Space below a false bottom

[D*Bo]

I recently made a copper false bottom in a cheap 2.5 gallon round cooler to play around with mashing my specialty grains untill I can get my brew shed built and go all grain.

My question pertains to the inch to inch and a half of space I have underneath the false bottom to clear the valve.
I've noticed most false bottoms have more of a siphon and a very small area under the false bottom. Is this more to maximize the ammount of water contacting the grains?
Are there any other concerns?

I'm not to concerned with efficiency at the moment, altho I think this setup should work quite well. Seeing as how this is based off of steeping the grains and it sits just a couple points shy of 1.100, I should be ok.

 

[Beer Snob]

An inch???? Inch and a half? Man..... you gotta look at the stainless steel false bottoms out there..... if you loose a whole two cups, I'd be surprised.....

 

[D*Bo]

The cooler is only about 8 or 9 inches in diameter, This is just for playing around with right now.

Later on I'll be making something a bit more serious. But was wondering if the space was critical for other reasons.

 

[Beer Snob]

No I dont believe that it matters really as far as anyting too much outside of efficicnecy/waste kind of reasons. You should be fine.

If your planning on going the AG route you should look at coolers now. They are on sale everywhere you know. Got an Igloo Ice Cube at Walmart for 21 bucks.

I know it's against the flow of the stream to think you can do AG in an apartment or small setting, but I'm doing just fine using how this guy does his.....

http://www3.telus.net/sockmonkeysandbeer/beer/HowIBrew/howIbrew.html

It's a lot of fun!

 

[disaffected]

Got an Igloo Ice Cube at Walmart for 21 bucks.

I got six Ice Cube's at Walmart for $11 each!!!! These were the 48 quart ones.

They come in handy for all kinds of things. Mash tun, carboy carrier, sanitizing tank, wort collecting and holding tank, between-brews gear storage, carboy tempering tank, bottle washing bucket, chair, wort pre-chiller bucket. Heck, you can even use them as a regular ice chest! I've used mine for all these things. They're really versatile!

 

[Desert_Sky]

If you are worried about the extra bit underneath the false bottom, just sparge with that much more to make up for it.

I have the SS false like beer snob does. Like he said, if you leave two cups Id be suprised also. Ive thought about rigging a siphon tube to the bottom to pick the last little bit up, but then again, is two cups worth it?

 

[Truble]

I don't own one, so I will ask a potentially dumb question- is the fitting threaded on the bottom, and if so, couldn't you put a fitting on the end to extend down to the "deck", and slot the crown about 1/8"-1/4" to allow it to suck up the liquid? this would extend the effectiveness of the siphon and allow you to get that last bit???

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

I'd like to know more details about how you made a copper false bottom. I was thinking of making one but decided against it because of complexity and decided to go with a manifoild system instead.
Maybe you could do a write up in the DIY forum.

 

[Desert_Sky]

I wonder is he means something like Denny's

 

[pbowler]

I wonder if flase Bottom, and Manifold are being confused here

 

[Beer Snob]

I wonder if flase Bottom, and Manifold are being confused here

That would be an importatnt clarification for certain. They are very different.

Here is a pic of the false bottom...

Manifolds are made from copper tubbing and as far as I have seen, they are not manufactured..... anyone else see this as odd? Might be a business oprotunity for someone here.....

 

[disaffected]

I'm sure D*Bo will clear up the question, but since he refers to an inch and a half of space below his false bottom, I think that sounds more like a false bottom than a manifold.

It can't be particularly hard to make a false bottom if you have a suitable perforated material, or one that you can easily perforate. I may do this eventually for my 48 quart Ice Cube cooler.

Right now, I'm using a manifold made from 3/8th inch PEX tubing, brass 90 degree corners and "T"s, SS steel washing machine water line cover and hose clamps, and clear vinyl tubing connected to a barb fitting on the inside of my Kewler Kit. Kludgey and ugly, but quite functional as I found out this past Sunday on my first batch sparging all grain brew.

 

[D*Bo]

It's definately a false bottom.
I got some copper screening, the holes were a little large so I layed two sheets on top of eachother and took a few short pieces of 26 gauge copper wire and secured the screens together. I then pushed the pieces into the top of the cooler so I could draw an outline on the screen (trying to keep it as flat as possible. There was a tapered section below the lid, it rested on that. I don't think I can explain that too well.). Trimmed that down with scisors and test fitted a few times. Got the right shape leaving it slightly oversized to ensure a good fit.
Then stitched it together with the 26 gauge wire.
Then took a piecce of the clippings and cut it into a strip. made it into a circle and twisted a few short pieces of wire onto it. This supports the center of the false bottom.
It sits pretty tight against the sides. It is dished slightly to get a good fit.

