Mash Re-circulation & Grain Husk Wort

I recently started using a tiered Synergy brewing system and it has been going great except for some reason, every batch I do the wort never runs clear and I am ending up with tons of husks and very cloudy wort.

I used to batch sparge in a converted cooler and I would just vorlauf with glasses and pour back on top and usually would have clear wort after 5-6 runs. Now, I am re-circulating for a full 60 minutes and have also been adding a pound of rice hulls but the wort just never runs clear.

Does anyone who recirculates have any tips for getting wort to run clear? The only thing I can think of to try varying would be the run off rate but I'm not really sure.

Cheers!

As a quick practical solution, you can always run off through a nylon mesh bag to catch any big chunks, but it really shouldn't be happening. How's the false bottom fit? You may have some flexing with the weight of the grain and the suction you end up pulling due to the recirculation. That FB flex may be creating a healthy gap at the edges.

The false bottom was custom welded by the same guys that made the brew pot so it is about as tight a fit as possible and is very high quality stainless so I think any flexing would be very minimal.

I was not sure if there was any trick with recirculating to get the grain bed to form properly. I'd have to have to run through a nylon bag after spending $2500 on a new system!

As far as I know, the only thing rice hulls do is keep you from a stuck mash or sparge when using malted wheat and malted rye. Not sure about their "filtering" ability.

But I could be wrong.

Gary

How fast are recirculated? I recirculate for the last 45 min of mash and while bringing temp up for sparge. I am direct fire with a keggle. you definitely have a problem somewhere as recirculating should help clear the wort. After mashing in I let everything sit for 15 min before starting recirc. This allows the grain bed to set up. Start recirc as slow as you can with the pump and never go full throttle during recirc. As it will be too much suction on your grain bed.

What size holes. and what is the spacing of the FB?
I recirculate too, and mine runs clear. Something is wrong with your filtration.

I'd have to measure the holes and spacing but I'd be surprised if that was the issue since these false bottoms are so widely used.

I have been starting to recirc after only a couple minutes so maybe next time I will wait the 15min to let the grain bed settle and make sure to start very, very slowly.

The recirc speed question gave me another thought. When you guys recirc, do you control the flow through the ball valve on the pump or on the kettle?

Are you doing a small batch in your big kettles? -You need a deep enough grain bed to get a good filter bed. If you've got a shiny new 10-15 gallon or larger mashtun and you're doing a normal strength 5 gallon batch you might get cloudy wort.


When I recirc I control the flow through the ball valve on the pump; you don't want to restrict liquid on the "in" side of a pump; only the "out" or cavitation and eventual pump damage will result.


Adam

Where/how does the return wort get introduced onto the grain bed? Is there a chance you are channeling the grain bed?
I like a fairly thin mash so that there is wort completely covering the grain bed, and place my return line so it gently returns the wort onto the top. I don't get any channeling this way.

Yes control through valve leaving pump. I'm almost positive your not letting your grain bed settle. Although like previous poster mentioned watch the return wort for channeling...I'm ghetto and place a piece of tin foil with slits in it on top of my grain bed.

Subscribed. Great question for those of us making the move to all-grain

I have never encountered a problem like this. After just a few minutes of recirculation the wort is crystal clear. I wonder if you are milling your grain too fine.