Fly sparging method critique

[fat_astronaut]

I brewed my second batch of beer last week, and I tried fly sparging, as I had batch sparged on my first go the week before. I didn't have a set up to continually introduce sparge water, so I just used a measuring cup and gently poured hot water on top of the grain bed as I ran off, keeping about 0.5 - 1 cm of water on top of the bed.

Is there anything wrong with this method? It didn't really take much effort or time, and I got better efficiency.

Thoughts?

 

[Hamaki]

I would suggest a bit more than .5 - 1 cm of water over the top of the grain bed. I'd have a hard time cutting it that close without disturbing the filter bed structure but I'm not gonna argue with what works for you!

 

[soupfist]

Is there anything wrong with this method? It didn't really take much effort or time, and I got better efficiency.

Your 2nd sentence pretty much answered the question posed by your 1st sentence. Never argue with results!

Seriously, as long as you're careful about not drilling a hole in the grain bed when you pour the sparge water in, I don't see why it should be a problem. The shallowness of your chosen water depth increases the risk of you doing that. But I predict well before this ever surfaces as a problem, you'll get tired of adding water by hand on brew day and start looking for easier alternatives.