HLT size???

[Jewsh]

I have a converted sanke,with a 52q igloo ice cube mash tun. I know I am capable of ten gallon batches, but my 5g bottling bucket is not doing justice for my strike and sparge water.
I have a empty 1/4 bbl keg lying around, would converting this be a good idea? I would be using direct fire for the HLT. So a volume of 7.5 for strike and 7.5 for sparge. I know I need to factor in the grain absorption, but I am just curious if this size kettle would be large enough for all my brewing water.

 

[Brewpastor]

Get an second half barrel and be done with it. Maybe you can swap the 1/4 for a 1/2 at a local beverage purveyor.

 

[Northcalais40]

I did a 10g batch with a 10g cooler and a 7.5g hlt. It used 26.5# of grist. My mlt was brimming with water, so was my hlt. I fly sparge. I got every last drop out of my sparge, practically wrung out the grain by hand, and barely made my preboil volume.

With a cooler your size, you can probably do a thin mash and make your volume easily, or batch sparge twice, heating the second sparge after dumping in the first.

 

[Jewsh]

I did a 10g batch with a 10g cooler and a 7.5g hlt. It used 26.5# of grist. My mlt was brimming with water, so was my hlt. I fly sparge. I got every last drop out of my sparge, practically wrung out the grain by hand, and barely made my preboil volume.

With a cooler your size, you can probably do a thin mash and make your volume easily, or batch sparge twice, heating the second sparge after dumping in the first.

I have horrible efficiency. I loaded my mash tun with #22 of grain for a 5 gal batch and got maybe 55%. But my tun was only about 1/2 full with 1 1/2q/ lb of grist.
I think I have enough room for a moderate gravity 10 gal batch, if I can hit my numbers. I do a hybrid fly/batch sparge.

 

[Jewsh]

Get an second half barrel and be done with it. Maybe you can swap the 1/4 for a 1/2 at a local beverage purveyor.

I am shopping a round for a 1/2bbl sanke, but I have the 1/4bbl already.

 

[Northcalais40]

I have horrible efficiency. I loaded my mash tun with #22 of grain for a 5 gal batch and got maybe 55%. But my tun was only about 1/2 full with 1 1/2q/ lb of grist.
I think I have enough room for a moderate gravity 10 gal batch, if I can hit my numbers. I do a hybrid fly/batch sparge.

I don't think there is any corelation between mlt size and efficiency. You should look at your procedures and see if there are any common mistakes you are making. There are a ton of threads here that can answer these questions. A good place to start is checking for full conversion with an iodine test.

If you can physically fit the grist and water in your vessels then you are fine. Then you need to let the enzymes do their thing and rinse out the sugar sufficiently.

 

[wilserbrewer]

You can cheat by "overheating" the small HLT up near boiling. Add a couple gallons to the mash as a mash out to raise the temps. Add another 2 gal or so of water to the "overheated" HLT and you have fairly easily created 9-10 gallons of "hot liquor" w/ a 7.5 gallon HLT. No not ideal, but will help to extend your system.