Need ideas for floating sparge arm

[maltMonkey]

I'm getting ready to redesign my system (again) and I will be making a copper sparge arm manifold that I want to make height adjustable. I want to make it float on top of the mash so that I don't have to adjust the height manually and also to minimize splashing and aeration.

For the life of me I can't think of anything to attach to it to make it float on top of the mash.

Any ideas?

 

[lustreking]

I built this for a friend. It's not copper (could easily be made of copper, maybe even easier than with cpvc), and it doesn't float, but probably only takes a half a second to manually adjust the height.

http://brewing.lustreking.com/gear/spargeman.html

 

[bigben]

I built this for a friend. It's not copper (could easily be made of copper, maybe even easier than with cpvc), and it doesn't float, but probably only takes a half a second to manually adjust the height.

http://brewing.lustreking.com/gear/spargeman.html

EDIT: Mis-read the post....

Can you just plop something right on top of the grain bed? I don't see a reason for it to go up and down unless it has a float switch on it.

 

[maltMonkey]

Can you just plop something right on top of the grain bed? I don't see a reason for it to go up and down unless it has a float switch on it.

It will need to float on top of the mash, but also be height adjustable so that I can pull it all the way up (to open the hinged lid on my cooler MLT). The adjustable part is easy, I'm just focusing right now on what to put on the tubing to make it float on the mash.

Another note: it will need to be submerged just BARELY (if at all) so that the wort doesn't enter the slots I cut in the top of the sparge manifold.

 

[Beerthoven]

Some friends of mine who fly sparge use a length of food-grade clear pvc hose with holes drilled in it and a stopper in the end. The coil it up right on top of the mash and it works great. No wort gets in because sparge water is always being pumped out. Much cheaper than copper (but not as shiney).

 

[maltMonkey]

Beerthoven--I like the sound of that a lot. Does the hose actually float when full of water?

 

[Beerthoven]

No, it doesn't float, it rests right on top of the grain bed. If I recall correctly, they only keep about 1/2" or so of water over the grain bed, so the hose is just barely submerged in clean sparge water.

I also think they use a higher quality vinyl hose, not pvc, but I'm not sure. I might have the vinyl vs. pvc thing mixed up.

I'll pay more attention to the details the next time I help them out on a brew day...

 

[Alfalfa]

I got this idea from this forum and it works great. A piece of wood with a large hole in the middle. Large bolt with big thread goes through hole and connects to vinyl hose to HLT. sparge water flows through threads hits the floating wood and is dispersed over grainbed.

 

[sigmund]

Why not use lustrekings design and cut a float out of styrofoam to float the arm?

 

[springer]

Why not solder carb floats onto the sparge arm?