Brewzilla Gen4 Discussion/Tips Talk

[rtstrider]

I wasn't considering upgrading because I feel as if it is a little high on pricing. Maybe it is because I bought a Gen 4.0 in spring 2024 and feel like I missed out by buying a few months too early.

I bet fly sparging it really does help. Makes me consider it again.
How does it look after a boil? I like to verify my post boil volumes before transferring since I use a kegmenter and cannot see the volume in it.

The sight glass really helps with sparging. As far as end of boil I really don't pay attention to that since I've dialed in the pre boil volume on this setup. The one thing I miss in the newest Brewzilla is the feet that are at the halfway point on the mash pipe. I'll have to pay attention to the sight glass post boil on my next brew (next weekend). I'll report back.

 

[jdubdvdt]

As far as end of boil I really don't pay attention to that since I've dialed in the pre boil volume on this setup.

I haven't really needed to either, but without the neoprene jacket when it was 35F outside it was struggling even on the 220V to have the rigorous boil I normally have...

The one thing I miss in the newest Brewzilla is the feet that are at the halfway point on the mash pipe.

I have the regular 4.0 and it doesn't have the second set of feet. I got the crummy version haha.

I'll have to pay attention to the sight glass post boil on my next brew (next weekend). I'll report back.

Thanks!

 

[Barão]

Brewzilla gen 4 Equipment Profile ...false bottom
I have seen the value 0.7 gll of false bottom for the BZ gen 4 35 lt profile , but with the central hole all the brewing liquid is drained into the fermenter , then this value would have to be 0 gl ...
Yes or no ?

 

[jdubdvdt]

The only thing you should use is the mash tun deadspace. Not the mash tun loss. It helps you calculate the volume needed to get your mash thickness correct. Otherwise there are losses from the kettle, but almost insignificant - hops absorb more.

 

[Barão]

The only thing you should use is the mash tun deadspace. Not the mash tun loss. It helps you calculate the volume needed to get your mash thickness correct. Otherwise there are losses from the kettle, but almost insignificant - hops absorb more.

thanks

 

[ExpatPete]

Hello fellow BrewZilla Heads. I am in the process of upgrading from a BrewZilla Gen 3.1.1 35L to a Gen 4.1 65L 17.1G 220V unit. I am in the US and my electrician comes out next week to run a 220V cable from one end of the house to the other and install a receptacle in my brewing room. I love my first BrewZilla but as I settle into the styles and recipes I like to brew and drink, I want to be able to brew a 11 gallon batch and get two kegs out of a single brew session. I will use the Gen 3.1.1 35L unit for smaller batches, like for my brewing club quarterly competitions, and to use as a HLT.

I would like to hear your suggestions and key lessons learned for set-up and operations on the Gen 4.1 especially if you have a 220V unit and or the 65L model. I have gone back through a couple of months of comments in this thread and have already picked up the following tips. More are appreciated!
- I have ordered the Heat Exchanger Disc HED
- Ordered the whirlpool arm
- I am installing a pulley hoist & cleat to help lift the heavier malt pipe up.
- The link to the David Heath videos was very helpful.

What else have you learned?

 

[jdubdvdt]

Hello fellow BrewZilla Heads. I am in the process of upgrading from a BrewZilla Gen 3.1.1 35L to a Gen 4.1 65L 17.1G 220V unit. I am in the US and my electrician comes out next week to run a 220V cable from one end of the house to the other and install a receptacle in my brewing room. I love my first BrewZilla but as I settle into the styles and recipes I like to brew and drink, I want to be able to brew a 11 gallon batch and get two kegs out of a single brew session. I will use the Gen 3.1.1 35L unit for smaller batches, like for my brewing club quarterly competitions, and to use as a HLT.

I would like to hear your suggestions and key lessons learned for set-up and operations on the Gen 4.1 especially if you have a 220V unit and or the 65L model. I have gone back through a couple of months of comments in this thread and have already picked up the following tips. More are appreciated!
- I have ordered the Heat Exchanger Disc HED
- Ordered the whirlpool arm
- I am installing a pulley hoist & cleat to help lift the heavier malt pipe up.
- The link to the David Heath videos was very helpful.

What else have you learned?

Regarding your extras:
I don't know if they removed it from the 65L or the Gen 4.1, but I have a Gen 4.0 220V 35L and my unit came with the Heat Exchanger Disc (HED). Might be worth checking to return. Whirlpool arm is a plus. Hoist is definitely nice to have.

