, even if rusted, before it's an issue. He's making the point that ss is so expensive, do I really need it? Kind of thing. Pitching the possibility of going thicker (say, 11 gauge) mild, paint it, knowing the issue of flame burning off, etc.- and I still come out substantially ahead on material and labor costs.

So I was redrafting plans. Perhaps I should ask him if he has any thoughts on this, before drawing the plans up. Thanks Steve.

 

[eric19312]

Mine is all angle iron. I believe 1x1x1/8. plenty strong.

 

[iijakii]

Bit late to the party -- but MT on a tier above the BK. Ive heard of a bunch of grain compaction issues from people before. Ive personally witnessed it only once. A 10min interlude and decent stir broke that up, but it was frustrating to be sure. Also screw pumps. One thing I always see on here is how ridiculously high the first tier is. You can easily go a 2 tier and have the top be stirrable.

 

[user 246304]

Mine is all angle iron. I believe 1x1x1/8. plenty strong.

Thanks Eric. I think my first rig was a 2-tier (HLT high) with 1x1 mild as well, and it did fine. Just don't know what I'd be looking at moving up to 20.

Nice looking brewery, btw.

 

[user 246304]

Bit late to the party -- but MT on a tier above the BK. Ive heard of a bunch of grain compaction issues from people before. Ive personally witnessed it only once. A 10min interlude and decent stir broke that up, but it was frustrating to be sure. Also screw pumps. One thing I always see on here is how ridiculously high the first tier is. You can easily go a 2 tier and have the top be stirrable.

Thank you iijakii. I had to do a double take originally - "screw pumps." I thought this was a species of pump I'd never heard of (which wouldn't surprise me, lol). You do mean, no pumps, right? If so, a few questions, if you don't mind.

If HLT and MT are both on the same level, without a pump, how do you sparge? (I only fly sparge, though I did a kind of "hybrid" too, from time to time, to see if it was an authentic method - allow the water column to build significantly, then fall, to see if the careful variation in water column acted as a kind of "pump.").

Can you speak more to the grain bed issue - unfamiliar. Are you manually recirc'ing, as I used to do? Sorry for the confusion.

Finally, with a low first tier, how do you transfer into a fermenter?

Thanks again.