There is plenty of flow thru the screen, so I'm not to concerned about channneling. Well that and this is just for the specialty grains anyway. Figure this is better than trying to use grain bags with 6.5 pounds of grains (10 gallon batch).

The reason there is so much space under it is so the valve is completly under the false bottom. I can tilt the cooler to get most of the sweet wort out. I'll loose maybe 1/8 of a cup at the most.

I got everyhing from a craft store. Try around the sculpting section.

I also have some stuff that is a finer mesh. I'm going to try that for a larger cooler later. Maybe block off the drain on the side and drill the bottom for the drain.
Thinking of trying to form a ring to fit the bottom so I can pull the mesh tight around it and get a better seal around the edges of the cooler.
Also considering making a casting of a cooler and modifying it to make a small lip a 1/4 inch off the bottom. Making a false bottom that would rest on the lip.
Try and get access to a vacuum molder and make inserts for round coolers. Cut out the original liner and drop this in. Maybe even fill it with a better insulation.

And I'm holding off on going to all grain untill the brew shed is done. I may be going the pool filter route.

 

[Beer Snob]

Making a false bottom is pretty easy. In The Joy of Homebrew what does he call it... a Zap Zap tun? It's a buckent in a bucket. The inner bucket has a lot of holes. A lot of holes.... you have to really like to drill for this.

 

[Beer Snob]

The above false bottom incidently is only about $22 and is most certainly not worth my time to attempt to fabricate. Rather spend it on brewing.

 

[D*Bo]

I enjoy fabrication.
It's always better to have something you made yourself than purchased. Requires a little inginuity. A little more pride in your efforts.

I usually come up with some ideas to customize it more towards my needs and make it more user friendly (consequently less builder friendly)

But that's just me.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

I enjoy fabrication.
It's always better to have something you made yourself than purchased. Requires a little inginuity. A little more pride in your efforts.

I usually come up with some ideas to customize it more towards my needs and make it more user friendly (consequently less builder friendly)

But that's just me.

You're in the right hobby...

 

[Desert_Sky]

I'd like to check out your work. You have any pictures of your false bottom?

 

[disaffected]

The above false bottom incidently is only about $22 and is most certainly not worth my time to attempt to fabricate. Rather spend it on brewing.

If one is not commercially made to fit your application, you have to make it yourself. For example, I have not seen a false bottom to fit the cube-shaped Igloo Ice Cube cooler that I'm using for mashing. I'm using a manifold right now, but I'd rather have a false bottom so I can fly sparge.

 

[Beer Snob]

If one is not commercially made to fit your application, you have to make it yourself. For example, I have not seen a false bottom to fit the cube-shaped Igloo Ice Cube cooler that I'm using for mashing. I'm using a manifold right now, but I'd rather have a false bottom so I can fly sparge.

In Palmer's new edition one of the examples he uses is a round false bottom in an Igloo Ice Cube. This is actually what I have now, so I'll be able to tell you how it works in my next brew. Can't actually decide to use it or to make a manifold.... but nonetheless he does give an example of using the pair... so might just try it. Guess why I think it would work is that people use manifolds or hoses... they certainly have less holes then the round false bottom does right?

At any rate, I've been thinking about this.... why not make the screen as you have... put a spacer on the bottom and drill a whole in the center (like the manufactured versions)... then you just need to attach a barb and connect the barb of the false bottom to the barb of the cooler. I'd work. It would certainly bring you FAR less then an inch to inch and a half from the bottom.

Another thought is the bucket in the bucket route. You could drill the holes on the bottom of the bucket and cut the bottom off. Drill a hole in the ceter for the barb and turn the assembly around so you can drop it in your mash bucket. Should work exactly like the manufactured ones.

 

[pbowler]

I enjoy fabrication.
It's always better to have something you made yourself than purchased. Requires a little inginuity. A little more pride in your efforts.

I usually come up with some ideas to customize it more towards my needs and make it more user friendly (consequently less builder friendly)

But that's just me.

Ditto,
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=13741

sometimes I wonder if I choose my hobbies based on that type of thing...

 

[D*Bo]

You're not into Jeeps too are you?

Here's the box I made because the cooler isn't very well insulated
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/Skyjeeper/brewing%20stuff/IMG_0406.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/Skyjeeper/brewing%20stuff/IMG_0407.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/Skyjeeper/brewing%20stuff/IMG_0408.jpg

Batteries in the camera died before I could get shots with it out.

 

[pbowler]

Cool,
not Jeeps no BMW's only.