Crushed false bottom

[Thulsadoom]

Inherited an all keg system with herms that's been used for years with out a hitch we decided to make a speedway clone which calls for 35 lbs of grain. Mash and Lauter clogged and grain getting drawn by pump. When done we found false bottom crushed and contoured around the intake. Don't know gauge of steel but this stuff seems pretty tough. I think the pressure is hugely multiplied because it's all applied to one small contact point of metal contact, not entire surface area. Either way it's for real

 

[Rockit]

^^^ was that previously domed or was it flat and crushed?

 

[day_trippr]

[...]I think the pressure is hugely multiplied because it's all applied to one small contact point of metal contact, not entire surface area. Either way it's for real

Yup. That's an impressive example of modest force multiplied.

That force occurred because the whole surface was plugged, hence the multiplier really is the area of the entire FB. Pull a 5 psi "vacuum" on it and a 12" FB would have over 500 pounds of force applied across it.

If the resistance to that force is focused (ala a bulkhead) the resulting distortion will indeed tend to be localized there...

Cheers!

 

[Bilsch]

Widening your mill gap or conditioning your malt before crushing will help.

 

[NeoBrew]

Its also critical to keep your flow very slow if you have any chance of the mash getting "stuck". Not sure exactly why things clog up with higher flow, but I've had it happen a number of times before I figured out to turn the flow very low before I mash in and then increase only a little for the mash.