Slotted Copper False Bottom - How Did You Build Yours?

[mobrien]

Hi everyone,

Its time for the brewery to expand again, so the mash tun is getting rebuilt from 37L to 50L. As part of this I'm going to do a new false bottom. At the moment I am leaning towards a slotted copper job.

What is the prevailing wisdom as to the width of the slots? Hacksaw blade (.25mm)? Drop saw blade (1.5mm)?

What kind of spacing between slots? 5mm?

Which way up do people run the slotted false bottom? Slots down or slots up?

And what kind of length? I'm think 1m round....

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions welcome - I haven't had a stuck sparge, and don't want to start when upping the grain bill... Have used only stainless braid up until now.

M

 

[Pumpy]

I used a bandsaw to cut mine you have to tidy up the inside of the pipe
slots down

 

[dicko]

Hi everyone,

Its time for the brewery to expand again, so the mash tun is getting rebuilt from 37L to 50L. As part of this I'm going to do a new false bottom. At the moment I am leaning towards a slotted copper job.

What is the prevailing wisdom as to the width of the slots? Hacksaw blade (.25mm)? Drop saw blade (1.5mm)?

What kind of spacing between slots? 5mm?

Which way up do people run the slotted false bottom? Slots down or slots up?

And what kind of length? I'm think 1m round....

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions welcome - I haven't had a stuck sparge, and don't want to start when upping the grain bill... Have used only stainless braid up until now.

M

Hi mobrien,

I have made a couple of copper slot manifolds for mash tuns and I found that the slots to the bottom of the tun is more efficient than the slots to the side.
I have a 25 litre mash tun and a 57 litre mash tun and I made both manifolds square in shape to fit neatly into the bottom of each cooler (tun).
I used 1/2 inch copper in both cases and I joined it all with copper "T"s and 90 degree bends.
In both cases I cut the slots with a hacksaw at approx 10 mm spaces.
The 25 litre tun has the slots facing the side of the manifold and the 57 litre tun has them facing the bottom.
I get 7% better efficiency from the manifold facing the bottom.
I followed the instructions in JJ Palmers " How to Brew" and I am happy with the result.

Just for interest sake I have seen a fellow on this forum make a manifold out of 3/4 inch copper and cut slots in the pipe with an angle grinder and it worked very well.
The point here is that it is actually the grain bed that does the filtering of the run off and not the slots themselves.

I hope this helps
Cheers

 

[Pumpy]

This plastic sleeve was for the keepcold cooler to ger something for the back nuts to tighten on due o the thin innner wall of the cooler

Pumpy

 

[Pumpy]

in the cooler

 

[mobrien]

Thanks for the replies!

I went down to the shed, and after the ispiration from you guys, have come up with this! Its a hybrid flase bottom, my old one (s/s mesh) in the middle sitting in the depression of the bottom of the new mash tun, and a new ring around the outside, slotted with 1mm slots at 10mm centers - I used a tiny grinding wheel on my triton dremel tool copy. Easy!

Now just have to get the rest of the tun done ready for next weekend brewing!

M

 

[mobrien]

And here it is installed

Test it this weekend - can't wait!

M

 

[Cortez The Killer]

I posted mine here

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=175561

Cheers