Mash Tun help

[LesIsMore]

Hi everyone, I've searched, but can't really find the answer I'm looking for. I've been brewing for about the past year and transitioned to all grain brewing recently. My efficiency for batch sparging with a stainless braid has been about 60% for 4 batches. I assembled a mash/lauter tun using a Home Depot cooler and it was a real PITA to tighten the spigot. Everything tightened a couple threads, then I had to use two wrenches to really tighten it. The ss washer on the inside still isn't nearly flush against the inside of the cooler. The spigot is loose and wiggles a little, but it doesn't leak.

I just listened to the Brew Strong episode on mash efficiency (October 19, 09) and after listening to John Palmer's explanation, I am wondering if the wort is flowing out that opening instead of through the ss braid. Is there a way to seal that?

There was also about 1/2 a gallon of wort below the spigot that doesn't drain out. I titled the cooler to drain it, but that didn't help with the efficiency.

I tried grains from 2 different homebrew stores and they had similar efficiencies. At the moment, I don't have the capability to crush my own grains. My most efficient batch was for a sweet stout using maris otter. The gravity of my first runnings have typically been in the 1.040's and the second runnings have been 1.020 or above.

 

[digglr]

Hi everyone, I've searched, but can't really find the answer I'm looking for. I've been brewing for about the past year and transitioned to all grain brewing recently. My efficiency for batch sparging with a stainless braid has been about 60% for 4 batches. I assembled a mash/lauter tun using a Home Depot cooler and it was a real PITA to tighten the spigot. Everything tightened a couple threads, then I had to use two wrenches to really tighten it. The ss washer on the inside still isn't nearly flush against the inside of the cooler. The spigot is loose and wiggles a little, but it doesn't leak.

I just listened to the Brew Strong episode on mash efficiency (October 19, 09) and after listening to John Palmer's explanation, I am wondering if the wort is flowing out that opening instead of through the ss braid. Is there a way to seal that?

There was also about 1/2 a gallon of wort below the spigot that doesn't drain out. I titled the cooler to drain it, but that didn't help with the efficiency.

I tried grains from 2 different homebrew stores and they had similar efficiencies. At the moment, I don't have the capability to crush my own grains. My most efficient batch was for a sweet stout using maris otter. The gravity of my first runnings have typically been in the 1.040's and the second runnings have been 1.020 or above.

I had similiar problems making up my mash tun (used same cooler). I finally got fed up and used PC-11 all over the inside assembly and let it sit for 24hrs. That stuff is amazing! Been working with no leaks and no trouble ever since. I'm sure someone will post it can give off some kinda chemical.. but ive never had an issue.

 

[SilverZero]

I wouldn't expect your efficiency to have much of anything to do with whether your runnings are going through the braid or through a small space at the spigot. If it's not leaking, what's the problem? Are you getting a lot of grist into your boil? If not, it doesn't matter where the wort is exiting the tun, right?

It would help to know your mash procedure to know where you could improve efficiency. I am fortunate enough to have a grain mill at home, so I can double-crush my grains (once at the store and again at home). I also mash at 1.5qts/lb which is probably a thinner mash than most people do (typical mashes are around 1.25-1.33, I hear). I batch sparge with water at least 170F, hopefully more like 185F, sometimes in one batch and sometimes 2. I stir my mash with a paint stirrer on a power drill at the beginning, once halfway through the mash, and again after I've drained and added my sparge water. I then let my sparge sit for 5 minutes before draining it again, and I drain wide open after I vorlauf 2-3 quarts.

Doing this, my mash efficiency is in the 80s every time. BeerSmith says my last batch was 88.7%.

 

[acidrain]

Mash efficiency, or brewhouse efficiency?
What is the grain weight, volume and gravity of your pre-boil collections?
Like SilverZero said, unless your getting grain in your lauter, there is no problem with the loose fit of the braid.

 

[LesIsMore]

digglr,

I just ran into a thread with someone suggesting PC-11 to fill a hole in a mash tun so looks like it works for someone else too.

