All grain efficiency probems

[ChicagoJack86]

Recently I've been having efficiency issues, and I'm trying to figure out why. I used to get 75-80% efficiency with ease, and lately I haven't been able to get there. I fly sparge, and I sparge very slowly, so I know I'm not doing it too fast. As soon as I noticed consistent problems I immediately checked my grain crush, and I'd say that it is adequite, so I'm just about ready to rule that out. I normally mash around 152-154 degrees and sparge with 180 degree water. During my mash I stir it 30 minutes in, and I have also not done that, just to see if results vary. Is there something I'm not looking at that is causing my low efficiency?

 

[psubrewer]

Is your thermometer in cal? Are you sure your volumes are correct? Anything unusual with your water?

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[ChicagoJack86]

Thermometer is good. In fact I currently use 2 of them. I have a floating one and a long candy thermometer. If by volumes you mean my water to grain ratio, I'm using the standard 1lb of grain to 1.25qt of water. I don't think anything is unusual about my water. I currently use my tap water. I've always used it, and when i first started doing all grain brewing, my efficiency was pretty great. Should i try mashing at a lower temperature?

 

[wilconrad]

Have you checked mash ph?

 

[ChicagoJack86]

Negative

 

[isurf]

Recently I've been having efficiency issues, and I'm trying to figure out why. I used to get 75-80% efficiency with ease, and lately I haven't been able to get there. I fly sparge, and I sparge very slowly, so I know I'm not doing it too fast. As soon as I noticed consistent problems I immediately checked my grain crush, and I'd say that it is adequite, so I'm just about ready to rule that out. I normally mash around 152-154 degrees and sparge with 180 degree water. During my mash I stir it 30 minutes in, and I have also not done that, just to see if results vary. Is there something I'm not looking at that is causing my low efficiency?

What efficiency are you getting now? 75-80 is in my opinion very good so if your getting 70-75 still not bad. How much lower are we talking. How many minutes do you sparge?

 

[ChicagoJack86]

Right now I'm getting 60-65. Maybe 70 if I'm lucky. my sparge time is usually an hour, maybe more

 

[EarlyAmateurZymurgist]

If you are using a municipal water supply, you need to check your mash pH. Many municipalities switch from using surface water to using ground water during the winter months. The difference in water chemistry can be significant.

 

[ChicagoJack86]

hmmmmm, interesting. would you suggest buying bottled spring water as well?

 

[brewkinger]

If all else is consistent, then you should not be so quick to disregard the quality of your crush. I assume you have your own mill?
If so, check and make sure that your gap is still where you set it and that it has not opened up. I have a friend that discovered after 4 or 5 batches that his Monster Mill opened up on one end only. He was gapped at 0.035 at one end and 0.041 at the other.
The result was that his crush looked adequate because a good portion of the grains were getting crushed, but a small portion was not.

We roughly estimated that the poorly crushed portion was around 8-10% of the grains because once we readjusted, he got back the efficiency points that he had been consistently getting. I check my mill before every usage.

 

[wilconrad]

hmmmmm, interesting. would you suggest buying bottled spring water as well?

Not spring water (it has unknown minerals in it), get distilled water if you're going to go that route. It's nothing but H2O.

 

[ChicagoJack86]

I don't have my own mill, but I'm very close with the people who run the shop I go to. I addressed a possible crush issue 2 batches ago, and we measured the gap with a feeler gauge. All gaps looked good. I will continue to make sure the crush is good, but like I had said, the crush appears to be done well, so I'd like to rule that out on here, because if that is an issue, it's something i'll be aware of just by looking at the crush, but thank you for the suggestion

 

[ChicagoJack86]

Not spring water (it has unknown minerals in it), get distilled water if you're going to go that route. It's nothing but H2O.

gotcha. thank you very much

 

[brewkinger]

I don't have my own mill, but I'm very close with the people who run the shop I go to. I addressed a possible crush issue 2 batches ago, and we measured the gap with a feeler gauge. All gaps looked good. I will continue to make sure the crush is good, but like I had said, the crush appears to be done well, so I'd like to rule that out on here, because if that is an issue, it's something i'll be aware of just by looking at the crush, but thank you for the suggestion

When you say the gap looked good, what exactly does that mean?
What did it measure?
Not to bash any LHBS, but think about the amount of grain that is put through that mill on a regular basis. It is very common for grain mills to need to be readjusted, I know that my LHBS does it after every 10 crushes.

If your previous batches were crushed at 0.035 (for example) and you were getting 80-85% efficiency and the mill was readjusted and set at 0.038, that can make a big difference. I use these example gaps because I made the change from 0.038 to 0.035 and got 7 efficiency points.

IMO (and the general concensus of HBT threads too numerous to count), all things being equal and consistent, the crush plays one of the biggest roles in efficiency.

 

[ChicagoJack86]

almost positive that it was 0.035. like i said, i check the crush before i brew, and i continue to monitor that. they have a feeler gauge right next to the mill, and it's measured regularly. i understand your doubt it that though. i'm not saying that i'm ruling the crush out, it's just something that i'm monitoring or my own, and it's also an easy fix, unlike mash ph, which could be a tricky problem.

 

[EarlyAmateurZymurgist]

hmmmmm, interesting. would you suggest buying bottled spring water as well?

Bottled spring water is often little more than filtered municipal water.

 

[ChicagoJack86]

So right now, I'm going to do all of the suggestions given so far. Check mash Ph, make sure my gap is 0.035 on the mill, use either distilled water, or check my water to make sure it is suitable for use. Any other suggestions?