My efficiency is terrible.

[LarMoeCur]

I think these are all good points. The crush has to be right, dough in has to be through, you have to do a mash out, the sparge has to be slower then you think. But I think Mikethepool guy hit the biggest part! I had the same issues when I started all grain. I was crushing my grains to damn near to dust, spending 20 minutes mixing the grains, sparging for 30 plus minutes. Still only hitting mid 60s on my efficency..WTF..so I had to look at my water. Got my mash Ph down to 5.2-5.4 range BAMM !! In the high 70s low 80s. I’ll bet your mash Ph is in the 5.8 range and your conversion rate sucks.

 

[veritas524]

I've been having similar problems; I'm guessing we're going to the same lhbs. I think i have it narrowed down to the fineness of the crush, and am hoping to solve that with my own mill. If that doesn't work, i'll have to think of something else...

It's the only one on the island it has to be... I'm going to ask Mike to adjust one of his mills next time I buy grain.

 

[veritas524]

I think these are all good points. The crush has to be right, dough in has to be through, you have to do a mash out, the sparge has to be slower then you think. But I think Mikethepool guy hit the biggest part! I had the same issues when I started all grain. I was crushing my grains to damn near to dust, spending 20 minutes mixing the grains, sparging for 30 plus minutes. Still only hitting mid 60s on my efficency..WTF..so I had to look at my water. Got my mash Ph down to 5.2-5.4 range BAMM !! In the high 70s low 80s. I’ll bet your mash Ph is in the 5.8 range and your conversion rate sucks.

Anyway to tell what my PH is? My city's water report is garbage and doesn't list it.

 

[motobrewer]

unfortunately, you'll have to get a pH meter.

try out TH's EZ Water Spreadsheet. my efficiency improved greatly when i started messing with my water.

 

[LarMoeCur]

Vertias524,

Lucky for me my Water report was pertty good. I posted my profile in the Beer Science tab. Asking for input, I got a ton. For me I had to go to a 2:1 dilution with distilled water and add some Gypsum, Cal Chloride, and latic acid to my mash. I worked it all out with the EZ water spreadsheet. I saw a 20% jump on the first batch.

A Ph meter is the best way to check, but I don't have one. So, I went with a ballpark approach that's why I diluted with distilled water to level my base numbers. I tried to hit the middle of what is ideal. I will be picking up a meter very soon.

 

[Northcalais40]

Trust me, before you invest in equipment get a bottle of iodaphor and brew as usual, testing at 20 minute intervals for mash conversion. This is where your efficiency problems are coming from. (I am speaking to the OP). If you have clear, unambiguous complete conversion in the mash tun, and poor efficiency, then I'll agree that you have larger issues that perhaps only a chemist can solve, but probably not.