SS braid vs. False Bottom

[Grimsawyer]

What is going to work better for batch sparging. I already have a false bottom for my Keggle so this debate seems pointless for me but maybe someone could benefit from it. Someday that keggle will be a boil kettle instead of a mash tun, false bottom is great for seperating hops from wort from what I've heard, and eventualy I will fly sparge. My boil kettle today, which is a 17 gallon Vollrath stock pot with 2 1/2" female threaded holes ban: total sex machine..... I love her ) will be my mash tun after I build/special order a false bottom for her and get my hands on a lid. Does it matter when you batch sparge if you have a braid or a manifold or a false bottom? Does the braid work the best or is it the false bottom? Any ideas why?

 

[chillHayze]

For a batch sparge, the design of the manifold isn't so important. I can't say that I have compared the two designes (only use an SS braid), but in principle in a batch sparge all one needs is a way to strain out the grain husks and flour. You're not concerned with channeling - you are stirring the thing!
I have heard from others that have used both say the braid and a manifold that the braid requires less vourlauf due to the passages being smaller than a manifold or false bottom.
I never recirc. more than a few cups until my wort runs clear.

 

[the_bird]

I do recirculate a little more than a few cups with my SS braid, but since it's batch sparging and you don't have to be overly concerned with the speed of the runoff, it's no big deal.

I've also heard that the SS braid works great in the brew pot, so I'm fashioning something for my new keggle along the same lines.

 

[Blender]

I use the stainless braid for batch sparging and it works very well. Just make sure the braid is actually stainless because there are plastic versions that look like stainless steel out there. I would be concerned about using one in a boil kettle though if pellet hops are used because it is likely to clog.

 

[EdWort]

I use a stainless braid in my 10 Gallon Home Depot Igloo. The whole system is stainless right down down to the worm clamp. It works very well.

I simply folded over the end a couple of times and crimped it.

 

[chillHayze]

I use a stainless braid in my 10 Gallon Home Depot Igloo. The whole system is stainless right down down to the worm clamp. It works very well.

I simply folded over the end a couple of times and crimped it.
IMG...

Mine is very similar though in a 5 gal cooler and with a much cruder shank. Effective, though.

 

[greg75]

I built a mash tun out of a Coleman Xtreme cooler this week, and I went with a SS braid, as well. My only concern is that it looks like somebody blew up the SS braid with M-80s where I cut the fittings off the ends. I could not get it to cut clean without a lot of fraying of the SS threads. I tried to clean it up as best I could, but it's still kind of messy. I don't think it will be a serious concern, but it just looks kind of amateur.

 

[RichBrewer]

I built a mash tun out of a Coleman Xtreme cooler this week, and I went with a SS braid, as well. My only concern is that it looks like somebody blew up the SS braid with M-80s where I cut the fittings off the ends. I could not get it to cut clean without a lot of fraying of the SS threads. I tried to clean it up as best I could, but it's still kind of messy. I don't think it will be a serious concern, but it just looks kind of amateur.

When I built my mini mash tun, I used lineman's pliers with side cutters to cut the braid and they worked fairly well. I had a couple strands fray but it wasn't bad.

 

[alemonkey]

I tried a SS braid on my boil kettle and was not happy at all with the way it turned out. Pellet hops clogged it every time.

 

[disaffected]

I built a mash tun out of a Coleman Xtreme cooler this week, and I went with a SS braid, as well. My only concern is that it looks like somebody blew up the SS braid with M-80s where I cut the fittings off the ends. I could not get it to cut clean without a lot of fraying of the SS threads. I tried to clean it up as best I could, but it's still kind of messy. I don't think it will be a serious concern, but it just looks kind of amateur.

I used a cutting wheel on my dremel tool to get a clean cut.

 

[david_42]

Do like your mommy did: roll the cut, hammer it down, roll again, hammer. Nice professional looking end.

 

[the_bird]

I bought some kind of cap at the Depot that I'm going to try using with a close nipple to seal the end of the braid. I want to have a little bit of extra weight on the thing, it tends to float and I'm afraid of beating it up when I stir.

 

[bandt9299]

I am on my 4th all grain batch using a 5 gallon Gott cooler and decided to try the braid on my 2nd batch, my first I used a false bottom, with good results (only stuck once) the braid stuck the whole way through, a batch sparge took me a hour, so back to the false bottom for me, the was about 3 more pounds of grain when I used the braid so maybe that had something to do with it, but until I get a bigger rectangle type cooler it's false bottom for me.

 

[Beermaker]

For me, personnally, I have used both, and they both have good and bad points. I now use a Bazooka T with a turn down to get on the bottow obf the mash tun. When I used a false bottom, it would plug with hulls, etc most of the time. I use a HERMS, so it would drastically reduce my circulation. I would have to end up stirring it, and that would disrupt the filter bed. However, it did allow me to get to the very bottom of the keg if I needed to in order to get every last drop of wort.

The bazooka tube is a great filter and has not plugged yet, allowing a smooth circulation, and an untouched grain filter bed, resulting in a much faster wort clearing. But, it does not get all the way down on the bottom, and this results in some wort wasted in the bottom that I cannot get out.

Now I prefer to pull all the wort through the bed when mashing out. Most keep an inch or so over the bed when mashing out. I do to a point, but when I am nearing 6.5 gallonsi turn of the sparge water and use the pump to pull out all the rest. Some will balk at this, but it works well for me and helps my efficiency.

Hope it helps......ciao

 

[scottmc]

What size braided SS line is everyone using, I.D. wise?