Loosing the will!!

[phill71]

Help Please!!

I started all grain brewing last year and used to use one fermenting bucket inside another, with holes drilled in the bottom for my mash tun.

It was pretty lo-tech stuff but worked a treat.

The thing is I've now 'upgraded' to a 30ltr coolbox, which I've added a valve-tap and a stainless braided hose for the filter.

As far as I can tell it's the same (or similar) design as I've seen hundreds of times on this forum, aswell as youtube etc...but everytime I've used it (last 4 brews) I have had a stuck sparge!

On opening the valve it stops running within 2 or 3 ltrs of run-off.

The only way I've been able to get it unstuck is to top up with the sparge water,stir it all up and work the braided filter back and forth with a stick, but this disturbs the grain bed badly and the runnings are as cloudy as dishwater and full of tiny bits, which must be having a bad effect on final product.

It's an absolute nightmare...What am I doing wrong? Why does it keep sticking? How does your braided filter work?

[Andy]

I initially started with a stainless braid filter in a coolbox and kept getting stuck mashes. Changed to a slotted copper manifold and no more stuck mashes. I know braid works for lots of people but it didn't for me.

[floydmeddler]

I tried a braid years ago too. Useless I found.

Here's what worked for me. It's a plastic chopping board. Just sits above the tap:



If I had a square shaped cooler, I'd defs make one of these... square shaped of course. Could make it out of a plastic food tray.

[Kev888]

I too prefer copper manifolds for avoiding sticking. But relative performance aside, one characteristic of the stainless braids is that they have roughly square gaps between the clockwise/counter-clockwise strands. However if the braid gets bunched up or stretched out these holes begin to flatten into more shallow diamonds, and in extreme cases largely close up. Could be worth just checking that isn't happening for you.

Cheers
Kev

[Blackaddler]

The thing is I've now 'upgraded' to a 30ltr coolbox, which I've added a valve-tap and a stainless braided hose for the filter.

What diameter hose are you using?

22mm can get flattened by the weight of grain. 15mm is more rigid.

[phill71]

It's 22mm and what really puzzles me is that on my last but 1 batch I pushed some 15mm copper tubeinto the braid that I had cut slots in. I hoped this would reinforce the braid whilst still allowing the wort to run off.
This didn't work & I got a stuck mash.
This batch today, I used removed the copper tube and tried the braid on its own...same result.

The really maddening thing is that I saved the grain from previous batch and loaded mash tun and added water to simulate the conditions prior to starting this batch. I let the grain settle for 1/2 an hour and lo and behold the liquid passed through the grainbed & filter like a dream. But when I mashed for real today I couldn't beleive it when I got a stuck mash again.

I seriously need a redesign ofr my coolbox as this braid system does not work!

[seymour]

I initially started with a stainless braid filter in a coolbox and kept getting stuck mashes. Changed to a slotted copper manifold and no more stuck mashes. I know braid works for lots of people but it didn't for me.

+1 It probably means your grain underwent a very fine crush, so there is a lot of flour clogging up the braid. A well-built copper manifold doesn't require too much effort, but will surely fix your problem by providing thicker openings, and much wider distribution, thus equating to greater surface area overall (more like your original bucket design, to be honest, nothing wrong with that technique.) Your mash efficiencies should also increase, since you'll be extracting from the entire grainbed instead of channeling only to a single mesh tube.

[darkonnis]

Before you do anything too drastic:
Consider a copper manifold, certainly cheap enough, hardest part is sawing the holes (time consuming more than anything)
Consider buying a BIAB grain bag (or if you have a sewing machine, make one which is a better option) then its just a case of lifting the whole lot off if you get a stuck mash, not that you'd need a filter with the bag in situ.
Consider something like this which will need a few fittings but work reasonably well: http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/cgi ... 90#a846190 Though you may need 2 which isn't ideal.

[dreadskin69]

go find your local stainless steel fabercator and see if they have any small off cuts of stainless perforated sheet. and get you grinder out. you will get a real high efficiency then too

[darkonnis]

I personally haven't found any difference in efficiency from manifold to false bottom if im honest, but if you do decide to do that ring them instead of going in person. Most fabricators near me won't stock 304/316 stainless as its too expensive, ringing would save you a trip is all

[Hotstuff]

I am using a 12"bazooka mash screen in my coolbox mash tun and a 5.5" bazooka hop screen in my boiler. Both have worked a treat, with no stuck sparges/runnings........ and they are easy to fit. Got my filters from the home brew shop.

[Blackjack]

No problems with copper manifold myself.

The last one I made I reduced the work slot cutting by using the angle grinder with a 1mm disc. ( usually labelled for "inox")

I use soldered fittings, but if the manifold is sized into the MT correctly it can be plugged together loose and will stay in place.

The normal method of relieving the stuck mash is to blow up the outlet. The alternative is to run in some sparge water to top the MT up and the grain bed should rise off the bottom and float. This is normal practice on a commercial micro brewery. NB. NO stirring !!

The reason for getting stuck and avoiding in the future may be a change in the mash liquor/grain ratio. It depends on the size of your mash in the MT but maybe increasing the liquor and allowing a looser bed.

Try running the first few litres off slowly.

Finally, last years difficult harvest has created some problems including stuck mashes on a commercial scale. High nitrogen, high protein, low enzyme, also leading possibly to difficulties clearing protein hazes.

Inox cutting discs? They are used on SS because being thin they cut less material, generate less heat and so do not work harden the SS ahead of the cut and so slice through much easier.