How much grain particulate through your false bottom?

[Flash_DG]

I have been busy and made a new false bottom for my Keggle mash tun using a 9" SS plate I got from Kmart for $2.50. Following a "how to" on another forum I drilled 1/8" holes 1/2" apart in a grid pattern.

Finally got it in to the mash tun over the weekend and knocked out a brew using it.
What I found is i was getting about a half cup of small grain pieces in to a jug for the first 2l and if I opened the tap too far a lot more came rushing through.
So after I collected my first runnings I had to strain it into the boil kettle.

before this new plate I was using a copper circle with slots cut in it.

The problem with it was tunneling and poor eff (about 60-62%) and not sucking up the last 2-3 liters of wort but I had very little grain particulate come through at all.

So what I want to know is, how much if any do others get through and should I go grab another plate and drill smaller holes in it?

 

[schoey]

Just recirculate and it will clear up. If not using a pump just gently pour the wort back on top of the grain bed until it runs clear. I usually run off into a 2L jug 2 or 3 times then into the kettle.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

1/8" is pretty big. Commercial ones are usually 3/32". I bought some 1.5mm perforated plate which works well.

With 1/8 you may need to open the gap on your mill.

Cheers

 

[Flash_DG]

1/8" is pretty big. Commercial ones are usually 3/32". I bought some 1.5mm perforated plate which works well.

With 1/8 you may need to open the gap on your mill.

Cheers

I get grains milled at craftbrewer Cortez.
I did a lot of looking about online today and figured i'd grab another plate and try the cut slot method with a dremal and play around with that until my next brew can't hurt and only cost me two fiddy!

 

[QldKev]

Yep 1/8" (3.2mm) is too big, anywhere from 2.0mm to 2.2mm is where you want to be.

 

[Mr B]

Exactly whereabouts in Kmart did you find this thing?

Intriguing idea.....

Was it a bowl?

 

[Flash_DG]

No just a flat plate, They were in a strange place all on Their own, a stack of 15 or so, I'd guess they would have been in the camping section as they look like camp plates.

 

[Tahoose]

Head back to kmart and get a splatter screen (the type to stop the fat jumping out of the pan)

Cut this to size and place on top, problem solved. I'd still be recirculating though.

On a 5kg grain bill / 24ltr brew, I run my wort into a bucket until it's running clear then just recirculate whats in the bucket. It's normally about 7-8 litres which goes back through.

 

[MartinOC]

Yep, the grain-bed itself will do the job, but you'll still need to recirculate for a bit until it runs clear, no matter what you use, as there will still be "bits" floating-around.

It only takes a few minutes to recirculate the first few litres with crap in it. Just consider it part of your brewing regime & don't sweat the small stuff (literally & figuratively).