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Author Topic: SS mesh vs false bottom  (Read 23289 times)

Offline Matt B

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #30 on: June 13, 2010, 05:25:33 pm »
A good DIY solution I found was buying one of those OXO splatter screens from Bed Bath Bulls*** and More (or Amazon), removing the handle, covering up the back side of the raised area somehow (I just tack welded a piece of stainless over it, but food grade silicone would work just as fine) and drill a hole in the center just big enough to thread a male 1/2" NPT copper adapter in, and hook that up to the outlet of your kettle. 'unscrewing' the screen forces it further down and makes solid contact with the bottom and doesn't pop out easily. And no matter how hard I try, I haven't gotten a stuck sparge with it. But I do feel that the mesh might not be fine enough, I do have to go reasonably slow or else I get some grain bits floating around. I also use this in my boil kettle (with other copper bits under it to go further to the edges so I don't suck up too much of the break.) But still, not bad for a $20 screen and $1.50 for some copper bits.

Offline IHBHS

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #31 on: June 14, 2010, 02:23:18 am »
The pipe going from the FB to the thru wall fitting is a 3/8 pipe that has been bent in such a way to keep the FB in contact with the bottom of the MT.

@mattb   pictures?? cause i'm totally lost.
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Offline Matt B

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #32 on: June 14, 2010, 08:35:53 am »
I suppose it may only make sense if you see it. I'll take a few pictures after work.

Offline mrcceo

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #33 on: June 14, 2010, 06:30:02 pm »
FWIW  I had a recent problem with stuck batch sparges after I started grain conditioning.  This is the opposite reaction of what you would expect, but none the less I was blocked up.  I replaced my braid with almost the same exact rig that Matt B described and it worked in that the sparge didn’t get stuck but it was draining much slower than I was used to.  The design that finally solved the problem was to use a longer braid that I insert a heavy gauge copper rod into in order to form it into a circle which covered the perimeter of the tun.  In addition I stretched the braid out slightly which opened it up but not to the point that the finer particles would pass through.  Now that I’m using the redesigned braid the wort is draining clear and quickly again.  In addition I’m getting 86% efficiency with sparge times around 20 minutes. 
What it boils down to, is are a few efficiency points, the cost of a false bottom, and the time involved in fly sparging really worth it?  Not in my opinion.

Offline Matt B

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #34 on: June 17, 2010, 09:38:10 am »
Sorry for the delay. Here are some pictures, I think you can tell how hooking it all together keeps it fairly rigid so the grains or hops don't get through.














http://temporal.shutdown.com/album/beer/false-bottom/index.html

Offline IHBHS

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #35 on: June 17, 2010, 01:45:08 pm »
Very nice.  What is the second tube running to the FB? Is that for recirc?
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Offline lazyb34n

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #36 on: June 17, 2010, 03:22:10 pm »
The only problem with using the OXO splatter guard is if you use it in your BK  it can scorch the wort(with gas burners).  The space between the holes (% open) is smaller then a true false bottom.  This doesn't allow the work in a BK to circulate fast enough and the sugars burn and stick to the bottom of the BK. 

Offline Matt B

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #37 on: June 18, 2010, 08:41:25 am »
The second tube is my home made thermowell, the thermometer is slide into it from the outside so I can see how warm my lovely wort is.

lazyb34n: Interesting hypothesis. I just brewed a blonde, I'll see if I can pick out any extra body and flavor that could be from burned sugars (I believe this would be more of a maillard reaction instead of caramelization which I believe has to be dry to occur.) But I haven't had any issues with any burned wort on the kettle.



Offline richardt

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #38 on: June 18, 2010, 09:01:19 am »
I was tempted earlier this year to do just what you did with the OXO screen.  Glad to see what you did.  How do you keep fluids and grains and hops from bypassing the false bottom by way of the metal "ramp or stairwell" looking thing that used to be a hinge or whatever?

Offline lazyb34n

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #39 on: June 18, 2010, 09:16:35 am »
The guy i know that burned his wort has a hurricane burner, and it was brutally obvious he burnt it ( could see a layer of black on the BK in the pics).   just put it out there as a warning, glad to here you haven't had that issue.

The more i think about it i think it might have been a splatter shield from Ikea and not an OXO.  Ill try and get the exact details.

Offline Matt B

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #40 on: June 18, 2010, 10:09:21 am »
The ramp/stairwell/thing where the handle was attached I tack welded a piece of scrap stainless to the back of it. While most people don't have access to a welder, you could silicone on (food grade silicone) anything you want that could withstand mash or boiling temperatures depending on what you use it for. You could probably pick up some scrap stainless plate from your local metal shop for free, or fine mesh, thin copper plate that you could get from your local hardware store, cut up a silicone hot pad, etc. Just get creative, it's not structural so as long as it keeps the grain/hops out, you should be good to go.

My burner's natural gas, which isn't as hot as propane, so that may be one of the reasons it doesn't scorch? Yeah, if it's one of the splatter screens, I can see things getting clogged up with hop debris especially if using pellets. I'll see if I can check out a false bottom at the LHBS and see how it compares in size to the splatter guard from OXO.

Offline richardt

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Re: SS mesh vs false bottom
« Reply #41 on: June 18, 2010, 12:10:24 pm »
What I really want to see is a stainless steel sloted false bottom that is built for the 10 gallon circular Igloo/Gott cooler.