Crazy Question: Marbles

[B0rnFrustr8ed]

I'm looking into setting up an all-grain system, and I'm working out the mash/lautering details.

Has anyone ever tried using 1000 or 2000 marbles as a filter? Could this work? There is no assembly work. And it's about $10 for 1000 marbles...

 

[Bokonon]

I suspect it would work well until you get frustrated in cleanup. I used to use a handful of marbles to weigh down hop bags and it was a pain to clean them.

 

[SankePankey]

Stainless steel scrubby. You've lost your marbles.

 

[HoppyGus]

If I came up with an idea like this I would try it just to try it. DO IT!

 

[rewster452]

Sounds brilliant to me. It might help a little with maintaining temps too. The one downside I see is if your sparge gets stuck you'll be stiring up the marbles when you stir it and you'll lose your filter. Also retrieving them would be a drag. Unless you put the marbles in some kind of net or bag? Now I'm sold again. Yeah, just do it. Let us know what happens.

 

[BOBTHEukBREWER]

So why not go to very fine grit instead of marbles.

 

[rewster452]

Well, very fine grit is something I wouldn't want to give any chance at all of getting into my beer.

 

[Bobby_M]

How do you suppose you'd clean your tun out afterwards? Sounds like another solution without a problem when manifolds, braids and false bottoms all serve the exact purpose.

 

[B0rnFrustr8ed]

How do you suppose you'd clean your tun out afterwards? Sounds like another solution without a problem when manifolds, braids and false bottoms all serve the exact purpose.

I guess it was my way of trying to achieve an even drain in a cooler...

The marbles in a fine mesh bag idea might work if there is a bag strong enough to hold 40# of marbles?

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

I guess it was my way of trying to achieve an even drain in a cooler...

The marbles in a fine mesh bag idea might work if there is a bag strong enough to hold 40# of marbles?

The paint strainer bag I use in my MLT holds 25lbs of grain and doesn't break when pulling it out wet, whatever weight that is...

 

[o4_srt]

If you are batch sparging, an even flow doesn't really matter, because you will just be stirring it all up again when adding your sparge water.

 

[B0rnFrustr8ed]

If you are batch sparging, an even flow doesn't really matter, because you will just be stirring it all up again when adding your sparge water.

What if I want constant flow during the mash? I plan on getting a pump.

As in recirculating, not necessarily fly sparging.

 

[o4_srt]

I think marbles might be a little too coarse of a filter media, but the only way to find out is to give it a try.

You'd likely end up with particles deep inside the filter bed that end up oversparged. What amount, and what affect this would have on the wort, I do not know.

If you haven't already, check out palmer's "how to brew." there is an appendix that goes into detail about manifold design for equal flow rates.

 

[B0rnFrustr8ed]

I think marbles might be a little too coarse of a filter media.

That was the biggest concern I had about the idea...

 

[chicagobrew]

I used marbles to fill dead space under my false bottom once. I won't be doing that again. They get so full of crap and there is no good way to clean it. Save the money and buy a false bottom or ss braid setup.

 

[kanzimonson]

Who's got the space to put 1000 marbles in their mashtun?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Almost everyone. 400 half inch marbles will fit in a single layer on the bottom of a 10" square container if they are packed "square." In a "honeycomb" (hexagonal) configuration, even more marbles would fit into the same space. I just wouldn't want to clean them.

 

[tasq]

Lots of marbles contain lead too. FYI.

 

[Malintent]

.. if they're made in China (they likely are) then they are possibly made of poison.

 

[B0rnFrustr8ed]

Guess I've lost my marbles.

 

[HoppyGus]

Who's got the space to put 1000 marbles in their mashtun?

I first read this as: Who's got the space to put 1000 marbles in their moustache?

 

[malkore]

a stainless braid is like $4.50

Marbles...are for kids

 

[clayroc]

Almost everyone. 400 half inch marbles will fit in a single layer on the bottom of a 10" square container if they are packed "square." In a "honeycomb" (hexagonal) configuration, even more marbles would fit into the same space. I just wouldn't want to clean them.

Why do you know this?

 

[rewster452]

I don't know why everyone is so down on this idea. I think if you had a really good mesh bag with all the marbles in it cleaning would be as easy as pulling the bag out of the dumped grains and giving it a good soak'n'shake. IMHO.

 

[Huff360]

Almost everyone. 400 half inch marbles will fit in a single layer on the bottom of a 10" square container if they are packed "square." In a "honeycomb" (hexagonal) configuration, even more marbles would fit into the same space. I just wouldn't want to clean them.

Why do you know this?

Yeah - Exactly!

 

[devilishprune]

I don't know why everyone is so down on this idea. I think if you had a really good mesh bag with all the marbles in it cleaning would be as easy as pulling the bag out of the dumped grains and giving it a good soak'n'shake. IMHO.

If you had a mesh bag you wouldn't need the marbles

 

[mariojr]

Reminds me of the scene in Animal House where Flounder walks in the store to buy marbles. "May I have 10,000 marbles please?"

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Why do you know this?

Extremely simple geometry and some junior high math skills?

 

[clayroc]

I see, so my next question is why so you know exactly how big a marble is?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Ummm...an educated guess? I'm not sure why this confounds you so...