Adventures in homebrewing pico false bottom

[DarkUncle]

Hi all,

I can't seem to find too much information on this type of false bottom for a converted keg. Can anyone comment on this who has or is currently using one? Advantages/Disadvantages?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[tjpfeister]

I own one, it's the cat's ass. The small slits more closely emulate professional equipment and the lipped edge forms a tighter seal to a keg than the other perforated options.

 

[DarkUncle]

Good to hear. How about where the two plates meet? No grains getting through there?

 

[tjpfeister]

No, it fits T-I-T, tight.

 

[DarkUncle]

Thanks for the info. Placed an order and looking forward to using it.

 

[tjpfeister]

So long as your keg is round, you will love it. The supports can be discarded to get the bottom below a port, but you will need a center support to keep it from collapsing during a stuck sparge (it happened to me)

 

[schard84]

Has anyone used this with an inverted/bottom draining keg mash tun?

 

[DarkUncle]

Plan on using the supports so as to have my port below the the false bottom so I can recirc back to the top and keep the grains from getting scorched. Can't see much chance on that thing collapsing with that support structure.

Just out of curiosity, why would you want the bottom below the port?

 

[tjpfeister]

Electric brewing with a RIMS tube doesn't require all that dead space. But you will want it for direct firing

 

[tjpfeister]

I hope you used discount code LOOT to save 13%

 

[DarkUncle]

Unfortunately I was not aware of that discount code. And even more unfortunate, it's not a good fit for my kegs. They are too loose with gap between the plates and around the outer edges. I guess my kegs are a bit wider. They are Anheuser-Busch kegs. Not sure what type of keg this is made for.

So now it appears I've got two options. Either I return it or I order one of their new kegs for another $200. Geez, what a bummer.

 

[tjpfeister]

Strange, mine was also once owned by AB. I wonder what's different

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Unfortunately I was not aware of that discount code. And even more unfortunate, it's not a good fit for my kegs. They are too loose with gap between the plates and around the outer edges. I guess my kegs are a bit wider. They are Anheuser-Busch kegs. Not sure what type of keg this is made for.

So now it appears I've got two options. Either I return it or I order one of their new kegs for another $200. Geez, what a bummer.

Get you something on the order of this type of edging, to take up the gap difference betwixt the O D of the false bottom, and the I D of the vessel.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#edging-u-channels/=z1ws2t

 

[DarkUncle]

Thanks for that link Stealth. That would probably work. I did order one of the kegs on their site as I needed one anyway to complete my setup so we'll see how that goes. But if still loose I'll give that a shot to tighten things up.

 

[Full Throttle]

I was thinking about using one of these but the fact that they say you cant use it with 1/2" dip tube and pump is a problem since I have that to build with already. Does anyone know if the problem is the bottom or just the stand?
Mike

 

[DarkUncle]

I don't think the 1/2" is much of a problem. They say people have collapsed it because 1/2" pulls through liquid too fast causing too much stress on the false bottom. Simple fix for that is restrict the outflow on the pump. Not sure if I want to have it pulling full force anyway.

Bigger problem is that they have recently made the top plates smaller to accommodate kegs they were receiving in from their supplier that were slightly smaller than the standard. But guess what? I also ordered one of their kegs and the false bottom is too small now in that keg as well and in two others I have. We're talking about a 1/4" gap in the plates. Grains would be pouring through that.

I emailed them about it and their response was that they are indeed making them smaller now and you need to bend the tabs on the plates to make them fit tighter. That's a no go for me right there.

I emailed them for an RMA number so I can return it. Too bad too. I liked the overall design of it but to have to bend these up makes no sense to me. They would never sit in nicely and there would still be gaps around the circumference of the kegs.

 

[Full Throttle]

That's too bad , that's a deal killer for me, thanks for the heads up

 

[tjpfeister]

That sucks to hear. I got mine like 4-5 years ago and it's a tight fit. Understand the concept of bending for a custom fit, but anybody who's tried to bend stainless steel knows what you're up against, especially because it's in a cylindrical shape already.