[RustyPlaneWoodworking]

So I recently picked up a pump to transfer strike water and spare water from an HLT to my mashtun, which is a standard orange 10g Home Depot cooler.

Would it be effective to pump water into the ball valve into the mash tun (bottom up) or would it be better to run the hose into the top of the cooler and pump in water from the top? Or, does it matter?

I’m trying to set something up where I don’t have to remove the mash tun lid very much to maintain a more consistent temp inside.

Thanks!


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[mabrungard]

I don't think it matters much, but pumping it through the ball valve means that you could underlet your water into the grain bed. If low oxygen brewing mattered to you, then that approach could matter.

[coolman26]

So I recently picked up a pump to transfer strike water and spare water from an HLT to my mashtun, which is a standard orange 10g Home Depot cooler.

Would it be effective to pump water into the ball valve into the mash tun (bottom up) or would it be better to run the hose into the top of the cooler and pump in water from the top? Or, does it matter?

I’m trying to set something up where I don’t have to remove the mash tun lid very much to maintain a more consistent temp inside.

Thanks!


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I really like pumping into the valve. When you underlet/pump bottom up, there are no dough balls. Plus the added benefit of no O2 is a plus. 


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[denny]

I don't think it matters much, but pumping it through the ball valve means that you could underlet your water into the grain bed. If low oxygen brewing mattered to you, then that approach could matter.

The one possible downside I've found with underletting is that it doesn't seem to diste ibute the heat as evenly as adding water from the top.  That means I have to stir more, which might negate any possible low oxygen effects.  More investigation is required for me.

[BrewBama]

The upside of underletting slowly I’ve come to appreciate is the uniform wetting of the grain bed which I’ve found to result in no dough balls. I stir very little and gently just to check.  I really like the results of the technique.


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[Big Monk]

I don't think it matters much, but pumping it through the ball valve means that you could underlet your water into the grain bed. If low oxygen brewing mattered to you, then that approach could matter.

The one possible downside I've found with underletting is that it doesn't seem to diste ibute the heat as evenly as adding water from the top.  That means I have to stir more, which might negate any possible low oxygen effects.  More investigation is required for me.

I can imagine this would be an issue for cooler brewers. When direct firing and constantly recirculating, this really isn't an issue.

I do realize, however, that cooler brewers make up a big contingent of homebrewers. You have to know your equipment and how it responds to certain techniques.

[denny]

I don't think it matters much, but pumping it through the ball valve means that you could underlet your water into the grain bed. If low oxygen brewing mattered to you, then that approach could matter.

The one possible downside I've found with underletting is that it doesn't seem to diste ibute the heat as evenly as adding water from the top.  That means I have to stir more, which might negate any possible low oxygen effects.  More investigation is required for me.

I can imagine this would be an issue for cooler brewers. When direct firing and constantly recirculating, this really isn't an issue.

I do realize, however, that cooler brewers make up a big contingent of homebrewers. You have to know your equipment and how it responds to certain techniques.

Truthfully, I didn't decide to underlet for any low oxygen benefits.  It just works for my new brewing process.  If I get any benefits, it would be great, but it's not a big consideration for me.

[ynotbrusum]

I don't underlet, but I effect a similar wetting from below by very slowly lowering my grain basket into the strike water (pre-boiled and chilled to strike temp before adding salts and sulfites) over the course of a few minutes, letting all entrained air slowly get pushed out of the grain from the bottom, with little to no bubbles occurring.  I use a ceiling mounted pulley hoist to lower the grain basket into the kettle containing the strike water (full volume no sparge).

After a gentle stir to assure no clumps, I then recirc on a closed loop HERMS arrangement.

It seems to work well enough on my system; YSMV, of course.

[Big Monk]

I don't think it matters much, but pumping it through the ball valve means that you could underlet your water into the grain bed. If low oxygen brewing mattered to you, then that approach could matter.

The one possible downside I've found with underletting is that it doesn't seem to diste ibute the heat as evenly as adding water from the top.  That means I have to stir more, which might negate any possible low oxygen effects.  More investigation is required for me.

I can imagine this would be an issue for cooler brewers. When direct firing and constantly recirculating, this really isn't an issue.

I do realize, however, that cooler brewers make up a big contingent of homebrewers. You have to know your equipment and how it responds to certain techniques.

Truthfully, I didn't decide to underlet for any low oxygen benefits.  It just works for my new brewing process.  If I get any benefits, it would be great, but it's not a big consideration for me.

Honestly, a lot of people just like to underlet for reasons already pointed out and not for anything related to LOB. Which is cool, because everything doesn't always have to boil down to the oxygen discussion. Some techniques are just cool on their own.

[denny]

Honestly, a lot of people just like to underlet for reasons already pointed out and not for anything related to LOB. Which is cool, because everything doesn't always have to boil down to the oxygen discussion. Some techniques are just cool on their own.

For me, it was more about practical then low oxy or cool.  Once I decided I was going to use the Mash and Boil and a HLT, it became the easiest way to get the liquor from there to the tun.

[yso191]

Does one have to underlet slowly?  If so, how slow?  My HLT is raised above the MT, so I gravity drain.  Would that be slow enough?  It would be nice to have fewer dough balls, and better LDO.

[denny]

Does one have to underlet slowly?  If so, how slow?  My HLT is raised above the MT, so I gravity drain.  Would that be slow enough?  It would be nice to have fewer dough balls, and better LDO.

I don't think it matters.  I go as fast as my pump will pump it.

[ynotbrusum]

Does one have to underlet slowly?  If so, how slow?  My HLT is raised above the MT, so I gravity drain.  Would that be slow enough?  It would be nice to have fewer dough balls, and better LDO.

For me it is just a matter of trying to reduce potential oxidation in the mashing process.  I agree that if LODO is not the objective, fill it fast and stir it like crazy to equalize the temperature and eliminate the doughballs.  For LODO, you want to underlet slowly enough to prevent air pockets that bubble to the surface.

[charlie]

That's interesting! So underletting reduces or eliminates dough balls without stirring. Hmmmm! I'll have to try that next brew (which is an Irish Red Ale happening on 11/18). I suspect that the HLT will fill more slowly, but all I have to do to set it up is run the hose to the ball valve, so no big deal.

Charlie

[hopfenundmalz]

I underlet as fast as the pump goes. It may take some stirring, and recirculation, but I hit my target temp