Couple post-brew questions

[JNye]

I brewed my second AG batch last night. Things I learned this time around were that I really need another burner. Keeping sparge water temp on target was a pain with just my one burner and 6 gallon kettle. It was a 5.5 gallon batch and the kettle is just too small...but i got er done. My efficiency came out to 74% which I am more then happy with. I did 3 batch sparges with the final running being 1.028.

1) If I had a larger kettle i prolly could have done another sparge right? and increased my efficiency? Of course i would have to boil longer but that would be okay.
2) My tun is only 26 quarts but i like the size. I easily did 12lbs last night and could have done prolly 2-3 more lbs. If I want a bigger beer then that I'll make a smaller batch. But as for kettle size. I am thinking 10 gallon pot will be perfect. I will only be brewing 3-6 gallon batches. is 10 the right size for me?

Anyways I love AG, I just need to get my better suited equipment for my needs and it'll be a breeze. BTW the beer was a Gumballhead inspired recipe I made and it looks fantastic(nice orange color that I was looking for).

 

[944play]

This will probably sound like a dumb suggestion, but why not scale batch size to your equipment, rather than the other way around?

 

[JNye]

that would make sense of course. in the future i will likely shoot for 4.5 gallon batches until i get a larger kettle. it still doesn't help with the issue of sparge water. once i start lautering all the sparge water has to be transfered to a cooler so i can lauter into my kettle. sparge water temps end up being tougher to maintain. to solve this i need at the least another kettle. i could prolly get by with one burner and 2 kettles.
Thanks for the input, all input/critiques are welcome! but back to the other question, was my final running @1.028(about 2 gallons worth) too high to call it quits?

 

[944play]

You can sparge at almost any temperature. It really won't affect efficiency much.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/cold-water-sparge-110856/

You say you were happy with the efficiency you got, so by definition you stopped lautering at the right time.

 

[JNye]

sweet. that changes my whole outlook. i was wasting alot of time trying to keep my sparge temps up. screw that. i guess as long as the first sparge is hot enough to stop conversion i am golden.

 

[jjyoung]

Another alternative to buying a pot is to get a pump. That way you can use the kettle to heat your sparge water and recirculate

 

[tele_powder]

I made a HLT from a 5 g home depot cooler. I add about 5 degrees to my sparge desired temp and heat this while mashing. I only lose a degree or two in time it takes to fully sparge when all is said and done.