BIAB recirc help

[mosto]

Hi all,

Just after some help on designing a recirc system for my BIAB pot.

This is my current setup / procedure. I use a ~40L Crab Cooker pot from BCF. I use the insert that came with it and line that with my BIAB bag. When the mash is finished, I tie off the bag and lift the insert out, bag and all, and rest it on an old fridge shelf above the pot for it to drain back in.

What I'd like to do is continue to use the the insert as malt pipe, with the return running into it. The problem I can see is the return wort would flow out the side holes of the insert, rather than down through the grain bed and out through the bottom.

Here's the two options I can think of to solve this:

1. Line the sides of the insert with something so the return water can't flow out the side holes. Not sure what this something would be, open to suggestions.

2. Raise insert so the top of the grain bed is at the level of the wort, and run the return into the grain bed, so even if it goes out the side it still has to go through the grain bed to do so. To do this, I would assume I'd need a very low flow (which I can control with a ball valve), so as not to disturb the grain bed. Not sure if there are any drawbacks to having a very slow recirc happening.

Any thoughts on which is the best way to go, or any other solutions I haven't thought of, would be much appreciated,

 

[neo__04]

19L BigW pot as mash tun instead? Drill a few holes etc

 

[n87]

dont do this my self... but:

get a ratcheting pulley (really handy, i use one to remove my grain on my double batches)
pull the basket up far enough so the top of the grain is just below the top of the pot
recirculate.

 

[dannymars]

19L BigW pot as mash tun instead? Drill a few holes etc

This is my exact set up... (for single/small batches)...

I'll post a photo when I get home.

Use bolts for legs and drill a heap of holes in the bottom... with a mesh screen as back up...

 

[Engibeer]

$20 BIG W 20L stainless pot fits perfectly inside the BCF pot. You could get a grinder and cut thin strips in the base of this for the wort to return via. Drill holes in the base of the pot and purchase some nuts and bolts to use as "legs" to have the insert pot mounted slightly above the height of the wort.

That being said, I BIAB re-circ using the crab cooker pot and a grain bag inside it - prettymuch what you described in option 2. Legs, as described above, hold the insert above the level of the wort, but the base of the grain is still slightly immersed in it. If anything, the wort returning out the holes isn't a major concern - it's quite easy to have a very wet mash with the recirc and actually overflow the grain bed over the holes above the grain bed. You're correct about the low flow and the ball valve. It's a bit of a pain in the arse to be honest.

My predominant reasoning for recirc is to maintain an even and consistent mash temperature though the grain bed. I also have a 2400w element in the base of my pot, controlled with an STC 1000. It doesn't really bother me if the wort builds up a slight amount of height above the grain bed - it still seems to remain fairly tight packed regardless.