Mash Tun build question

[brewser7]

I'm building my first mash tun and need a few pointers/suggestions. I've read a bunch of different articles and posts on this forums and I'm questioning how to design the manifold. Do I use the prototype in the picture so my drain tube is closer to the drain on my cooler or will all those 90s cause a problem when it is draining? My other solution is to run that T from the back of the coolor and I will only have to use two 45s and a 15" copper pipe.



Thoughts?

(I will be facing the slits towards the bottom when I go for the final build)

 

[PoppinCaps]

Either way should work the same. The siphon should do a good job of pulling it up and out when you're getting to the end of the volume.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

That's a pile load of T's and elbow's! Why not use a 45-deg that points downwards to the bottom?

The loss of suction will occur at the highest air-introducing point, which in your case should at the highest slot point.

MC

 

[brewser7]

Yes, it is a crapload lol! I tried a couple different scenarios with 45s and none really worked.

If it doesn't matter how long my drain tune is I will probably just run it from the back of the manifold so I can save some 90s. Only reason I thought about changing it is because of Palmers book.

Thanks for your input!

 

[day_trippr]

I think the market price of copper just ticked up.

I would at least cut that connection down to using the one 90° elbow with a short riser to the Tee...

Cheers!

 

[Homercidal]

I added a barb fitting to the cross member about 3/4 the way across the cooler. And attached a length of the stiff tubing between that and the spigot. This allows me to flex the manifold up and upside down for easy cleaning.

 

[bstux]

I'm building my first mash tun and need a few pointers/suggestions. I've read a bunch of different articles and posts on this forums and I'm questioning how to design the manifold. Do I use the prototype in the picture so my drain tube is closer to the drain on my cooler or will all those 90s cause a problem when it is draining? My other solution is to run that T from the back of the coolor and I will only have to use two 45s and a 15" copper pipe.

Thoughts?

(I will be facing the slits towards the bottom when I go for the final build)

In theory more bends means more restrictions in the flow rate, but I doubt that it would matter on something this size. I used a replacement spigot for a bottling bucket as the out valve. The outer diameter of the T fitting just so happens to fit perfectly with the inside diameter of the spigot. As a side note the manifold in the pictures is upside down as when I use it the holes are on the under side, similar to your plan for the slits. I get good efficacy and as long as I add enough water to cover the manifold before adding in my grains, I never get a clog. Oh and it is easy to clean!

Keep us posted I want to know how this works out for you.

 

[Homercidal]

FYI you'll leave less wort in the mash tun if you put the holes facing the bottom...

 

[brewser7]

I think the market price of copper just ticked up.

I would at least cut that connection down to using the one 90° elbow with a short riser to the Tee...

Cheers!

I tried this, but it elevated it too high over the spigot to work for me. It would have been nice if it did! I already have the fittings so it’s just a matter of which way works the best.

Homer, I was going to do something similar to yours at first, but according to Palmer it works better to have the pipes running parallel with the drain spigot. I was going to run the drain off the second cross bar but my plans went down the drain when I read that part of the book. It took me a little while to figure out his diagrams but once I realized what he was doing it made sense. Running them parallel creates and even “sucakge” throughout the MLT thus increasing efficiency. It sounds good in theory so I went with it. Also, I do plan on having the holes at the bottom; I just had them laying in there to figure out what I was doing.

Bstux, I guess I can just test it both ways with water. Not sure why I didn&#8217;t think about this earlier. Maybe because I was drinking? <shrug> This &#8220;should&#8221; tell me if it is better with a bunch of bends next to the spigot or running the length of the manifold with 2 45s and a straight bar.

Tonight&#8217;s project will include 5 gallons of water, a timer and a measuring cup to see how quickly the water is drained and how much is left behind with each option. I&#8217;ll report back with pics and results once I&#8217;m done.

 

[ndsgr]

Homer, I was going to do something similar to yours at first, but according to Palmer it works better to have the pipes running parallel with the drain spigot.

I must have missed that in the book, but my set up has consistently gotten me 80% efficiency, which I have taken steps to actually reduce (no-sparge being my favorite).

Just for reference, here is mine. Nothing is soldered and it comes apart easy for cleaning. Also, it will siphon all the way to the slits on the bottom of each pipe.

 

[Homercidal]

I must have missed that in the book, but my set up has consistently gotten me 80% efficiency, which I have taken steps to actually reduce (no-sparge being my favorite).

Just for reference, here is mine. Nothing is soldered and it comes apart easy for cleaning. Also, it will siphon all the way to the slits on the bottom of each pipe.

