[69franx]

Denny, you're saying it's the actual same braid, or the same part purchased more than once? I know mine has collapsed and I have shortened it because of that. My main problem is having it tight enough to not come free of the tubing it is hose clamped to, without crushing the tubing and causing more problems. I make it work, just amazed if yours has lasted that long without replacement

[Stevie]

My main problem is having it tight enough to not come free of the tubing it is hose clamped to, without crushing the tubing and causing more problems.

I solved this issue in two ways. First I used thick walled tubing. Worked ok for a while, but a buddy yanked on it once causing it to pop loose. Mash water went everywhere. My second fix used normal 3/8 tubing, but I stuck half of a nylon barbed coupler in the tubing. This fix has been in place for at least 5 years now.

[HoosierBrew]

I tried some of these things and finally went with the bargainfittings bulkhead conversion with a valve.  It's definitely overkill, but I do like how the braid connects into the bulkhead.

http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&keyword=braid&category_id=0&product_id=96

[Stevie]

I tried some of these things and finally went with the bargainfittings bulkhead conversion with a valve.  It's definitely overkill, but I do like how the braid connects into the bulkhead.

http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&keyword=braid&category_id=0&product_id=96

+1 - That place and the owner are A-1 amazing. I went this route with my 70 QT, but never felt the need to mess with my 50 QT. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[HoosierBrew]

I tried some of these things and finally went with the bargainfittings bulkhead conversion with a valve.  It's definitely overkill, but I do like how the braid connects into the bulkhead.

http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&keyword=braid&category_id=0&product_id=96

+1 - That place and the owner are A-1 amazing. I went this route with my 70 QT, but never felt the need to mess with my 50 QT. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Yeah, really good company.  I ordered some stuff once, meaning to get fittings other than the ones I ordered. So I called the guy and he sent out the ones I actually wanted free of charge (expedited shipping) and told me to keep the other fittings, too. Good guy.

[69franx]

Think those look great. I am going to have to put something together for my 70qt soon with a couple big batches on the schedule, will likely give this a try

[ScottBeh]

I kept crushing my braid too.  Don't know why I am so hard on my stuff sometimes.  Have had this last quite a while and its still like new.  used a cpvc fitting to connect to a nipple at the drain, inserted a just slightly less than 3/4  loose coil spring inside the 3/4 hot water heater supply braid, capped the end with a ss plug.  It runs the full length of the tun and never floats. 

[sambates]

I'd guess mine is somewhere between 12-18".  I tried different lengths and that was the last one I tried, so I left it.  But shorter ones worked just as well.  The braid I use is Lasco brand (part number 10-0121 or 10-0321).  I think that may also have something to do with it.  I've used the same braid in my cooler for 17 years and 473 batches and never had a stuck runoff or collapsed braid, which I hear from people who use other braids.

Denny, is this the one you think is yours? http://www.amazon.com/LASCO-10-0421-2-Inch-20-Inch-Connector/dp/B003B6IY12/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1421780932&sr=1-1&keywords=LASCO+water+supply+connector? Looks like it 1/2" and 20" length.

Do you use 1/2" stainless t-connector with barbs?

[S. cerevisiae]

Yep.  It could very well have to do with the braid you use or how your manifold is built.  But FWIW, I have heard from many people over the years whose stuck run offs went away when they started using a braid.  And many more who solved stuck run off issues by shortening the braid.

I believe that Denny is on the money with this one.  Too much drainage area coupled with too fast of a runoff speed can result in mash bed compaction due to the fact that the bed cannot drain fast enough to service the mash filter.  The shorter braid acts like a flow regulator because it has less surface area to the drain the tun. 

[beersk]

Put a bag in your mashtun with your copper manifold, OP, and you'll never get a stuck run off. Just sayin'! I do this, the bag in the mashtun (braided hose) that is, and love it.

[Slowbrew]

I folded a long piece 12 gauge copper wire in half to make a loop the length on my braid and pushed that inside the braid to make sure it doesn't collapse.  Has worked for years.  The only issue it ever caused was when it slid through the ball valve and wouldn't let me close the it.  Since then I made the loop wide enough so it can't fit into the valve and all's good.

The only stuck sparge issue I ever have is when using a lot of rye malt and trying to run off too fast.  It's all operator error on my part but I'm a slow learner (apparently) since it happens every once in a while.  8^(

Paul

[hopfenundmalz]

The Congress mash uses malt that has been turned into flour, that sets the upper limit for the malt.

If one were to mash uncrushed malt, that would set the lower limit. 

[sambates]

So would one say it is better to take the braid and loop it to make a circle? Or to connect it and leave it straight down the middle? Not sure if there's a better method because I've seen it done both ways.

[69franx]

As far as I remember in discussion with Denny, the length of the braid or where it is are not important. Wort will not enter your braid at the far end and travel all the way out of your tun through the braid. The only important part of the braid is the last bit before the valve, anywhere else, the wort will likely flow into and out of the braid. Also, when I commented that mine had been crushed, I was mainly talking about at the connection to the tubing leaving the tun, and the concern was actually the tubing getting crushed, therefore shutting down/off the out flow from the tun.

[ScottBeh]

That makes sense, I never thought of the possibility of it outflowing out the braid on its way out.  But I would think liquid would follow the path of least resistance and straight through the braid for the most part.  Anyway my braid is 20" in a 24" tun and as it drains when it gets low enough to see puddles I can watch as it drain pretty evenly the length of the tun.  If you don't want to use the tubing you can just drill out the factory drain to take a nipple, hose clamp the braid to the nipple with an adaptor, then ball valve on the other end of the nipple