[Bel Air Brewing]

Looking at several options, including building a manifold.

But here is a crazy thought...can we take a plastic bucket, drill small holes in the bottom and around the lower perimeter, suspend it over the grain bed, and run the liquid through it? For even dispersion over the grain?

Cheap, and effective. One of the brew partners is hyper-cheap.

Any thoughts?

[jeffy]

Looking at several options, including building a manifold.

But here is a crazy thought...can we take a plastic bucket, drill small holes in the bottom and around the lower perimeter, suspend it over the grain bed, and run the liquid through it? For even dispersion over the grain?

Cheap, and effective. One of the brew partners is hyper-cheap.

Any thoughts?

My first mash tun was a Zapap, described in Charlie Papazian's books.  It was a bucket with dozens of holes in another bucket with a tap.  It worked great for many years until I bought  Phil's Phalse Bottom.

[denny]

Looking at several options, including building a manifold.

But here is a crazy thought...can we take a plastic bucket, drill small holes in the bottom and around the lower perimeter, suspend it over the grain bed, and run the liquid through it? For even dispersion over the grain?

Cheap, and effective. One of the brew partners is hyper-cheap.

Any thoughts?

You sure can.  You'll likely oxidize the crap out of your mash, but you can do it.

[kpfoleyjr]

I had used a Baker’s Square pie plate that already had holes in it when I first started brewing with an Igloo cooler mash tun.  I now have an electric system with a HERMS mash tun.  For recirculating, I ditched the Blichmann Autosparge that came with the setup for a Loc-Line plastic hose with a circle flow nozzle kit - works great for continuous recirculation on top of the grain bed.

[Bel Air Brewing]

Looking at several options, including building a manifold.

But here is a crazy thought...can we take a plastic bucket, drill small holes in the bottom and around the lower perimeter, suspend it over the grain bed, and run the liquid through it? For even dispersion over the grain?

Cheap, and effective. One of the brew partners is hyper-cheap.

Any thoughts?

You sure can.  You'll likely oxidize the crap out of your mash, but you can do it.

More oxidation that we are now getting with the fire-hose recirc method? A hose that has a spigot, single stream, that is suspended above the grain bed. I am certain we have channeling / tunneling issues with this.

[Bel Air Brewing]

I had used a Baker’s Square pie plate that already had holes in it when I first started brewing with an Igloo cooler mash tun.  I now have an electric system with a HERMS mash tun.  For recirculating, I ditched the Blichmann Autosparge that came with the setup for a Loc-Line plastic hose with a circle flow nozzle kit - works great for continuous recirculation on top of the grain bed.

Do you have pictures, or an online source?

Found it: https://www.amazon.com/Loc-Line-Coolant-Circle-Nozzle-Piece/dp/B00065UDB0

[denny]

Looking at several options, including building a manifold.

But here is a crazy thought...can we take a plastic bucket, drill small holes in the bottom and around the lower perimeter, suspend it over the grain bed, and run the liquid through it? For even dispersion over the grain?

Cheap, and effective. One of the brew partners is hyper-cheap.

Any thoughts?

You sure can.  You'll likely oxidize the crap out of your mash, but you can do it.

More oxidation that we are now getting with the fire-hose recirc method? A hose that has a spigot, single stream, that is suspended above the grain bed. I am certain we have channeling / tunneling issues with this.

At least as much....cant really qualify it, though.  Your best bet would to return wort under the level of liquid in your mash tun.

[BrewBama]

I used to return under the liquid level with just a hose positioned on one end of a rectangle cooler with the discharge valve at the other end. It seemed to work fairly well.

I now use a manifold to return under the grain bed:




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Bel Air Brewing]

I used to return under the liquid level with just a hose positioned on one end of a rectangle cooler with the discharge valve at the other end. It seemed to work fairly well.

I now use a manifold to return under the grain bed:




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We would buy this, but it is 3/4" too wide in diameter. Our Mash Tun opening is exactly 12".

[denny]

I used to return under the liquid level with just a hose positioned on one end of a rectangle cooler with the discharge valve at the other end. It seemed to work fairly well.

I now use a manifold to return under the grain bed:




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We would buy this, but it is 3/4" too wide in diameter. Our Mash Tun opening is exactly 12".

I don't think the exact mechanism is as important as returning below the wort/grain level.  On my Grainfatherl there's a perforated plate on top of the grain.  There are a couple inches of wort above the plate. I do my wort return with a hose on top of the plate, below the wort level.  The plate distributes it so there's no channelling.

[MattyAHA]

oh so HSA is still a thing?

[Bel Air Brewing]

I used to return under the liquid level with just a hose positioned on one end of a rectangle cooler with the discharge valve at the other end. It seemed to work fairly well.

I now use a manifold to return under the grain bed:




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We would buy this, but it is 3/4" too wide in diameter. Our Mash Tun opening is exactly 12".

I don't think the exact mechanism is as important as returning below the wort/grain level.  On my Grainfatherl there's a perforated plate on top of the grain.  There are a couple inches of wort above the plate. I do my wort return with a hose on top of the plate, below the wort level.  The plate distributes it so there's no channelling.

Makes sense. Thanks.

[Bel Air Brewing]

Think we will add one of these, a Pico-Style false bottom. This will sit on top of the grain bed, and evenly distribute the liquid over the grain.

https://www.homebrewing.org/SS-Pico-Style-False-Bottom-bottom-only-No-Feet_p_4587.html

[denny]

Think we will add one of these, a Pico-Style false bottom. This will sit on top of the grain bed, and evenly distribute the liquid over the grain.

https://www.homebrewing.org/SS-Pico-Style-False-Bottom-bottom-only-No-Feet_p_4587.html

Looks like a good thing.

[hopfenundmalz]

Think we will add one of these, a Pico-Style false bottom. This will sit on top of the grain bed, and evenly distribute the liquid over the grain.

https://www.homebrewing.org/SS-Pico-Style-False-Bottom-bottom-only-No-Feet_p_4587.html

Do you have keggle? I do, 12 inch opening, 15 1/4 interior dia, the false bottom will fit. it might be tricky to get the two halves to match on top ofe the grain bed.