Brewstands: Single -vs- Two Tier?

[Cpt_Kirks]

I'm trying to decide between a single tier and a two tier brewstand.

By "two tier", I mean the HLT would be elevated. This seems to be a fairly common design.

I batch sparge, so does elevating the HLT have any advantages for me?

 

[motobrewer]

isn't it more common for two tier's to have HLT and MT be on the same level, and the boil kettle on the lower tier?

i think that makes more sense, especially for batch sparge....maybe?

elevation only gets you out of a pump

 

[humann_brewing]

I think I would prefer a 2 tier, that being said, I have a single tier

 

[ImperialLover]

I don't have a two-tier stand, but I understand the advantages are:

You can fly sparge with a two-tier stand with only one pump. If you elevate the MLT you can pump sparge water on top of the grain bed and just gravity drain the wort into the boil kettle. If the MLT and BK were on the same level then this would not be possible.

If you have a single-tier stand, you need two pumps to fly sparge. One will be dedicated to pumping sparge water onto the grain bed and the other pump will pump sweet wort out of the bottom into the boil kettle. Flow rates for both pumps should be slow and equal.

I'm personally a double batch sparge advocate and I put more emphasis on controlling the mash temps than the sparge. If you're an avid fly sparge supporter then constructing a two tier stand is cheaper than adding on another pump. Hopefully this helps.

 

[SankePankey]

I think the custom single tier rigs that people make that also have a tippy dump MLT are the best of all.