My boil on the 35L 220V is AWESOME, but it may be worth looking into the neoprene jacket for your 65L if you are not happy with heating times or how vigorous the boil is.

I plan on getting the same unit 65L 220V Gen 4.1 next time it goes on sale (I promised myself I would be a good boy and try to save a few dollars on brew stuff this year). I think your idea of using your 35L for "pilot" batches and a HLT make sense. I use my original Grainfather as my HLT sometimes, but it is so damn slow compared to the 220V 35L Brewzilla.

My biggest suggestions (which you probably do this already on your 3.1) are:

• Wait 10-15 minutes after doughing in to turn the pump on
• Crush to credit card thickness
• Ensure you are calculating mash water with the dead space under the mashtun
• Slowly hoist the malt pipe over 10-20 seconds to not compress the grains too much (it will spray out the sides if you lift too fast)
• Throw the hops directly into the kettle, you don't need a hop spider. I have done 4-5oz of hops for a 5 gallon batch and had no issues.
  

 

[Willy]

Hello fellow BrewZilla Heads. I am in the process of upgrading from a BrewZilla Gen 3.1.1 35L to a Gen 4.1 65L 17.1G 220V unit. I am in the US and my electrician comes out next week to run a 220V cable from one end of the house to the other and install a receptacle in my brewing room. I love my first BrewZilla but as I settle into the styles and recipes I like to brew and drink, I want to be able to brew a 11 gallon batch and get two kegs out of a single brew session. I will use the Gen 3.1.1 35L unit for smaller batches, like for my brewing club quarterly competitions, and to use as a HLT.

I would like to hear your suggestions and key lessons learned for set-up and operations on the Gen 4.1 especially if you have a 220V unit and or the 65L model. I have gone back through a couple of months of comments in this thread and have already picked up the following tips. More are appreciated!
- I have ordered the Heat Exchanger Disc HED
- Ordered the whirlpool arm
- I am installing a pulley hoist & cleat to help lift the heavier malt pipe up.
- The link to the David Heath videos was very helpful.

What else have you learned?

I have the 35L with extension stuff to increase capacity from about 9 g to 14, so while not a 65L my bigger batch size is pretty close. HED is a must and whirlpool arm helps too. When you pull the HED out after you remove the wort it will be packed with hop sludge. Sometimes it is difficult to remove as it kinda forms a vacuum. Just giving you a heads up there.

I put in 2 outlets when I called the electrician - one in the garage near the breaker box, and another line to an outdoor outlet. Love brewing outside. Anyway, it is much cheaper to do the double outlet in a single job for the electrician. Price it out if you are looking to add another outlet.

An extension cord is a good idea and I am thrilled I got one at the start. 25' for me.

To end up with 2 mostly filled corny kegs - batch size at 11 g. About 10 g in the fermenter , about 9.2g for kegs. This gets you two 4.5+ g / keg - which isn't full, but headspace works for you to carb it.

Bigger batches take longer to heat and cool. Probably worth it to get a Scylla (a hydra for Brewzilla ) - it saves a bunch of time.

Take the time to clean the tubing under the hood - underneath for the pump, and center drain - and get backups. After a batch - I take off the old tubes and clean them in PBW, soaking. Rinse, starsan. I swap out with the clean backups - rotating the little connector tubes each time. Works great.

You'll need more corny kegs.

 

[ExpatPete]

Regarding your extras:
I don't know if they removed it from the 65L or the Gen 4.1, but I have a Gen 4.0 220V 35L and my unit came with the Heat Exchanger Disc (HED). Might be worth checking to return. Whirlpool arm is a plus. Hoist is definitely nice to have.

My boil on the 35L 220V is AWESOME, but it may be worth looking into the neoprene jacket for your 65L if you are not happy with heating times or how vigorous the boil is.

I plan on getting the same unit 65L 220V Gen 4.1 next time it goes on sale (I promised myself I would be a good boy and try to save a few dollars on brew stuff this year). I think your idea of using your 35L for "pilot" batches and a HLT make sense. I use my original Grainfather as my HLT sometimes, but it is so damn slow compared to the 220V 35L Brewzilla.

