[flbrewer]

I didn't realize you needed to hold the HLT temp for a period of time. The cooler does seem like another option. Do people normally do everything up to the boil indoors on the stovetop? I've seen a lot of pictures that would allude to this.

Aside from the equipment which I think I'm settled on, I am still trying to figure out a good two-tiered system that I can use for the HLT and MT, keeping the boiler on the ground level. As someone mentioned earlier, brew stands are PRICEY.

[morticaixavier]

I don't use a HLT at all. I heat my sparge water in my kettle. It requires some shifting around of hot liquids but not the end of the world. I run off my first runnings in to buckets, add the hot liquor from the kettle to the mash tun, add the first runnings to the kettle...

[narcout]

I didn't realize you needed to hold the HLT temp for a period of time.

There isn't much need if you are batch sparging.   

[HoosierBrew]

There isn't much need if you are batch sparging.   

+1.  You just heat to your strike or sparge temp and add to the MT.

[denny]

I didn't realize you needed to hold the HLT temp for a period of time. The cooler does seem like another option. Do people normally do everything up to the boil indoors on the stovetop? I've seen a lot of pictures that would allude to this.

Aside from the equipment which I think I'm settled on, I am still trying to figure out a good two-tiered system that I can use for the HLT and MT, keeping the boiler on the ground level. As someone mentioned earlier, brew stands are PRICEY.

If you batch sparge, you don't need to hold hot water.  Just heat it up and add it, like I've been doing for years.  Also, I'd really recommend you rethink the 10 gal. cooler.  My experience is that a rectangular works much better and is less expensive for more volume.

[S. cerevisiae]

Also, I'd really recommend you rethink the 10 gal. cooler.  My experience is that a rectangular works much better and is less expensive for more volume.

That assertion only holds true if one batch sparges.  A rectangular cooler is the wrong geometry for continuous sparging.

[S. cerevisiae]

I don't use a HLT at all. I heat my sparge water in my kettle. It requires some shifting around of hot liquids but not the end of the world. I run off my first runnings in to buckets, add the hot liquor from the kettle to the mash tun, add the first runnings to the kettle...

A hot liquor back is not as critical when batch sparging as it is when continuous sparging, but it is a convenience in that one can heat one's strike water any time during saccharification without having to worry about timing. My hot liquor back will hold temperature to within a couple of degrees for well over an hour.   

[denny]

Also, I'd really recommend you rethink the 10 gal. cooler.  My experience is that a rectangular works much better and is less expensive for more volume.

That assertion only holds true if one batch sparges.  A rectangular cooler is the wrong geometry for continuous sparging.

Which is why I mentioned batch sparging in the first part of the reply.

[klickitat jim]

Also, I'd really recommend you rethink the 10 gal. cooler.  My experience is that a rectangular works much better and is less expensive for more volume.

That assertion only holds true if one batch sparges.  A rectangular cooler is the wrong geometry for continuous sparging.

Which is why I mentioned batch sparging in the first part of the reply.

When I see a Denny post regarding sparging, I assume batch sparging.

[tommymorris]

I have tried batch, fly and BIAB. Batch and BIAB are easiest and fastest.

I have a 10G round cooler that I got for free. A friend bought two for a fly sparge setup and then switched to batch sparge and had an extra. I gave him a bunch beer I bought on a business trip to thank him.