HLT for Dummies

[Invader1]

It's my understanding with a HLT you need to recirculate the water from the HLT to the mash tun. So in order to do this, you need a pump. I see some people using a gravity system so I'm guessing they all have pumps still that circulate from the HLT to the mash tun?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

It's my understanding with a HLT you need to recirculate the water from the HLT to the mash tun. So in order to do this, you need a pump. I see some people using a gravity system so I'm guessing they all have pumps still that circulate from the HLT to the mash tun?

That would be HERMS.

An HLT is just a vessel to heat water separate from the boil kettle to use for strike and sparge. Gravity will do this IF HLT is set higher than the mash tun (multi-tier system). On a single tier, a pump is needed in order to clear the HLT beyond equilibrium.

For HERMS, a method of mash temp stabilization/maintenance, you'd need a coil (like an immersion chiller) either in the HLT (through which you circulate mash) or in the mash tun (through which you circulate HLT water).

 

[bragona71]

if its a gravity set up no pumps needed

 

[Invader1]

Then what is the advantage of the HLT in a non-pump setup?

You put the HLT at top which just boils the water, then you open the valve and it dumps into the mash tun which has your grain but there is no water temp. control in that setup.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

You put the HLT at top which just boils the water, then you open the valve and it dumps into the mash tun which has your grain but there is no water temp. control in that setup.

The advantage is having a third vessel for heating water.

Heat sparge water while the mash is on. If the volume is sufficient after sparge, there will still be heated water for mash tun cleaning while the boil is on.

It's for convenience. Because at our scale, we can.

And for a fly sparge, the third vessel really is a near necessity.

 

[DeathBrewer]

To be clear, you do need to recirculate your mash before you runoff. You can do it by hand with a couple of pitchers on a gravity system.

 

[broadbill]

another advantage of the HLT is simultaneously doing multiple batches. The HLT can be fired up to start mash water for batch #2 as soon as batch #1 is out of the mashtun...nesting batches saves time