My biggest suggestions (which you probably do this already on your 3.1) are:

• Wait 10-15 minutes after doughing in to turn the pump on
• Crush to credit card thickness
• Ensure you are calculating mash water with the dead space under the mashtun
• Slowly hoist the malt pipe over 10-20 seconds to not compress the grains too much (it will spray out the sides if you lift too fast)
• Throw the hops directly into the kettle, you don't need a hop spider. I have done 4-5oz of hops for a 5 gallon batch and had no issues.

Thank you for the informative reply. One

I have the 35L with extension stuff to increase capacity from about 9 g to 14, so while not a 65L my bigger batch size is pretty close. HED is a must and whirlpool arm helps too. When you pull the HED out after you remove the wort it will be packed with hop sludge. Sometimes it is difficult to remove as it kinda forms a vacuum. Just giving you a heads up there.

I put in 2 outlets when I called the electrician - one in the garage near the breaker box, and another line to an outdoor outlet. Love brewing outside. Anyway, it is much cheaper to do the double outlet in a single job for the electrician. Price it out if you are looking to add another outlet.

An extension cord is a good idea and I am thrilled I got one at the start. 25' for me.

To end up with 2 mostly filled corny kegs - batch size at 11 g. About 10 g in the fermenter , about 9.2g for kegs. This gets you two 4.5+ g / keg - which isn't full, but headspace works for you to carb it.

Bigger batches take longer to heat and cool. Probably worth it to get a Scylla (a hydra for Brewzilla ) - it saves a bunch of time.

Take the time to clean the tubing under the hood - underneath for the pump, and center drain - and get backups. After a batch - I take off the old tubes and clean them in PBW, soaking. Rinse, starsan. I swap out with the clean backups - rotating the little connector tubes each time. Works great.

You'll need more corny kegs.

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I like your idea of cleaning the tubes and buying back-up for an easy swap. Smart.

 

[ExpatPete]

Regarding your extras:
I don't know if they removed it from the 65L or the Gen 4.1, but I have a Gen 4.0 220V 35L and my unit came with the Heat Exchanger Disc (HED). Might be worth checking to return. Whirlpool arm is a plus. Hoist is definitely nice to have.

My boil on the 35L 220V is AWESOME, but it may be worth looking into the neoprene jacket for your 65L if you are not happy with heating times or how vigorous the boil is.

I plan on getting the same unit 65L 220V Gen 4.1 next time it goes on sale (I promised myself I would be a good boy and try to save a few dollars on brew stuff this year). I think your idea of using your 35L for "pilot" batches and a HLT make sense. I use my original Grainfather as my HLT sometimes, but it is so damn slow compared to the 220V 35L Brewzilla.

My biggest suggestions (which you probably do this already on your 3.1) are:

• Wait 10-15 minutes after doughing in to turn the pump on
• Crush to credit card thickness
• Ensure you are calculating mash water with the dead space under the mashtun
• Slowly hoist the malt pipe over 10-20 seconds to not compress the grains too much (it will spray out the sides if you lift too fast)
• Throw the hops directly into the kettle, you don't need a hop spider. I have done 4-5oz of hops for a 5 gallon batch and had no issues.

Good input, thanks! I am glad I didn't have to figure out the need to slowly raise the malt pipe so it does not spray out of the side holes! I sent MoreBeer a note and they confirmed that the unit does NOT come with the HED so I ordered it today (by the way, MoreBeer has a site wide 15% off flash sale til midnight west coast time).

 

[DuncB]

I just use my 70 litre all in one for 20 litres and up batches.
Sold the robobrew 35 ages ago.

 

[ExpatPete]

Good input, thanks! I am glad I didn't have to figure out the need to slowly raise the malt pipe so it does not spray out of the side holes! I sent MoreBeer a note and they confirmed that the unit does NOT come with the HED so I ordered it today (by the way, MoreBeer has a site wide 15% off flash sale til midnight west coast time).

Hey Jdub, I re-read you response while I was brewing my ESB today and had a followup question. Why do you suggest waiting 15 minutes after dough-in to turn the pump on? I usually circulate the pump during the entire mash from start to finish, as soon as I have the grain and water mixed together. What is your reasoning?

 

[mashdar]

Hey Jdub, I re-read you response while I was brewing my ESB today and had a followup question. Why do you suggest waiting 15 minutes after dough-in to turn the pump on? I usually circulate the pump during the entire mash from start to finish, as soon as I have the grain and water mixed together. What is your reasoning?

