Help check my efficiency please

[stumpwater]

I never check anything so i thought i would at least take a gravity reading on a batch i brewed Saturday. After that i got to wondering how i have been doing with efficiency and thats where i need help. here is my grain bill..7 lb 2 row, 1 lb German munich, .5 lb caramal 40, .5 lb carapils..brew in a bag 5gal batch 60 min. boil.. Mashed for 1 hour at 152 in 11 qts of water. tea bagged for 15 min. at 170. with 10 qts of water.My mash kettle is 4 gal. and 9 lb of grain and 11 qts of water fill it to within an inch of the top but it holds heat very well when wrapped in a heavy towel..After the boil and cool down i topped of with water in my bucket and took a reading. It was 1.046. Good or bad?

 

[PoppinCaps]

I calculate your brewhouse efficiency at 71%. Good, bad, it depends on what you really care about, but that's not bad. If you focus on the crush, get it a little smaller, you should be able to gain at least 7-8 points in my experience. If you're sure you get all of the liquid from the boil into the fermenter (including the sludge at the bottom), you can reasonably assume your mash efficiency is the same.

 

[stumpwater]

Thanks PoppinCaps for your input. I have done 6 batches this way and they have turned out pretty darn good i think.I have a 8 gal. kettle ordered so i can use my old 5.5 gal pot to mash in now..That could improve my efficiency somewhat..Always trying to improve my brews, thats the fun part of brewing. Thanks