Ebiab- Removing false bottom in kettle before boil

[Gritsak]

I have a brew hardware ebiab setup that uses a 15g spike kettle. I mainly do 5g batches and chill with a jaded hydra. Leaving the FB in after the mash sets my chiller up to high (not enough contact with the wort) so i need to pull it out of the kettle prior to boil. Anyone in a similar situation come up with a way to easily remove the FB? it fits pretty tight in the kettle so it likely needs to be lifted out from the center so it doesn’t tip and get stuck.

My cheap/lazy attempt was to bend a hook into a piece of solid copper wire and “fish” it out. That works but is kind of clumsy.


Thanks

 

[IslandLizard]

How much extra space would you gain by removing the FB? It's not worth the hassle for only an inch. For 2 inches maybe, given the shape of the Hydra.

Although the part of the chiller that sticks above the wort won't be helping with chilling, it has no negative effects either.

 

[Gritsak]

How much extra space would you gain by removing the FB? It's not worth the hassle for only an inch. For 2 inches maybe, given the shape of the Hydra.

Although the part of the chiller that sticks above the wort won't be helping with chilling, it has no negative effects either.

The brew hardware FB is designed to clear the heating element and allow enough room for whirlpool during the mash- I’m not home to measure but it’s a good 3-4” off the bottom. it’s tall enough that a hood portion of the chiller is exposed if left in with a 5-6g final volume.

It’s not a big deal to pull the FB. Just looking for a better method.

 

[IslandLizard]

The brew hardware FB is designed to clear the heating element and allow enough room for whirlpool during the mash- I’m not home to measure but it’s a good 3-4” off the bottom. it’s tall enough that a hood portion of the chiller is exposed if left in with a 5-6g final volume.

It’s not a big deal to pull the FB. Just looking for a better method.

It shouldn't be too hard to pull that FB out, just rehearse the ideal method with cold water.

Once it's removed, you don't want to rest the Hydra on the element, maybe tie some short "legs" to it so it stays above the element?

 

[Bassman2003]

Stainless steel wire? It is cheap at hardware stores and you could fix a couple of lines at different points on the FB. Lifting it out with some form of tool is your only option. I would take it out for the boil as it will interrupt convection flows.

 

[Gritsak]

Stainless steel wire? It is cheap at hardware stores and you could fix a couple of lines at different points on the FB. Lifting it out with some form of tool is your only option. I would take it out for the boil as it will interrupt convection flows.

Yeah that’s the only other option I’ve thought of. Only thing I’m a little concerned with is the bag getting snagged on the wire and tearing.

 

[Gritsak]

It shouldn't be too hard to pull that FB out, just rehearse the ideal method with cold water.

Once it's removed, you don't want to rest the Hydra on the element, maybe tie some short "legs" to it so it stays above the element?

Ive got a sling blade element so the hydra clears it. The rigged method im using now works-I’m just wondering if anyone has come up with a better way

 

[Broken Crow]

You could always use this as an excuse to swap out the hydra for a CFC or plate chiller.... I've got 58° tap-water so I can do rapid temp drops in recirculation or chill from boil to fermenter in one go and I'll never go back to an IC. Not for everyone, but something to consider.

 

[Bassman2003]

Yeah that’s the only other option I’ve thought of. Only thing I’m a little concerned with is the bag getting snagged on the wire and tearing.

Just make sure the ends of the wire wind up underneath the FB and you should be good. I have done this and it worked fine. Kind of janky but there is no other way.

 

[Bobby_M]

Cotton or nylon string would work fine. I really like immersion chillers for 5/10 gallon batches and the hydra is REALLY fast.

 

[IslandLizard]

You could always use this as an excuse to swap out the hydra for a CFC or plate chiller....

Doing that can become a rabbit hole. He would also need a good kettle filter to prevent trub (hop pulp especially) from entering the plate or CF chiller. And he likely would need a pump too.

I really like immersion chillers for 5/10 gallon batches and the hydra is REALLY fast.

That! ^

 

[Gritsak]

Cotton or nylon string would work fine. I really like immersion chillers for 5/10 gallon batches and the hydra is REALLY fast.

Sometimes the simplest solution works best. My brain went straight to needing to use stainless steel but nylon string poses no threat to ripping the bag and would easier to manage. I might tie a SS nut on the end of string that is outside of the kettle for weight so the entire length of string doesn’t accidentally slip into the kettle.

Thanks!

I did consider a counter flow chiller but I wanted keep that part of the process simple and avoid spending more money!

 

[Broken Crow]

Sorry, I forgot the rabbit hole. I'm biased and keep forgetting you can brew with a pump despite thousands of years of it being done that way.