There are some claims that letting the bed naturally settle helps avoid compaction. I've been trying it out and haven't seen significant effects, but can't rule it out entirely. It may depend on pump strength or something.

 

[jdubdvdt]

Hey Jdub, I re-read you response while I was brewing my ESB today and had a followup question. Why do you suggest waiting 15 minutes after dough-in to turn the pump on? I usually circulate the pump during the entire mash from start to finish, as soon as I have the grain and water mixed together. What is your reasoning?

My reasoning is mashdar's response. With more details added

There are some claims that letting the bed naturally settle helps avoid compaction. I've been trying it out and haven't seen significant effects, but can't rule it out entirely. It may depend on pump strength or something.

I never have ruled it out. I always recirculated the whole time on my grainfather and started to have stuck mashes and lots of issues immediately on my brewzilla. I changed a bunch of stuff based off many recommendations on here and have not had any stuck mashes except a beer which had a huuuuge adjunct percentage (50%) and probably not nearly enough rice hulls. I do not use rice hulls anymore unless there's adjuncts or grains known to cause stuck mashes.

 

[ExpatPete]

That is interesting, thanks again for the input. I will try that method, it seems logical.

I had stuck/slow draining mashes several times with my Gen. 3.1.1 35L unit. i avoided/solved that with three changes.
1) A 12 lb. grain bill was the max I will use unless I do a split mash, and tried for 11-ish lbs.
2) I went to a consistent water to grist ratio of 2 qt. water / 1 lb. grain, even if that left me with just a gallon or so of sparge water. I use the vorlauf method in the lautering stage to get a better rinse with a lower sparge volume. (See Palmer's How to Brew pg. 298).
3) Part of my issue initially was I forgot to turn the pump volume down during recirculation in the mash stage (duh). Now I hang the hose on the upper inside of the BrewZilla by using one of the lid clamps to hold the hose in place. Then I can see how much I am pumping. I turn it down until I have as low as possible flow if I have a large grain bill.

 

[Barão]

'my craft beer maker in Brazil. I have a Brewzilla 35 lt gen 4. Checking the pot profile in version 2 of BrewFather, the dead space value is 0.Should I consider this value? ...due to the central hole?

 

[jdubdvdt]

'my craft beer maker in Brazil. I have a Brewzilla 35 lt gen 4. Checking the pot profile in version 2 of BrewFather, the dead space value is 0.Should I consider this value? ...due to the central hole?

I can't speak Portuguese, but here are my settings on my 35L gen 4 with 220V. It's almost fully dialed in, but sometimes my volume is off when the boil is more or less vigorous. Sorry it's not converted to liters.

 

[jdubdvdt]

View attachment 868700

I can't speak Portuguese, but here are my settings on my 35L gen 4 with 220V. It's almost fully dialed in, but sometimes my volume is off when the boil is more or less vigorous. Sorry it's not converted to liters.

 

[Barão]

View attachment 868701

 

[Barão]

View attachment 868701

 

[jdubdvdt]

Not sure what's going on, but I can't see those two replies @Barão

 

[Barão]

Not sure what's going on, but I can't see those two replies @Barão

duplicated answer....thanks

 

[jdubdvdt]

duplicated answer....thanks

To overexplain, the deadspace is there when mashing because the malt pipe keeps the grains lifted up off the bottom. So there is approximately 2.65L/0.7gal underneath the malt pipe. They use that to calculate the mash thickness so you can get it correct. For example, if you wanted a ~3L/kg mash thickness and had 5kg of grain, your math would be:

(3L/kg * 5kg) + 2.65L = 17.65L water.

Not sure what you use for mash thickness, but the 2.65L is underneath the malt pipe so the program needs to know what that deadspace is to get the thickness correct in the malt pipe.

FWIW - I like a mash thickness of 1.625qt/lb or approximately 3.4L/kg in my gen4. I crush the grains to credit card thickness (0.030" or 0.75mm) for reference. Your results may vary.

 

[Barão]

To overexplain, the deadspace is there when mashing because the malt pipe keeps the grains lifted up off the bottom. So there is approximately 2.65L/0.7gal underneath the malt pipe. They use that to calculate the mash thickness so you can get it correct. For example, if you wanted a ~3L/kg mash thickness and had 5kg of grain, your math would be:

(3L/kg * 5kg) + 2.65L = 17.65L water.

