First All Grain Brew Day Nightmare

[evandam]

Well I had a stuck sparge (more on this later and possible soulutions I hope). So I had to scoop out grain and rinse it with my sparge water in a mesh collinder, which took forever and was a sticky mess. I place the hot grain in a 5 gal bucket lined with a plactic bag. When I took the plastic bag out of the bucket the bag was hot and weakened and I ended up dumping 17+ pounds of grain in my driveway. I did get 63% efficiency, which considering my methods I was pretty happy with.

Now on to my stuck sparge. My tun is a 10 gallon Gott round cooler with a SS false bottom from the bulkhead to the FB it has some hose (it is really stiff) and attached to the bulkhead and some plastic threaded elbow with oaticker clamps. The threaded end of the elbow kinda fits in the false bottom. I think my problem with my stuck sparge was due to me knocking the elbow out of the FB while I was initially stiring the mash. It seems to me it should be attached maybe somehow. Also there is a little hump on the bottom of the cooler, but other than that, there is nothing that is keeping the elbow from being fluch with the bottom of the cooler and seriously restricting the flow when it has heavy grain on top of it. Anyone have a similar setup that can enlighten me.

Also I seem to have a lot more trub in the fermenter of this batch then I normally do, it this normal with all grain?

 

[evandam]

Had a stuck sparge with my new MLT this weekend, I will save you the details of how big a nightmare that was.

My tun is a 10 gallon Gott round cooler with a SS false bottom. From the bulkhead to the FB it has some hose (it is really stiff) it is attached to the bulkhead and some plastic threaded elbow with oaticker clamps. The threaded end of the elbow kinda fits in the false bottom. I think my problem with my stuck sparge was due to me knocking the elbow out of the FB while I was initially stiring the mash. It seems to me it should be attached maybe somehow. Also there is a little hump on the bottom of the cooler, but other than that, there is nothing that is keeping the elbow from being flush with the bottom of the cooler and seriously restricting the flow when it has heavy grain on top of it. Anyone have a similar setup that can enlighten me.

Thans for the time.

 

[BigEd]

I seem to have a lot more trub in the fermenter of this batch then I normally do, it this normal with all grain?

\

Yes. With extract much of that would have been removed during the manufacturing of the extract. Sorry, I don't have any experience with the Gott cooler FB setup.

 

[Yooper]

I have a gott cooler and false bottom set up, and I'm trying to picture how yours is set up. Do you have a picture, or a link that I can see to figure out what went wrong?

 

[Otis The Drunk]

Take time to reflect on what you have done wrong, Learn from that and refine your procedures, it gets easier from here on out.
I've been All Grain brewing for 18 out of the 20 years I've been brewing and the first couple of times I've had some real disasters but it got easier from there on out.
Every now and then I have a minor mishap, like last brew session my grain hopper got knocked over.... Hence the name of my last brew "Dirty Floor Brown Ale".

 

[evandam]

Here are a couple of pics

http://www.wargameweaver.com/vandam/images/DSCF4087.JPG

http://www.wargameweaver.com/vandam/images/DSCF4088.JPG

 

[evandam]

Here are a couple of pics that might help.

http://www.wargameweaver.com/vandam/images/DSCF4087.JPG

http://www.wargameweaver.com/vandam/images/DSCF4088.JPG

 

[Yooper]

Let's keep this all in one thread, shall we?

Thanks!

 

[evandam]

Let's keep this all in one thread, shall we?

Thanks!

Sure I wasn't sure where it really belonged.

 

[Yooper]

Sure I wasn't sure where it really belonged.

LOL! You actually did make me laugh out loud. Thanks for that.

I looked at the picture, but I still can't quite figure out where it came apart/where it was stuck.

At the elbow, mine isn't even clamped- it's just a piece of tubing on a barbed fitting. It came apart once, and of course I had a stuck mash. But it only happened once, so I never did clamp it or anything.

How "firm" is that false bottom? You were saying that the pick up tube might be smashed against the bottom of the cooler?

 

[evandam]

Your welcome for the laugh.

