Bag or Ghetto Malt Pipe?

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_HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

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I Recently scored a 18Gal Keg I plan to use as a Single Vessel Recirc. Setup. Just after some feedback on the ol' bag VS malt pipe debate.
Malt pipe will just be a 20L Handy Pail from bunnings with a umpteen-billion holes drilled in the lid, Recirc-Tube fed through the lid directly to the bottom of the mash ala-BigNath style.

Any Ideas, Comments, Feedback?

Cheers,

_wallace_
 
Before you go too far down the bignath style road, id consider having a return under the mash.

The last couple of brews ive done, the mash has had a hard time letting the wort through, back to the pump outlet. I suspect this may have been caused by my bag not being sparkling clean and some of the holes may have gummed up in the fabric. Ive already blown an element from not enough wort being returned and having an exposed element. The pump was taking it faster than it could get it back.

Im on my third version of my rig now, and am considering ONLY using a return underneath the mash, and giving the the mash a manual stir every 15mins to ensure temp equalisation.

OR, ill get a stronger pump and do a dual return - one in the lid, one underneath the mash.
 
BigNath, Care to draw something what your considering? I don't quite think i know what your on about?

Cheers.
 
Sorry mate im on my ipad so cant knock something up, but ill try and describe it better....

Ill assume youve read my posts about my single vessel build thread as you mention it in your original post above.

In my 1V rig, the wort comes out of a ball valve and as you know, back up top and in through the lid, down some copper pipe and right down into the mash where it is dispersed throughout the mash.
Sometimes though, for reasons i havent conclusively worked out yet, the grain doesnt make its way back out of the grain where it can be picked up by the pump again. If this happens, youll dry fire your element. Bang.
if its a bag issue with my setup, then all is well.....just make sure the bag has a good napisan soak and rinse after each brew, but if its something else more random, then i dont want to be having to sit there watching the sightglass for loss of return just in case it happens again.
Ive spent a heap of time annoying Qldkev about my thoughts for the rig, and he does a return underneath i think and it got me thinking....
If i returned it underneath, id stop the risk of not having enough wort to actually recirculate, no more blowing elements.
Only problem for me with idea is that im not sure my little brown pump has enough balls to run two recirculation paths effectively.
So, ill experiment with just using a bottom returning line only, with the occasional stir, and see how i go. Depending on results, i might try and do both top and bottom returns simultaneously.
My mash basket sits on four SS bolts about 120mm (IIRC) above the bottom of the pot, so there heaps of space underneath for an extra return path.
Hope this helps....if stuck though, ill try and draw something up for you tomorrow. Im off to play a gig tonight and just about to leave so i probably wont be able to check in again until lunch tomorrow.

Cheers,

BN
 
hi _WALLACE_,

By all means give it a try, but I'd like to share my experience with you>>>

I tried this again and again and its a hard task. I had a 40lt birko urn and tried so many different way to use a bucket as a malt pipe while having the wort recirculating. On many of these brews I ended up grabbing the bag and dumping the grains from the bucket into the bag just to get the mash done, it was very frustrating.

Getting the wort the travel through the grain bed from top to base of bucket where your holes/mesh are, well....path of least resistance isnt through the grain when its set up like that, like the BM setups you need the wort to travel UP through the grain bed and flow out to have a hassle free rig.

I nearly went into a set up like what Kymba made ( see link, post #167 on Ghetto Thread ) and instead i bit the bullet on a 20lt, best brewing decision so far. Its been done and its possible but be prepared for some tough brew session, which by the way is how we learn to brew, its how i have.

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/57659-post-your-ghetto-gear-thread-the-200-hopper/page-9
 
Pratty1 said:
I nearly went into a set up like what Kymba made ( see link, post #167 on Ghetto Thread ) and instead i bit the bullet on a 20lt, best brewing decision so far. Its been done and its possible but be prepared for some tough brew session, which by the way is how we learn to brew, its how i have.

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/57659-post-your-ghetto-gear-thread-the-200-hopper/page-9
This is what i was thinking about. But instead of having the return inlet at the bottom, i was going to have it come through the lid to the return at the bottom.
 
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