False bottom, manifold, s/s tube... What about s/s ball bearings?

[TMet]

You could use a big magnet to get the stainless steel balls out of the grain to clean.

I know this is about the least efficient way of doing it but it would be fun.

 

[kcolby]

Not directly related, but My buddies and I did a Hefe mash in a new tun and had concerns with regards to stuck sparges so we had a pound or so of rice hulls. In a fit of "Why Not" I dumped all the hulls into the bottom of the tun and spread them out so they covered the manifold evenly.

Long story short, Best Mash Results Ever...

Worked like a charm, no sticking, there was lots of filtration going on with the hulls and the sparge ran quick and efficiently. We even stirred the grain at about half way through sparge and then re-settled the grain bed quickly and easily since the hulls weren't really disturbed and were still filtering nicely.

 

[mthompson]

I vote for beach pebbles.....like this

cheap, and readily available/replaceable.


[edit].....or polished pebbles

 

[weaselchew]

I vote for beach pebbles.....like this

cheap, and readily available/replaceable.


[edit].....or polished pebbles

Interesting idea... pebbles would no doubt be cheaper than stainless ball bearings. They obviously wouldn't be as uniform, but that would probably just be a matter of a few extra seconds smoothing the pebble bed out before starting. They would retain heat somewhat as well.

I wonder if any certain types of pebbles could (either negatively or positively) affect the water/wort. I know they use calcite (marble chips) to help neutralize pH when you have acidic well water. With that small amount at the bottom of a tun, any effect would probably be a very small if much at all.

 

[mthompson]

Interesting idea... pebbles would no doubt be cheaper than stainless ball bearings. They obviously wouldn't be as uniform, but that would probably just be a matter of a few extra seconds smoothing the pebble bed out before starting. They would retain heat somewhat as well.

I wonder if any certain types of pebbles could (either negatively or positively) affect the water/wort. I know they use calcite (marble chips) to help neutralize pH when you have acidic well water. With that small amount at the bottom of a tun, any effect would probably be a very small if much at all.

I think that the beach or river pebbles would have zero effects on the mash...they have been underwater for thousands of years, so I'd assume they are pretty neutral by now. I think it would be cool to get some from local river/beach or from your travels and use those.

As far as uniformity, as long as the outlet is covered it should be fine. Figuring out the best diameter range of stone would be trial & error though.

 

[kellanv]

Interesting idea, couple things to add.

Bucky balls could be interesting, but the way they stack I could see it creating too large of a hole for the grain to go into. Also I believe you need heat WAY above 175* to demagnetize them.

Yeah it wouldn't be close to Curie temp BUT repeated heating mixed with pouring them in and out could have some impact. Either way, might not be advantageous anyway.

 

[AdamCanFly]

I'm thinking aquarium gravel.

 

[Lucky_Chicken]

I'm thinking aquarium gravel.

with an under gravel filter screen under it and its just like a fish tank filter! I would still be concerned with stirring the rocks into the grain, but if it works thats great!!

 

[acefaser]

Marbles? I thought about it but talked myself out of it knowing that I would have to clean them every time.

 

[kennett_brew]

Marbles? I thought about it but talked myself out of it knowing that I would have to clean them every time.

Agreed cleaning is a concern.. However, a nice cookie/cooling rack in the bottom of the sink or where ever you dump the grains would filter the marbles / ball bearings out...

I've got to get on this!! Time to hit the Homebrew store, get some grains and try it asap!

 

[Bobby_M]

I'm all for trying new things but my honest reaction to this is that it's probably the worst "false bottom" idea I've heard of. I know, bah humbug. I cringe every time I have to take my false bottom out of the tun to hose the grain off of it. That's one piece of stainless. If I had to juggle 10 pounds of ball bearings after every brew day, which will inevitably fall and roll all over the place, I'd probably drink the Budweiser cans that my wife insists on keeping in the fridge rather than brew. I guess I'm feeling especially cynical today.

 

[kennett_brew]

I'm all for trying new things but my honest reaction to this is that it's probably the worst "false bottom" idea I've heard of. I know, bah humbug. I cringe every time I have to take my false bottom out of the tun to hose the grain off of it. That's one piece of stainless. If I had to juggle 10 pounds of ball bearings after every brew day, which will inevitably fall and roll all over the place, I'd probably drink the Budweiser cans that my wife insists on keeping in the fridge rather than brew. I guess I'm feeling especially cynical today.

 

[Kingfish]

Sounds like a fantastic idea. I really like the pebble idea. I only brew about once a month so taking 10 minutes to clean pebbles is no big deal.

 

[weaselchew]

I don't know that I'd use marbles / ball bearings where I could easily buy a single piece false bottom, but I could see valid uses for them.

My tun has a 6" round opening at the top and the bottom where the false bottom would go is 12" round, so at best, I'd have to cut a false bottom in half to fit it in. Plus I don't think the shape is a perfect circle, so I'd probably have gaps along the edges.