Yea, it didn't come appart at the elbow, the elbow just came out of the FB. I'm sure that was my problem this time. But I do question how any wort can get out if the elbow is flush with the bottom of the cooler under the FB. Now there is a little bump right in the middle of the bottom and the elbow rests on it and that might provide a little space. There is also not alot of room under the FB, it is domed slightly, but not that much, maybe a quarter of an inch under it when sitting on a flat surface. Also the threaded elbow doesn't fit terribly tightly in the FB. I think maybe I need to kinda bend the stiff hose so that it is sort of forced down onto the FB. I have no idea really just wondering if anyone has a similar setup and has had similar problems.

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

Ok, before we can help - where did you get that FB ?

 

[ajf]

Looks to me like you need a nut on the threaded portion of the elbow. That will stop the elbow from coming out if it's tightened against the underside of the FB. If the inlet is really close to the bottom, you could raise it a little by placing some neoprene or SS washers between the top of the FB and the flange on the elbow.

-a.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yes, you definitely need a locknut on the threads to hold the FB tight. You also need to drill some holes in the sides of the threads, maybe four 1/4" holes so that it won't matter if the open end sits flush to the bottom.

 

[joety]

Hence the name of my last brew "Dirty Floor Brown Ale".

After a 60-90 minute boil and a couple rackings, I imagine it could only enhance the taste.

I have a similar setup but it was built by Midwest and you couldn't knock that fitting loose if you wanted to. After four all grain batches, my first four, no sign of a stuck sparge.

After mentioning that I'm doomed to return in two weeks with a "HELP - Stuck Sparge" thread myself.

 

[evandam]

Looks to me like you need a nut on the threaded portion of the elbow. That will stop the elbow from coming out if it's tightened against the underside of the FB. If the inlet is really close to the bottom, you could raise it a little by placing some neoprene or SS washers between the top of the FB and the flange on the elbow.

-a.

Thought about that, but if I set the FB on a level table, it is only raised about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch, so If I put a lock nut on the bottom then I bet the edges of my bottom will not hit the bottom of the cooler due to to much of the elbow coming through. . This is frustrating as hell.

Edit: How much should the top of a domed FB be about the floor of the cooler?

 

[evandam]

Ok, before we can help - where did you get that FB ?

kegkits.com not sure who manufactured it. There are some pics of it in previous post.

 

[evandam]

The bottom is kind of how it fits together now. The top is more how I expected it to fit together. The tube connecting the elbow is pretty stiff and I think I can bend it to exert some pressure on the FB to keep it from floating at all. This is kind of exaggerated to make a point. I'm thinking of getting a hack saw and triming the threaded part of the plactic elbow to make it more like the top diagram. Any comments?

And also for reference

 

[Bobby_M]

The false bottom MUST have some space below it for the wort to collect and ultimately make it to the dip tube. This is accomplished either by resting on the higher walls of a concave keg bottom or by sitting on top of some legs. You can make your own with some stainless machine screws with acorn nuts on the bottom or by using a few stacked nuts to add height. I'd suggest something like 3/8" between the floor and FB. Insert the fitting into the center hole all the way, tighten on a locknut, then put a couple "V" notches in the bottom of the fitting so that wort has a way to enter. You can see how my diptube accomplishes this:

 

[evandam]

Thanks, that pic helps a bit and give me a few ideas.

Moving the equipment part of this discussion over to the equipment board, I think it is becoming for here.

Thanks again.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/false-bottom-deadspace-93188/

 

[ajf]

Thought about that, but if I set the FB on a level table, it is only raised about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch, so If I put a lock nut on the bottom then I bet the edges of my bottom will not hit the bottom of the cooler due to to much of the elbow coming through. . This is frustrating as hell.

Edit: How much should the top of a domed FB be about the floor of the cooler?

That's why I suggested putting some packing washers between the top of the FB and the flange on the elbow.

-a.

 

[evandam]

That's why I suggested putting some packing washers between the top of the FB and the flange on the elbow.

-a.

OK now I think I see, you will have to forgive me I'm a electrical engineer not a mechanical one. I still think I'm gonna try and return the whole setup at this point, but finally I get what you you where saying. Washers are a hell of a lot easier than cutting the elbow. Sorry I didn't get this the first time.