False Bottom Properties

[LethalCorpse]

So I've got this thing which has been kicking around in the draw for about five years. I believe it started life as a steamer or colander designed to sit in assorted sizes of pot. It's eleven inches across, and the outer 2.5in of it is a set of overlapping hinged plates which allow it to open and close like a foldout satellite dish, which is how it adjusts for different sized pots. It's got standoffs on the underside to hold it above the water, and a ringpull in the middle so you can lift it out. Anyhoo, being one of those things that never gets used, I figured it can be pressed into service as a false bottom for my mashtun. I'd use it upside down, removing the standoffs and the ringpull and drilling a hole in the middle for a pickup tube fitting. My only concern is the holes. They're about 3.1mm dia, with an average of about 6mm pitch. I'm fairly certain there's a high enough open area percentage to prevent stuck sparges, but I'm wondering if those holes aren't too big for the job. I'll be recirculating through a RIMs using a peristaltic pump, so fine debris in the first few runnings should be fine so long as the grain bed will sit happily on it and form a filter bed. Thoughts?
-LC

 

[Adamt]

Your runnings may take some time to clear but the bed should sit on top of it. What shape is your mash tun? If it is rectangle, the top may be high enough to cause some minor channeling through the middle (as there will be lower pressure difference over a shorter bed height on top of the centre of the colander).

 

[LethalCorpse]

Tallish, cylindrical, stainless steel...

 

[Adamt]

Looks like you found a cheap false bottom

All I would be sure to do is run out via gravity first to a jug or similar, to ensure you're getting clear runnings before pumping.

 

[LethalCorpse]

Should be no need. I mean, I will the first time out, but the peristaltic pump should be able to handle debris up to that size

 

[domonsura]

That there is a rice cooker my friend Should work fine as far as I can tell - and remember all - it's not the false bottom that does the clearing/filtering of debris....it's the grain bed itself. The false bottom is just to provide something for the grain to lean on

 

[Cummins]

Good idea. Let us know how it goes, there is one of those exact contraptions at my parents place. Better remind myself to pinch it next time I'm there!

 

[LethalCorpse]

Ah, so it did have a purpose, other than being an offering to Anoia, the goddess of things that stick in drawers. Well, if it can support rice without losing too much through the holes, barley and wheat should be fine.

 

[warra48]

Sorry to disagree, but that is not a rice cooker.
It is, in fact, a vegetable steamer.

Hope it works for you. Always good to press a cheap alternative into service.