Same here. I don't worry about channeling, since I batch sparge. I doubt it makes a noticeable difference at any rate, all other things equal. But I cannot match Palmer for fluid dynamics, that's for sure.

Also, FWIW, I'd rather lose a couple of points of efficiency and have an easy time cleaning...

 

[brewser7]

I must have missed that in the book

This is the part I was talking about.
How to Brew - By John Palmer - Building the Manifold

I'm sure I'm just overthinking this. I have to keep telling myself K.I.S.S.!!

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Tonight’s project will include 5 gallons of water, a timer and a measuring cup to see how quickly the water is drained and how much is left behind with each option. I’ll report back with pics and results once I’m done.

Don't forget to attach a length of hose to your MLT output when you do your testing. If you just open the drain and empty the MLT, you'll leave a lot more liquid behind than if you have the siphoning provided by a hose...

Cheers!

 

[Homercidal]

Oh, and I meant to post this at first...

Why not make a connection using a hose? Turn the manifold around so the hose stretches across the tun. The extra distance won't hurt anything since the collection point is still the same as before as far as the manifold is concerned.

 

[brewser7]

Oh, and I meant to post this at first...

Why not make a connection using a hose? Turn the manifold around so the hose stretches across the tun. The extra distance won't hurt anything since the collection point is still the same as before as far as the manifold is concerned.

That's how I had it laid out originally only with a copper pipe instead of hose. This fit nicely but again Palmer screwed me up because he said it is better to have that part closer to the spigot. It got me second guessing the design. That's why I tried to make it work with the 90s, so it was closer.

I need to read less and drink more!

 

[ndsgr]

I'm sure I'm just overthinking this. I have to keep telling myself K.I.S.S.!!

All that matters is that you are happy with your final design.

 

[day_trippr]

All that matters is that you are happy with your final design.

Ah, I'm pretty sure there's a forum rule that says what really matters is if all of us are happy with his final design!

Cheers!

 

[brewser7]

Okay, testing is complete and I'm going with this one:


Here were my two test designs:

I'll call this one "loopy"


and this one is "straight bar"


I didn't have enough 90s to properly complete loopy's test design so I had to modify the manifold a bit to make it work (see tape on corners). To keep all thing equal I kept the modified design on both options for testing purposes.

Both modified designs finished draining the water within 10 seconds of each other (1:50ish) both leaving between 25-30 ounces. It wasn't a big difference. I decided to run with straight bar because loopy was a pain to hook up each time I moved it. I could see this becoming a problem because I doubt I would be able to permanently solder them at the correct angles and it takes a while to hook them up. If I did managed to solder them in the exact angle needed, cleaning it would be a *****. Straight bar was easy to hook up and it would be easy to clean. Plus, It would also allow me to solder the end peices so I don't have to put a puzzle together each time.

When I fixed the straight bar design and used 90s at the corners like I'm supposed to, it drained the water about 30 seconds faster and only left 8 ounces behind.

I'm happy with this build right now, so we'll see how it does on my first all grain batch in a week or two.

Thanks to those of you who had comments and suggestions. You gave me great ideas and helped me figure out what I want.

Day_tripper, I hope you are ALL happy with the final design!

 

[bstux]

Looks good.
Is the straight piece connecting the out valve to the rest of the manifold at an angle?

 

[brewser7]

Looks good.
Is the straight piece connecting the out valve to the rest of the manifold at an angle?

Yes, but it is a very slight downward angle. It's not enough to mess up that connection at the valve. I had a good siphon until close to the end. If your curious I could try to take a measurement to see how much it drops.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]
Day_tripper, I hope you are ALL happy with the final design!

I'm liking it, but I'd probably love it if you put up a picture that isn't a freakin' eye test...

Cheers!

 

[bstux]

Yes, but it is a very slight downward angle. It's not enough to mess up that connection at the valve. I had a good siphon until close to the end. If your curious I could try to take a measurement to see how much it drops.

Just curious, it looked like there was an overlap in the picture. But by all means, measure away. I'm sure someone will find it helpful, this looks like a good design and build.

 

[brewser7]

I'm liking it, but I'd probably love it if you put up a picture that isn't a freakin' eye test...

Cheers!

Haha, they were HUGE the first time I put them up so I tried to make them a little smaller. Well, I succeeded!

You should be able to click on them to bring up a slightly bigger version on photobucket. This was my first experience with photobucket so my next pics should turn out better.

 

[brewser7]

1/4" total drop from back to valve