channeling? new manifold?

[tnbrewer371]

Just noticed at the end of the sparge that as the water sank beneath the grain bed the water was running to the sides of the cooler. Mashing in a 60qt igloo tun with a cpvc manifold in the bottom with about a 1/2" perimeter around the outside of the manifold. Should i reduce the size of my manifold to reduce the channeling down the sides, i average 80% eff depending on the grain bill, higher for smaller grain bills, a bit less for larger grain bills.

 

[fixitoscar]

Just noticed at the end of the sparge that as the water sank beneath the grain bed the water was running to the sides of the cooler. Mashing in a 60qt igloo tun with a cpvc manifold in the bottom with about a 1/2" perimeter around the outside of the manifold. Should i reduce the size of my manifold to reduce the channeling down the sides, i average 80% eff depending on the grain bill, higher for smaller grain bills, a bit less for larger grain bills.

Whats wrong with 80%?
Sounds like a great number. Any more effeiciant and you will be getting the not so good tastes you don't want. (grainy)

 

[duboman]

Ideally, yes, reduce the channeling and if you are fy sparging you want to always have about an inch of water covering the grain bed.

That being said, if you are consistently getting 80%, that's a great spot to be!

 

[tnbrewer371]

I guess i just thought my eff would improve some if i could reduce the channeling, maybe average high 80s on all my beers regardless of the grain bill. Im happy with what i get, but always looking for ways to tweak my rig or adjust my technique.

 

[duboman]

I guess i just thought my eff would improve some if i could reduce the channeling, maybe average high 80s on all my beers regardless of the grain bill. Im happy with what i get, but always looking for ways to tweak my rig or adjust my technique.

75% is really an ideal number to hit and anything in the low 80's is great. Once you start getting higher than that the potential to extract more undesirable characteristics becomes greater and not ideal.

Instead of chasing numbers it is much more beneficial to have a dialed in system that produces consistent results, even if that arrives at 60%, consistency is more important from batch to batch!

 

[tnbrewer371]

Yah i average 78-85% depending on how large the grain bill is, just wondering if i couldnt do a bit better