False bottom for 10gal Rubbermaid

[donshizzles]

I'm looking to switch my 10gal round MLT over to a false bottom but am wondering what the best size is? The 10" inch says it will fit loosely which has me concerned about material slipping underneath the false bottom from the sides. The 12" says its snug which has me concerned about scratching the side walls when putting it in/pulling it out resulting in possible nasties taking refuge in the scratches. Any thoughts?

 

[day_trippr]

I think your best shot is to go with the domed 10". As long as it lays flat on the cooler bottom it should do a decent job of building up a husk filter and not let much if anything get by.

Using a flat model that relies on the side walls to "seal" is likely to eventually fail once the mash heat distorts the cooler liner...

Cheers!

 

[HeyNoPie]

I have the 12" and while it is a little tricky to get in and out, it works fine. I'd recommend it

 

[Spartan1979]

I bought a domed false bottom, but the bottom of the cooler warped a bit and it didn't seal well. I switched to a manifold and it works well.

 

[microbusbrewery]

I'd go with the 12" domed. If nothing else, it will increase the surface area so you should have increased efficiency with a reduced chance of compacting the grain bed or channeling if you run off too quickly.

I have the domed 12" FB from morebeer and it fits fine without scratching the sides. I use it in a HERMS system and I originally used a stainless steel hose braid. Due to the fine mesh, the hose braid did a better job of filtering grain husks. On the other hand my efficiency went up with the more beer FB because with the increased surface area it's able to extract more sugars from the grain bed. So you'll probably have some bits of grain/husks work there way through no matter which size you get, but I think you're better of going with the largest one that will fit.

 

[nebben]

I concur with the 1 foot wide domed false bottom. Mine fits great and I don't really think it will scratch anything up. It is a little tricky to move it up with the tube sitting right above it though, but I would think you would have this problem with a 10" model too.

 

[day_trippr]

A bit of a "Duh!" moment for me. I thought the question was between a flat model 12" FB and a domed 10", and between those two I'd go with the domed 10".

But I actually have a 12" domed model in my 10g Rubbermaid MLT and indeed it works just fine.

As you can see there's actually around a 1/4" of space between the edge of the FB and the cooler liner, so with reasonable care the liner shouldn't get gouged up too much...

Cheers!

 

[Ramitt]

Since the MLT is pre-boil minor scratching should not be an issue with contamination, right?

 

[day_trippr]

Since the MLT is pre-boil minor scratching should not be an issue with contamination, right?

I agree with that theory, but as might be evident I still clean the heck out of my MLT when the brew day is done anyway

Cheers!

 

[Ramitt]

I would certainly as well, an ounce of prevention and all.

 

[donshizzles]

How do you guys attach/detatch the small tube from the FB to the cooler bulkhead? Do you completely remove it when you take the FB out or keep the end attatched to the FB on? Wondering if there is a way to set up a QD to make it easy......(hint hint for all you DIY'rs). :rockin:

 

[HeyNoPie]

The 3/8" silicone is tight on the 1/2" barb on the bulkhead so it just stays on. The tubing just slips off the false bottom though. Keeps it simple