Wort circulation question

[Steve973]

For the people who use RIMS or HERMS, how do you return the circulated wort to the top of the mash? I'd imagine that you would want as little disturbance of the top of the grainbed as possible. So this brings to mind a sparge arm, or one of the variations of it. But since bits of starch and husk can pass through a false bottom, how do you keep one of these devices from becoming clogged with particles? Or is there another device to spread out the returning wort that I don't know about?

Thanks!

 

[KA6GZJ]

Steve,
On my RIMS I use a little thing that looks like a small upside down funnel to spread the returned wort over the grain bed. It attaches to the end of the return line. (ss tube)

I would not recomend trying a sparge arm for the reasons you mentioned. I have one and found it to be too slow, even with clean sparge water. (retired it)

hope this helps, Jim

 

[david_42]

I put a spatter shield on top of the grain bed. It has very fine holes, but there are a lot of them. The out hose just lays in the wort.

 

[NotionCommotion]

I just use a copper manifold with four openings on the top, and try to keep a little liquid on the surface.

 

[clessor]

I just started whole grain also, and the sparge arm I built is not great for recirculation of wort. The two ends of the 3/8 copper T are soldered so there is no good way to clean. I am thinking of building a circular arm with the larger holes in the top so the wort drizzles down. I am also going to put a valve at the output of my pump to slow the output to the sparge.

 

[D*Bo]

http://home.chattanooga.net/~cdp/rimsnew/rimsnew.htm
http://home.chattanooga.net/~cdp/rims/rims_inf.htm

scroll down a bit for the return maniflods.

I've also seeen a setup with a copper T with the center pointing straight up, then short tubes off each side. Each short tube had another T with an additional short piece of tube with a 90* pointing straight up.
The manifold was rested on top of the grain bed and the level of sweet wort kept just above the top of the 90's.

 

[Biermann]

Here's mine. . . I pulled the ring up a bit to take the picture. . NO I'M NOT TRYING TO CREATE HSA. This one came with my brew setup. I was a little leary at first, but it works fine, and is especially fine if you leave a little liquid on top the mash. There are smaller holes on the bottom of the ring and larger ones on top.

 

[wildbill]

Here's a link to a picture of the test run, of my return manifold. It has was worked well for me, so far.


http://homebrew.castleen.net/pages/setup/pics/DSC01724 copy.jpg


The shape of your mash/lauder tun will influance the design of your return manifold.

 

[BrauLieber]

Is that Lead solder?

 

[wildbill]

no no, the solder I used was lead free. I thought about that at that stage, and then how how to clean the flux off, as that is toxic as well. Thats a good way to poison yourself and friends....

Good point, it didnt occure to me to mention that. Use lead free solder and water soluble flux type flux so it can be washed off.

A long wire scrubbie brush helps.

I was real paranoid about the flux residue. I cleaned and ran the system and cleaned and re ran the system, rinse and repeated many times.