Suggestions for first all-grain batch?

[We2smart]

Trub generally doesn't float. You can skim floaties off with a slotted or mesh spoon. The whole point of a racking arm is to leave trub at the bottom of the kettle where it sits. You start with a rotating racking arm pointing upwards and then rotate it downwards when you are draining to the fermenter until you start to pickup trub. You are clearly leaving a lot of viable wort behind in your kettle from the picture you shared, at least 2 gallons. Trub is usually less than a quart left behind including all of the hops you use in the boil. I generally use a 400-mesh bag to filter my wort into the fermenter and the trub forms a nice damp ball in the bag.

The Spike Solo Kettles, do not have a racking arm. That on the fermenter. The Solo does have a pickup tube same function but not rotatable. After several research and advice from this blog, I discovered that my Kettle pickup tube should not be pointing downward and is recommended although not documented in Spike Manual, to point it to the right allowing for the whirlpool process to collect trub in the middle which should reduce trub transferring to the fermenter. I have also replaced my keg diptube with a floating diptube to avoid any settlement in the keg from getting in the beer.

 

[jerrylotto]

The Spike Solo Kettles, do not have a racking arm. That on the fermenter. The Solo does have a pickup tube same function but not rotatable

Oh that makes a lot more sense. In that case, you do want it facing sideways such that the open side is facing away from (with) the whirlpool direction.

 

[We2smart]

Oh that makes a lot more sense. In that case, you do want it facing sideways such that the open side is facing away from (with) the whirlpool direction.

Yes, thanks, my next batch will be Saturday, I will give it a try