Manifold malfunction almost ruined my brew...

[badmajon]

I did the DIY rubbermaid cooler with the stainless steel braided manifold that came from a piece of toilet plumbing (new, lol).

When stirring my mash (after first strike), I pulled it with my mash paddle and it stretched at the base (nearest the valve) to the point where no wort could exit the manifold.

I tried to stick my hand in there to fix it, to try to push it back and widen it, but it was too hot. So there I was, deciding between second degree burns and throwing away my grain. I ended up going with a third option, pouring the grist into a big bucket, trying to fix the manifold, and dumping it back in. It sort of worked after that but was only a trickle so I ended up just dumping the sparge water in, stirring, and pouring it again into a big mesh bag and collecting the wort that remained.

Not ideal.

So anyway, what is the best way to make sure this doesn't happen again? I could recycle the mesh tube thing I have now, and just cut it shorter, or should I use a copper, PVC, or false bottom?

What is best?

 

[Catt22]

I would change over to the much larger SS braid used on hot water heater supply lines. It's nearly 1" in diameter and typically two feet long. This will provide a much greater surface area. OTOH, there's nothing wrong with using a manifold made from either copper or cpvc pipe. The small toilet line SS braids can be made to work, but the larger ones work much better IMO. Are you sure that the one you have is actually SS and not just chrome colored vinyl. Some that look like metal braid are actually some kind of plastic material. The one you have probably is not plastic, but it might be.

 

[Bobby_M]

Stop stirring your mash with a 10lb sledge hammer? ;-)

One of the tricks people use is to coil up a length of 14g copper wire around a dowel and then inserting this "spring" into the mesh tube. I do like the 1" x 18" water heater supply braid better than the toilet supply. I also agree with Catt that you probably have the plastic knock off because even stretched out, these things flow easily.

 

[badmajon]

No, its definately metal, the frayed end has stabbed me many times (like every damn time I touch it). Anyway, I will look into the idea of the heating ss braid as well as pvc.

 

[SBC]

Way overkill, but I have slotted copper tube inside of the water heater braid. Clamped on both ends.