New mash tun, new problems

[Brewddah]

I recently built a new cooler MLT for my 2.5 gallon batches. It's a 5 gallon cooler. I have a 10 gallon cooler for my 5.5 gallon batches, but I found there was too much dead space below the valve for a 2.5 gallon batch.

The coolers are built the same way, and have the same style dome false bottom from the same manufacturer. I fly sparge, and while this probably isn't the best way to do things, I scoop sparge water in. It worked fine for the 10 gallon cooler. I might get a pump in the future, but I'm hoping to avoid that added complication for now. With of my small batches in the new cooler, two things happen: small grain pieces are getting through the false bottom, and the sparge seems to peter out about 3/4 of the way through.

The other thing is, I've been using a silicone hose between the MLT and the pot to avoid splashing. I'm careful not to let the hose be submerged, to avoid a siphon effect, but I feel like the hose is still causing problems. I went for years without it, and only recently learned that the splashing is bad. Honestly, though, I haven't noticed a positive difference with the hose.

Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance.

 

[jalc6927]

Can you use a brew bag to hold the grains

 

[Brewddah]

Can you use a brew bag to hold the grains

Maybe that would work. I would worry that it would get clogged and worsen the stuck sparge problem. I've never really done biab, maybe that's not an issue?

 

[RM-MN]

I've been doing BIAB for several years and the closest I've come to clogging a bag was when I made a rye saison with about 60% rye. That was such a sticky mess I had to squeeze the wort out. Normally the wort just runs out.

 

[jalc6927]

You can use a brew bag inside your mash tun, no clogs, no stuck mash, no stuck sparge, and no vorlsuf

 

[kylevester]

Whether the hose is attached or not shouldn't affect the rate at which the wort leaves the mash tun. With an open system like that, gravity dictates the flow rate out of the vessel, all else being equal.

What is the height difference between the bottom of the mash tun and the top of the boil kettle?

If your mash tun is fully above the kettle, then there is an issue in your mash tun with flow through the bed. In this case, add rice hulls to keep the bed more porous. A brew bag may help as well.

If there is overlap between the top of the kettle and the bottom of the mash tun, i.e. your hose curves up a little to get up and over the kettle top, then you may be hitting an equilibrium. If the flow is low enough, you won't get the siphon effect you need to over come that and your flow will stop. Several things could fix this: 1) Increase your flow rate by opening up on the valve, 2) Raise your mash tun bottom fully above the top of the boil kettle so the hose doesn't curve upward, 3) Connect the hose to the boil kettle inlet (filling from the bottom) and ensure the bottom of the mash tun is higher than the boil volume level.

 

[WestMichBrewer]

I have a cylindrical "water cooler" type MLT and due to the height of the spigot opening inside the cooler, there is quite a bit that can't come out. I solved this by making a "lautering stand" that holds the cooler at an angle to get more out.
Sometimes I've also seen things get really compacted so I use a long spoon to dig out the grain bed around the braided hose to get things moving again.

 

[madscientist451]

I've been using a BIAB bag in a cooler for several years, with and without an additional false bottom. If the sparge slows down or gets stuck, simply pull up on the bag.
I also used to do a a very slow and careful fly sparge. But lately I just manually recirculate with a 1/2 gallon pitcher for a few minutes then do a quick batch sparge and the beer comes out fine. I drain the cooler to the kettle with a hose and haven't had any problems.

 

[Brewddah]

What is the height difference between the bottom of the mash tun and the top of the boil kettle?

The spigot from the mash tun is a few inches above the top of the kettle. I will try the rice hulls idea next time.

 

[Brewddah]

I feel like the hose should not be a problem either, but I swear, if the end gets submerged in the wort, it will suck out all liquid left in the mash tun in matter of minutes.