Pulling a nylon bag full of marbles/ball bearings out,dropping it in a bucket of water, and pouring off the grain bits is probably not really any more difficult than disassembling a manifold to clean it.

 

[CollinsBrew]

Something else to think about would be the heat loss. That much stainless in the bottom of your tun would absorb a lot of heat initially. Easily remedied by pre-heating I guess or raising the temp of your strike water. I'm working on a direct fired system and am wondering if this would make the temperature control of my mash easier are harder. I already have a false bottom so for me, it's all hypothetical.

 

[Punx Clever]

The additional thermal mass would stabilize the mash temperatures... or at least thats my SWAG as an engineer.

 

[Bobby_M]

You'd have to use 1/8" balls for it to work as any kind of filter for grist and then you'd need another screen on the outlet to keep the balls from getting into the drain. Seriously, I have to wonder if the people encouraging you to do this are sincere or trolling you.

 

[acefaser]

You'd have to use 1/8" balls for it to work as any kind of filter for grist and then you'd need another screen on the outlet to keep the balls from getting into the drain. Seriously, I have to wonder if the people encouraging you to do this are sincere or trolling you.

I would be willing to bet 3" of 3/8" marbles would do the trick. If i had some marbles I would give it a try in my next brew. Might have to see if I can find some...

 

[kennett_brew]

You'd have to use 1/8" balls for it to work as any kind of filter for grist and then you'd need another screen on the outlet to keep the balls from getting into the drain. Seriously, I have to wonder if the people encouraging you to do this are sincere or trolling you.

Thanks.. No worries I am more then aware I'll need larger diameter balls... I am thinking at least 1/2" to 3/4"...

Quick note to everyone reading...

Indeed, if my intended cooler were round, I would certainly go with the false bottom.. Given it's a rectangular cooler, false bottoms aren't an option unless one is custom built....

 

[kennett_brew]

Something else to think about would be the heat loss. That much stainless in the bottom of your tun would absorb a lot of heat initially. Easily remedied by pre-heating I guess or raising the temp of your strike water. I'm working on a direct fired system and am wondering if this would make the temperature control of my mash easier are harder. I already have a false bottom so for me, it's all hypothetical.

Interesting... I would have had to learn the hard way on the temp loss.. Agreed.. Almost need to run some water from the HLT through to preheat then drain, mash in.....

Good call! :rockin:

 

[mthompson]

You'd have to use 1/8" balls for it to work as any kind of filter for grist and then you'd need another screen on the outlet to keep the balls from getting into the drain. Seriously, I have to wonder if the people encouraging you to do this are sincere or trolling you.

If he used 1/2-3/4" river rock, it would fill in more tightly than spheres. I bet after a few vorlaufs it would be as clear as any running from a false bottom, manifold or ss screen.

 

[kennett_brew]

Ok... Game on... With 4.00 in river rock, 2 lbs of pils grain.. Time for an experiment!! See pics attached... Currently 45min left in the mash before testing clarity, etc..

 

[kennett_brew]

1st pic - Rocks from the Dollar store..
2nd pic - size - that's a quarter...
3rd pic is the rocks being sanitized.
4th pic - showing the mock MLT (jockey box I usually use for serving when tailgating.)
5th pic - grain in!!

 

[AdamCanFly]

Can't wait to see the result!

 

[AdamCanFly]

How'd it go?

 

[kennett_brew]

success!!!! Pics belooooow...

1st pic - slow but clean - barely ANY specs / particles
2nd pic - after I scooped out 90% and then dumped the rest into a strainer.
3rd pics - rocks clean!! (took maybe 5 minutes tops)
4th pic - mock MLT cleaned and drying
5th pic - wort boil...

Survey for me says.... Rock Bottom Brewery has been born..

Notes - Preheated rocks right after sanitizing them with 183 degree water.. Helped keep the temp up / not drop due to temp differential of the cold rocks. Also, slow drain was due to the VERY small opening of the tap.. I have no doubt flow will not be an issue once I have a proper opening...

 

[BBL_Brewer]

So what's the verdict? You should be done with the sparge by now.

Edit: Nevermind, you just posted.

 

[kennett_brew]

So what's the verdict? You should be done with the sparge by now.

Edit: Nevermind, you just posted.

Definitley going to use'em.. Cost wise pretty cheap... Cool'in the wort now.. Going to use it as a starter for my yeast..

 

[AdamCanFly]

Rock bottom brewing, I like it! So how much are you selling false bottom rocks for?

 

[kennett_brew]

Rock bottom brewing, I like it! So how much are you selling false bottom rocks for?

haha.. This was a small scale test.. 2 lbs of grain.... I've got 6 more packs of rocks to add to the 4 I used to help see if it will cover enough of the bottom in the 52 qt cooler... all in all.. 10 bucks total..

It was fun to see if it would work...