Do You *need* A Splash Dish For Herms?

[seravitae]

Hey guys, just wondering if having a splash dish for returning wort to the mash vessel makes a huge difference. Currently i was thinking of just laying my silicone return line on top of the grain bed, so it should be horiztonal and pretty close to the level of the grain bed. Will this cause significant damage to the top of the grain bed (ie craters?) that would affect the grain bed much?

Cheers

 

[komodo]

your talking about a return dish like the beer belly mash tuns have?
If so then no there are plenty of different ways of doing it. some people have stationary arms some people have rotating arms some do pretty much what your intending on doing

 

[seravitae]

Yeah, i've seen the return arms and such, but that's just as much effort as making a mash return dish. I dont mind doing so, but was specifically wondering if laying the return tube on the grain bed would suffice. Otherwise i'll sort out a proper solution, but currently laying the tube on the surface is cheapest and easiest for me.. Guess I could just try it and see..

 

[raven19]

I would be spreading the flow as much as possible personally to reduce any channelling in your grain bed.

A quick cheap option is a tin foil baking tray (with a heap of punched holes) sitting on the grain bed.

 

[Fourstar]

Yeah, i've seen the return arms and such, but that's just as much effort as making a mash return dish. I dont mind doing so, but was specifically wondering if laying the return tube on the grain bed would suffice. Otherwise i'll sort out a proper solution, but currently laying the tube on the surface is cheapest and easiest for me.. Guess I could just try it and see..

You could always try and put a splatter guard (the things you can get to put over frying pans) over the mash. Either way, if your solution is not in direct contact with the top of the wort in the mash tun you may be aerating your wort with splashing... not a good thing.

 

[newguy]

I have a homemade semicirclular slotted copper return fashioned from copper tubing that rests on top of the grain bed. I made my HERMS about 4 years ago and have brewed many dozens of batches on it with success. My efficiency is typically 85%. You don't have to buy something fancy.

 

[seravitae]

Yeah, well with the hose lying paralell on top of the mash, the liquid drop is only like, a few millimeters. i assume if i kept the water level high enough above the grain bed the hose could be completely submerged.

either way i like raven's cheap idea - i was more whinging about having to weld up some rail to adjust the mash return, but using a thin metal baking tray sitting on the grain bed should be fine. I might get a round baking tray and drill some holes in it. cheap, quick, and just throw it in on top.

cheers guys

 

[reVoxAHB]

I would be spreading the flow as much as possible personally to reduce any channelling in your grain bed.

Exactly. And to promote better overall distribution/spread of temp as you won't be constantly stirring your grain bed, if at all. Screwtop does a single arm return (and he's experimented with various solutions).. maybe pick his brain if the single arm is effective.. not sure what his w/g ratio is.. if it's a floating mash, spread may not matter.

Every setup is going to perform differently and you'll no doubt require trial and tweaking.

reVox

 

[Sammus]

You could always try and put a splatter guard (the things you can get to put over frying pans) over the mash. Either way, if your solution is not in direct contact with the top of the wort in the mash tun you may be aerating your wort with splashing... not a good thing.

I splash the **** out of my mash when I stir it. I always thought that aerating your mash wasn't an issue since boiling drives off any dissolved oxygen? I could be wrong here, but it's never affected my beer

and to the OP: I do exactly that, just run a hose on to the top of my MT. I found even though I was running slowly, it would give you a bit of a cone dug out in the middle. I made up a pretty simple arm out of a bit of copper I had lying around - the baking tray idea sounds like a winner.

 

[sam]

I think it's a good idea for the above mentioned reasons (fluid distribution and avoiding channelling). I think just running the hose ontop will create some undesirable channelling, but - it is easy.

I used to use aluminium foil with the holes but tended to go through a bit of foil, and now have a copper sparge ring with ~5mm holes drilled in the top side. The baking tray with holes would work just as well.

Not going to mention HSA.

Cheers

 

[Kodos]

I salvaged this old shower head from when we swapped over to a more PC water-saving job. Fits a 1/2" hosetail nicely and I just clamp it to the top of my mash tun so it sits just above the grainbed, (head turn so holes point up) under the fluid level.
Using it to fly sparge in my 3-tier gravity set-up (not up to HERMS level yet ) it worked a treat. haven't used it for re-circulating first runnings yet, I worry the holes are so fine it'll clog up. Will probably bore out a couple of the holes to allow this though.

 

[seravitae]

neat idea!

 

[raven19]

The baking tray seems to work well for me when fly sparging (hence keeping an inch-ish of water above the grain bed).

I reckon it could work nicely in a HERMS too.

Keep us posted on how it develops. :icon_cheers:

 

[schooey]

I splash the **** out of my mash when I stir it. I always thought that aerating your mash wasn't an issue since boiling drives off any dissolved oxygen?

I was kind of of the same opinion.... If aerating the mash is a bad thing, then why do we aerate wort after boiling the oxygen out of it for 60 mins+?

 

[Tony]

I was kind of of the same opinion.... If aerating the mash is a bad thing, then why do we aerate wort after boiling the oxygen out of it for 60 mins+?

My thought too. I dont abuse the mash but i dont worry about some air while im mixing it up.