Not sure what you use for mash thickness, but the 2.65L is underneath the malt pipe so the program needs to know what that deadspace is to get the thickness correct in the malt pipe.

FWIW - I like a mash thickness of 1.625qt/lb or approximately 3.4L/kg in my gen4. I crush the grains to credit card thickness (0.030" or 0.75mm) for reference. Your results may vary.

To overexplain, the deadspace is there when mashing because the malt pipe keeps the grains lifted up off the bottom. So there is approximately 2.65L/0.7gal underneath the malt pipe. They use that to calculate the mash thickness so you can get it correct. For example, if you wanted a ~3L/kg mash thickness and had 5kg of grain, your math would be:

(3L/kg * 5kg) + 2.65L = 17.65L water.

Not sure what you use for mash thickness, but the 2.65L is underneath the malt pipe so the program needs to know what that deadspace is to get the thickness correct in the malt pipe.

FWIW - I like a mash thickness of 1.625qt/lb or approximately 3.4L/kg in my gen4. I crush the grains to credit card thickness (0.030" or 0.75mm) for reference. Your results may vary.

thanks for the explanations... I use the ratio of 4 liters of water / kg of grains... type BIAB... TOTAL water... no sparging... I use all the water in the pan... in the total water bill... and I don't lose anything due to the central hole in the pan... so I consider the loss under the grain basket to be 0

 

[jdubdvdt]

thanks for the explanations... I use the ratio of 4 liters of water / kg of grains... type BIAB... TOTAL water... no sparging... I use all the water in the pan... in the total water bill... and I don't lose anything due to the central hole in the pan... so I consider the loss under the grain basket to be 0

Ah, so you don't use the malt pipe or the false bottom? Any reason why?

 

[Barão]

Ah, so you don't use the malt pipe or the false bottom? Any reason why?

I use the grain bag inside the malt tube...I don't use a false bottom...I had problems with the tap clogging due to the malt grains passing through the false bottom...the central drain is very bad, this system

 

[jdubdvdt]

I use the grain bag inside the malt tube...I don't use a false bottom...I had problems with the tap clogging due to the malt grains passing through the false bottom...the central drain is very bad, this system

Interesting. I have never had an issue once when using the malt pipe (with the bottom) and the false bottom. I take that back, I did have an issue once, but it was user error.

I have not had one clog otherwise, just had issues with the malt pipe draining properly until I dialed in the system.

 

[Spetz]

Hi all - on my last couple brews I've been running into some issues with general brewhouse efficiency, albeit with hoppier/hopstand beers where i'm losing around 1.7 - 2 liters to trub/chiller during transfer to fermenter. This is around my 15th or so brew on the Zilla (65L), prior brews always gave me great results where I was achieving 70+% BH efficiency (72-75% mash efficiency) and far less trub loss, usually around 0.5 - 1L.

Process is pretty straight forward and I always hop loose. Immersion chiller goes in relatively early during the boil, whirlpool arm starts with around 5 mins of boil left and I keep it circulating throughout the hopstand process (30 mins), start chilling, until I reach around 30-35 degrees C (30 more mins), at which point I switch over to ice water through the IC and stop circulating the whirlpool arm. I do sometimes let the whirlpool arm run until the very end (17 degrees), after which I let it settle for 5 minutes or so before transfer.

Brews in the past, I was almost always left with a pretty solid central cone and ample drainage space on the sides of the bottom screen to transfer through. Recently, it's been a total nightmare and i'm left with a thick plate of trub/hops covering the entirety of the bottom plate. It makes the final part of the transfer very difficult, to the point where it sounds like i've created a vacuum between the pump and trub as there nowhere for the wort to get through. Fortunately though, I've never managed blocked the pump, so that's a bonus.

Any ideas? Should I kill the whirlpool arm much earlier in the process? Another potential issue here is the immersion chiller disturbing the cold break - I don't have much choice but to slowly dance it up and down towards the end of the process to achieve effective chilling down to pitching temp, but i'm very, very careful about it and avoid it for the last few degrees. I do always let it sit for 5 - 10 mins before transfer and have never found it to be too much of an issue. Counterflow/plate was on the horizon for a long time but very difficult to source where i'm based.


