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[user 343043]

Hello everyone. I've been brewing on and off since the mid 90's but not on an advanced level. 5 gal batches at partial boils and extracts. Basically what my kitchen can safely allow. I am now teaching my 2 grown nephews to brew and I recently bought a 20cf O2 tank, an 10 Micron aeration wand from Anvil and a regulator that goes from 1/32 all the way up to 4 LPM. I have not used this setup yet, my tank is currently being filled.
Since aerating in this way is totally new to me and there seems to be no workable charts that list Microns, LPM, and length of time based on original gravity I could use some advise. Just as a start, say with a 5 gal wort at an OG of 1.040 to 1.050 with 10 Micron stone, what would be a good basic LPM and for how long?

 

[VikeMan]

10 microns is really too big for effective oxygenation IMO. 0.5 microns is best (IMO). 2 microns can work in a pinch, but isn't ideal (again, IMO). At 10 microns, you'll probably get a lot of foaming. But try it and see. YMMV.

I don't know about charts, but the BrewCipher spreadsheet (a free, general purpose integrated brewing software) gives automatic recommendations for oxygenation time, based on the yeast type, and the volume and gravity of the wort. (It assumes a rate of 1 liter per minute.)

For 5 gallons of 1.040 (ale) wort, BrewCipher recommends 51 seconds. For 1.050, 61 seconds.

Although I'm the author of BrewCipher and the oxygenation recommendation formulae in it are mine, I would caution that one size does not necessarily fit all when oxygenating. For just one example, you might want to overpitch your yeast to, say, suppress esters, and therefore oxygenate less (or not at all). But the recommendations seem to work well for people as a "default."

 

[ncbrewer]

Welcome, and good luck to you and your nephews.

 

[user 343043]

Thank you both for the response. Thx VikeMan for that info. It was really helpful.
Back in 2012 I had taken a somewhat long hiatus from brewing. I was working full time (so was my sister) and we were also taking care of our parents for 2 1/2 years in home hospice. Then I had to move a year later, lost my dog to cancer 4 years later and started brewing again two and a half years ago, teaching my oldest nephew to brew a year after that. He's done 2 batches so far. I'm getting equipment together for my younger nephew this Christmas to get him started. Fun times.