26 replies to this topic

[chadm75]

i remember my first MLT BJ...

Mine didn't even take me out to dinner first!

[Deerslyr]

Mine didn't even take me out to dinner first!

That's a crying shame... not even a slice of cold pizza?Chad, if you want to cut costs down on the manifold, consider using cpvc. Might actually be a bit easier to work with when cutting the slits on the bottom side. Other than that, putting them together should be fairly easy. I glued only major portions of my manifold so that it could be taken apart and cleaned. Does not need to be water tight at the joints after all. So, if you use copper, most of the guys will just crimp it in most places and avoid major soldering. That's the beautifull thing about the manifold... it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to keep the grain out.

[CaptRon]

Sounds like the problem has been solved for Chad but here is a question. I use a cooler and a false bottom. Now I have had two stuck mashed in the last year and a half. First all grain the elbow of my false bottom/drain valve was pushed onto the bottom of the mash tun, second time grain go under false bottom and plugged the bottom. If you had a stuck mash with a false bottom any suggestions to free that up. This is a just in case question so if it happens to me I can come back and post you guys are awesome the trick worked. My idea would be to stir then let it settle again. Any other ideas for a false bottom? Hope the rest of the brew went well Chad. Was this your Waltzing Matilda?

I have the cooler with false bottom, and have had a couple of really bad stuck sparges. How in the world were you able to figure out the cause of it to stick? like the elbow of the flase bottom pushed to the bottom of the tun or grain getting under the FB? after getting the grain out it is just a huge mess of grain and there is no way that i can figure out what the cause was.

[DubbelEntendre]

i remember my first MLT BJ...

I'm a prude. My MLT with the SS Braid gets no such love. Mostly because it never sticks.

[DubbelEntendre]

Also, you might want to try doing a mash-out before sparging the next time you do this recipe. It should help with the stuck sparge issue.

[ncbeerbrewer]

Badogg, My first every all grain was a stuck sparge. Yes the elbow that attaches to the center of my false bottom was pushed up against the bottom of my cooler. When I did a run through to test it, I just added maybe 3 gallon of water opened the valve and it drained fine. My first beer was an IPA 14lb grain bill. We opened the ball valve and it dripped, we stirred it, it dripped. My buddy and me dumped out the mash and saw that was what happened. The bottom of the elbow below the screen level was longer than the arch of the dome so the false bottom was being held up by that elbow not the edges of the false bottom. I cut it so it was shorter and only had one more stuck sparge. I think I remember I floated the false bottom and the grain ran under and clogged the elbow in the middle. That was last fall and its working great now. I hope what I said makes sense to you.

[CaptRon]

Badogg, My first every all grain was a stuck sparge. Yes the elbow that attaches to the center of my false bottom was pushed up against the bottom of my cooler. When I did a run through to test it, I just added maybe 3 gallon of water opened the valve and it drained fine. My first beer was an IPA 14lb grain bill. We opened the ball valve and it dripped, we stirred it, it dripped. My buddy and me dumped out the mash and saw that was what happened. The bottom of the elbow below the screen level was longer than the arch of the dome so the false bottom was being held up by that elbow not the edges of the false bottom. I cut it so it was shorter and only had one more stuck sparge. I think I remember I floated the false bottom and the grain ran under and clogged the elbow in the middle. That was last fall and its working great now. I hope what I said makes sense to you.

Yep, I think I got it. I think I need to check the elbow on my FB. I think it is pretty long too.