@jdubdvdt - different topic - I saw one of your posts a few pages ago regarding an imperial sparge arm? Sparging with this system is by far my least favourite part and i'm desperate to get on top of it. After a solid stir during mash out, I slowly lift the grains half way, let it drain, then begin my sparge by simply pouring a bucket as best and evenly as I can - its very inconsistent at the best of times and general just a pour and hope. My mash efficiency really isn't too bad (72-75%), but I want to increase it. Do you reckon I could use a sparge arm for both recirculating during mash + for sparging (connected to a separate pump/vessel with sparge water)? The silicone hose + top screen (which I never use due to compression) are a huge downfall in my eyes and it's super frustrating having to reposition it every few minutes during the mash to avoid channeling.

Cheers!

 

[micraftbeer]

@Spetz I don't have any experience with as much hops as you describe, so nothing very useful to contribute. Other than you comment about moving the chiller up and down. If you leave recirculation arm running during chill, that should do the same as bouncing your chiller, without having to babysit.

As for sparge, I do as you describe for the most part, but I've always used the top plate. After I add grains at mash in, I stir slowly for a few minutes to ensure I've got everything mixed well, no dough balls, then I put on the top plate (and BT thermometer through the middle hole) and let the recirc hose rest on there. No mash stirring. When mash is done, I lift basket and set on first set of feet for a few seconds, then to the bottom feet. I leave the top plate on and pour sparge water 0.5-1 gallon at a time from my pitcher and just let gravity run it through while I'm heating the wort to a boil.

I get 80-89% mash efficiency and I'm always impressed with that. I don't have problems with the grain bed getting compacted and preventing sparge water from passing through, and I get good efficiency. For me, there are no negatives with using the top plate.

 

[jdubdvdt]

@jdubdvdt - different topic - I saw one of your posts a few pages ago regarding an imperial sparge arm? Sparging with this system is by far my least favourite part and i'm desperate to get on top of it. After a solid stir during mash out, I slowly lift the grains half way, let it drain, then begin my sparge by simply pouring a bucket as best and evenly as I can - its very inconsistent at the best of times and general just a pour and hope. My mash efficiency really isn't too bad (72-75%), but I want to increase it. Do you reckon I could use a sparge arm for both recirculating during mash + for sparging (connected to a separate pump/vessel with sparge water)? The silicone hose + top screen (which I never use due to compression) are a huge downfall in my eyes and it's super frustrating having to reposition it every few minutes during the mash to avoid channeling.

Cheers!

I haven't had much issues, but I have only recently started making "hoppier" offerings. The most I have put in the kettle during boil/flameout/whirlpool is about 0.75/oz per gallon or roughly 22g/liter.

I think Kegland sells a shower head for the purposes of what you are looking for. The Kegland Sergeant Sparge Head. I have not used it, but I would definitely consider it for during the recirculating mash. I don't know if the imperial sparge arm is worthwhile and honestly doesn't fit perfectly on my 35L.

This photo I took from the internet and I have not read much on it, but it is cheaper than the imperial sparge arm and easily plugs into the existing hose of the brewzilla.

For the imperial sparge arm - I only used it for sparging. I did that for a bit and it really was nice to use with my old grainfather as a HLT, but I stopped using it to try to reduce things to cleanup and pull out for brewday. My process was to mash out, raise the malt pipe slowly, attach silicon tubing to the sparge arm from the pump of the grainfather, and then choke the pump down to prevent it from sparging too fast. It was great and hands free, but I felt like I was overhandling and wanted to simpify things. Originally I was going to raise the pipe and do a true vorlauf, but that also sounds like overhandling. I have two young kids at home and anything I can do to keep my hobby must be done.

I currently am just heating sparge water on my gas stove with two different stock pots and then pour over manually. It is easier to clean and dry a pot than my grainfather and a sparge arm. I don't use the top plate either since I stir every 15-30 minutes. My current process is to stir the grains one last time, raise the temp to mash out around 168-170, turn off the pump about 5 minutes after reaches the target temperature, then wait another 5-10minutes before puling the malt pipe. Slowly pull the malt pipe up (I only have one set of feet on my gen4 in the US, BS). Let the runnings pull through a bit until I can see a "dry" grainbed and then slowly pour about a half gallon to a gallon, 2-3x (waiting 5-10 minutes between each pourover) and I have been getting 80% brewhouse efficiency.

I am considering adding 1-2 gallons of water while raising the temp to mash out, stir it up, turn off the pump, wait 5-10 minutes and then raise the malt pipe. Then I am hoping I can have less time sparging.