dead spaces

[mk1paggy]

My brew set up is almost complete, my losses for dead space in mash tun/boiler are 5.4 ltr. Is this figure too high and will it affect the gravity readings and efficiency when following recipes. My total hlt volume needed for an average recipe using 4kg bill will be about 38ltr. Will I need to up the grain bill to compensate or does it make no difference as long as I have the correct volume in the fv at the end of the day.

[Maldon John]

Hi mk1paggy. Your dead space losses are what they are.5 litres dead space is not uncommon.Personally I would go ahead and brew and see what you end up with. Keep careful notes of the final volume/ gravity in the fermenter and adjust the grain bill/ total brew liquor on the next brew. As you probably know, you will encounter other losses during the brew day ie grain absorption, hop absorption and a lot of evaporation during the boil.

[mk1paggy]

Thank for your help. Yes the approximate 38l covers everything on brew day. I have read you won't really know your boiler setup until your 3rd batch. Going to write it all down as I go.