False bottom with a dip tube or braid

[olotti]

Brewed my first batch last week. Using the typical 10gal round cooler with a Jaybird false bottom, awesome piece. During the first running I noticed there was some grain that made it through the false bottom, not a ton but me being anal more than I would like to see, there was also about .5gal of wort left in the dead space and I just hate the thought of leaving all that goodness down there. So I was thinking of adding a braid as a further filtration system and so I can get all of the wort or would a dip tube be a better option. Just wanted to ask in case anyone has used either or gone from one to the other since I'd really prefer to not have to buy both at some point. Thanks.

 

[Bensiff]

You will always have some waste in the system. A dip tube will help reduce that. False bottoms are there to act as a strainer, it is the grain bed that will actually filter the wort to clarity. To do this you need to vorlauf which is a process of drawing wort off until it reaches clarity, this is done most easily with a pump setup to recirculate. But, can easily be done by running it into a kettle and then dumping it back over the top being careful not to disturb the grain bed. You can place a plate on top of the grain bed to help keep intact as you pour the wort back over. Some people say you only need to pull off a small amount; however, done properly you want an actually clear wort which will take far more to set the grain bed. But, do what you feel you need to do.

 

[splashmike]

Your post implies you do not currently have a dip tube, so I'm curious as to how you are getting the wort out of the mash tun (i.e., drawing from the area below the false bottom).

 

[olotti]

Splash- that's the thing Im just pulling the wort through the spigot so all the wort below the spigot ie the dead space is going to waste. I figure if I lay a braid down ill get all of the wort as it'll draw off the bottom of the cooler

 

[splashmike]

If you have the Jaybird false bottom, check out the dip tubes they sell. You definitely want to pull from below the false bottom. You will have much less dead space and have a more efficient mash.

 

[IslandLizard]

A braid won't siphon that deadspace, it's permeable, you need a "dip tube" or hose that attaches to your "spigot" and goes to the bottom of the tun. That cooler "spigot" most likely needs to be converted into a proper bulkhead drain, to be able to attach a dip tube. You could use copper for a dip tube and in most cases it can be made from 2 short pieces of cpvc and an elbow.

If you decide to keep the cooler spigot you must figure a way to attach the dip tube or hose to it. Then on the outside you also need to find a way to attach a hose to the short spigot spout.

In the short run you can tip the mashtun forward at the end of the lauter to drain the headspace.

 

[olotti]

Maybe I wasn't all that clear. I've already converted the spigot into a brass bulkhead. Instead of just the brass nipple on the inside I figure I could just modify it to a 1/2" dip connection buy a bazooka braid that way the braid will lay on the bottom of the cooler and I can draw the wort through the braid further preventing any loose grain from getting by and ill b able to collect all or most of the first running. My buddy uses the same setup with just the braid and he does just fine collecting all his wort.

 

[Flboy]

Maybe I wasn't all that clear. I've already converted the spigot into a brass bulkhead. Instead of just the brass nipple on the inside I figure I could just modify it to a 1/2" dip connection buy a bazooka braid that way the braid will lay on the bottom of the cooler and I can draw the wort through the braid further preventing any loose grain from getting by and ill b able to collect all or most of the first running. My buddy uses the same setup with just the braid and he does just fine collecting all his wort.

Just screw on a simple 90 cpvc fitting to the inside of the nipple. I have one in my bottling bucket too.

 

[Guidry]

Adding the braid won't draw the fluid all the way from the bottom. Once the fluid level drops below the highest point of the braid, flow will stop.


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[Stealthcruiser]

Vorlauf..........Slowly, and use a good, fits close to the bottom dip tube.

 

[olotti]

Adding the braid won't draw the fluid all the way from the bottom. Once the fluid level drops below the highest point of the braid, flow will stop.


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I get that part about it not drawing in all the wort, I planned on leaving some behind I just don't want to continue leaving 1/2 Gal or more like I did last time. That being said I'm guessing a braid would be better than a dip tube at keeping out any grain that gets by the false bottom.

 

[Bobby_M]

No, you don't want a braid under a false bottom. What you want to happen is any grain that you do get below the false bottom will get sucked out through the diptube during the vorlauf. Listen to the voice of reason and rig up a simple diptube. If your bulkhead already has a female thread on the coupling, a 1/2" NPT street elbow will do the job.

 

[Bensiff]

Go back and reread my post. That will get you the clear wort you are looking for. A bazooka under a false bottom will do nothing to help filter the particulate, the grain bed is your best filter.

 

[olotti]

Thank you to all who replied I'm just so new that its hard to decipher the advice sometimes. I know the answer to my question is in this thread ill go back and reread. I guess my issue was I did vorlauf prob 2-3 times and even after the wort was clear I was still getting grain slipping through into the wort so I thought maybe a further filtration device would help. So what would one do in this situation I would assume a dip tube will still suck the grain through that's why I thought a braid would b better as another way to filter out grain even after vorlauf when there is still particulate in the wort.

 

[LastChair]

I empty the mash tun through a 300 micron hop spyder into the boil kettle. It has more surface area than a bazooka screen so it does not clog. A quick hosing and it's ready for pellet hops.

 

[Jaybird]

One of the things people do is NOT drain fast enough for the first part of the drain. OPEN THAT BAD BOY UP!!! You want to drain really as fast as you can for the first runnings coming off the MLT. What this does is set the grain bed and clear out from under the false bottom. If you have a well built false bottom you can do this without fear of compaction and a stuck sparge.

Hope that helps

Cheers
Jay