Slow Mash Tun

[drewbrew82]

I have a ten gallon mash tun with a perforated screen that I bought form the brew shop. My efficiency is great, it's always .010 higher than what any recipe is shooting for. The only problem is that it is very slow to sparge out. Is my slow sparge because of not raising the mash to 168 before sparging? Am I trading speed for mash efficiency? I am currently building a HERMS setup, hoping that this will help with the problem. Any help with speeding up the sparging process would help a lot.

 

[Edcculus]

What type of tube connects the false bottom and spigot? If its a flexible plastic tube, its probably getting crushed under the weight of the grain. Thats what happened when I build my MLT with CPVC manifold. I had some large thick plastic tubing sitting around. I cut it in half (hotdog style) and wrapped it around the smaller more flexible tube.

 

[illinibrew04]

A couple things...first, you could try about a saucepot or so full or rice hulls to see if that improves your runoff speed. Also, +1 on trying to replace the standard vinyl tube. Maybe try some of the reinforced braided PVC tube you can get at HD or Lowes. Lastly, you'll probably want to solve your runoff issue before going into HERMS since HERMS relies on a certain runoff speed. Good luck!

 

[drewbrew82]

Never though about the tube being crushed by the grain. That makes a lot of sense. I have noticed when I clean out the mash tun, the hose is very rubbery. Thanks for the help.