 

[LesIsMore]

I wouldn't expect your efficiency to have much of anything to do with whether your runnings are going through the braid or through a small space at the spigot. If it's not leaking, what's the problem? Are you getting a lot of grist into your boil? If not, it doesn't matter where the wort is exiting the tun, right?

It would help to know your mash procedure to know where you could improve efficiency. I am fortunate enough to have a grain mill at home, so I can double-crush my grains (once at the store and again at home). I also mash at 1.5qts/lb which is probably a thinner mash than most people do (typical mashes are around 1.25-1.33, I hear). I batch sparge with water at least 170F, hopefully more like 185F, sometimes in one batch and sometimes 2. I stir my mash with a paint stirrer on a power drill at the beginning, once halfway through the mash, and again after I've drained and added my sparge water. I then let my sparge sit for 5 minutes before draining it again, and I drain wide open after I vorlauf 2-3 quarts.

Doing this, my mash efficiency is in the 80s every time. BeerSmith says my last batch was 88.7%.

I might get a little small particles that come through, but not much. I was thinking that the flow is going through the path of least resistance and sugars are being left behind below the spigot. That's when I tried tilting the mash tun to get more out, but that didn't seem to make a difference.

I started using 1.33 qts/lb, but the last 2 I used 1.5 qts/lb. I've been sparging with 170F water. I don't do a mashout. Stirring is something I wasn't sure how to handle. One batch I stirred at dough in, drained without stirring, stirred after adding the sparge water and drained after a couple minutes. That was my best efficiency (at 1.33 qts/lb).
Most recently, I stirred at dough in, 30 minutes in and then 45 minutes in. Then I stirred the sparge water and let it sit 10 minutes before draining. I vorlouf about 3 quarts.

I don't have the exact numbers on efficiency here. I'll have to check when I'm home later.

 

[plankbr]

A couple of things:

1) I had the same issue with my Orange cooler and the valve being loose. I added 1 or 2 more SS washers on the outside to cover the gap and that fixed it. The issue with it not being flush on the inside is ok as long as the rubber washer is in place properly.

2) I also had mash efficiency issues with my 1st few batches of all grain. i was getting in the neighborhood of 50-65% efficiency. I now stir every 15 minutes during the mash, mashing @ 1.5 q/gal, and double sparge. Efficiencies are now in the range of 75-80% and I am very happy with that.

I hope this helps. I have documented my process so you can reference it if you wish:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/getting-better-efficiency-batch-sparging-447705/

Good luck and don't get frustrated! Learn learn learn and document everything. It should only get better from here.

 

[LesIsMore]

A couple of things:

1) I had the same issue with my Orange cooler and the valve being loose. I added 1 or 2 more SS washers on the outside to cover the gap and that fixed it. The issue with it not being flush on the inside is ok as long as the rubber washer is in place properly.

2) I also had mash efficiency issues with my 1st few batches of all grain. i was getting in the neighborhood of 50-65% efficiency. I now stir every 15 minutes during the mash, mashing @ 1.5 q/gal, and double sparge. Efficiencies are now in the range of 75-80% and I am very happy with that.

I hope this helps. I have documented my process so you can reference it if you wish:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/getting-better-efficiency-batch-sparging-447705/

Good luck and don't get frustrated! Learn learn learn and document everything. It should only get better from here.

Thanks! I'll give your process a try next time.

 

[smyrnaquince]

That's when I tried tilting the mash tun to get more out, but that didn't seem to make a difference.

If you put only water in your tun, drain and tilt, then measure what is left, you'll have a better handle on the amount of wort left behind. 1/2 gallon sounds high to me, but it depends on your cooler geometry.

Do you tilt before the first sparge to get all of the (most sugar-dense) first runnings out before diluting them?

Before you drain your sparge water, stir like mad to make sure the sugars are dissolved. I think Yooper says something like "stir like it owes you money."

 

[revelation]

My brewhouse efficiency was pretty low last summer, when I was crushing at my LHBS. Received a MM2 for my bday and now my efficiencies are 75%+. Not much you can do about the LHBS crush settings, maybe crush twice at the store?