SS Brewtech Mash Tun

[Hammy71]

I been having a lot of buyers remorse since I purchased the 20 Gallon SS Brewtech mash tun. Spent a lot of money and was getting terrible efficiency and lots of grain particles being moved over to my kettle. I even followed their advice and purchased and installed a DC voltage pump that worked at slower speeds. Still....a ton of grain, (enough to clog the little DC pump every time I brewed). I've already had bad experience with their customer support, so in vain I scoured the net and this site and came across this post.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/my-ss-brewtech-mash-tun-review.593659/

Near the bottom, dthompson79 mentioned that they tossed the junk false bottom that comes with the mash tun and replaced it with a Blichmann 20 gallon false bottom. So, I decided to throw more money at this very expensive (but shiny) piece of equipment, and I ordered one last week. Trail run today and holy crap. No grain bits getting to my kettle and my efficiency shot up about 20 points.

So, if you're having issues with grain particle and/or efficiency with your SS Brewtech 20 gallon mush tun. Get a Blichmann false bottom. You won't regret it.

 

[radwizard]

I didnt know the sizing was compatible. Has anyone used one on a 15 G SSBT Kettle?

 

[Vale71]

Guess what, I'm using SSB's "junk false bottom" on a RIMS system and getting perfectly crystal clear wort and spot-on efficiency and that is even without the silicone gasket which broke and is no longer available as a replacement part.
Maybe it's worth it to look at improving your crush before blaming the hardware and trying to fix it by replacing it at a considerable cost?

 

[Hammy71]

Guess what, I'm using SSB's "junk false bottom" on a RIMS system and getting perfectly crystal clear wort and spot-on efficiency and that is even without the silicone gasket which broke and is no longer available as a replacement part.
Maybe it's worth it to look at improving your crush before blaming the hardware and trying to fix it by replacing it at a considerable cost?

Ahh, another rabid defender of SS Brewtech. I'm happy you've had success, but many of us have not. I've been brewing for over 11 years and decided to make an upgrade Xmas present for myself. I have my own Monster Mill and tried adjusting the crush numerous times to no avail. Maybe yours is perfect, but the false bottom I received was slightly warped and let tons of material through either the holes in the bottom or the gasket. Don't know or care. For that much money I expected something better than my home made mash tun setup.

So..Maybe its worth realizing that I may not be a rookie or an amateur. That I've played with my crush and I'm blaming the hardware with well founded evidence. Also as noted above, I'm not alone. The design is suspect. Just because I own something doesn't mean I can't criticize it. If I had to do it all over again, I'd have gone another direction with a different vendor. But I made it work. It's a shame I had to go aftermarket to make it work, but it's not the first thing I've ever bought that this wasn't true. At least now the damn thing works as advertised and as I believe it should have been designed from the beginning.

Once again, I'm happy for anyone that has had success and is satisfied with their SS Brewtech stuff. Make great beer and smile!!! Just understand that its not a consistent opinion. And that's OK.....

 

[FunkedOut]

Any chance you want to sell that tun at a loss, I’m your huckleberry.

Thanks for sharing your fix.
I have the 10 gallon and covered the false bottom with a fine SS mesh.

 

[Vale71]

Yeah, you're right, a slightly domed steel plate full of small holes is highly suspect as a design for a false bottom. The fact that you got a defective or damaged part and didn't bother to have it replaced (why should you bother or even care?) means that all their hardware is junk and simply cannot work. After all, you're not a rookie so the problem must be with their hardware. And the fact that I get crystal clear wort and that with a recirculating system is merely my personal opinion and not fact.

I'm not one to defend customer support at all costs but I do feel sorry for them when they have to deal with irrational customers like you and I'm glad I don't have to do that for a living.

 

[Jtvann]

Look, I like Ssbrewtech. You can probably tell that from the previous threads I've posted in defending them. It annoys me when a single person attacks them just because of their name brand without giving fair comparisons. Its equally annoying when someone defends them just because of their name brand without actually listening to the complaint.

The original poster did not attack Ssbrewtech as a brand. His experience is that the particular false bottom did not work for him. There are flaws in any product when you are in mass production. Just because he may have had the problem doesn't mean all people have.

If you think ssbrewtech is absolutely flawless in their infussion mash tuns, take a look at the attached pic. I have the 10 gallon version. While I have not had the same problems the original poster had, I absolutely see how he could.

You think this false bottom is perfectly designed for 100% of the population. If so, your opinion may be as skewed as the picture.

 

[Vale71]

I'll say this for the last time then I'm out.

If you receive a damaged or defective part (which can happen with any manufacturer) you can't paint their product as "useless junk" just because you "didn't care" and "couldn't be bothered" to at least try and find out what was wrong with it. If you had at least tried and had an unsatisfactory experience with after-sales support then by all means, as far as I'm concerned you can complain about your experience till kingdom come. But if you didn't even bother to try then at the risk of sounding harsh, as far as I'm concerned to me you sound just like a grownup throwing a grownup tantrum because your latest grownup toy is broken and I can't see anything mature or productive in such behavior.

But of course that is definitely just my personal opinion, anybody is free to have their own possibly entirely different opinion.

 

[Vale71]

You think this false bottom is perfectly designed for 100% of the population. If so, your opinion may be as skewed as the picture.

Do you seriously think that that false bottom was designed to be warped like that?

 

[Hammy71]

Any chance you want to sell that tun at a loss, I’m your huckleberry.

Thanks for sharing your fix.
I have the 10 gallon and covered the false bottom with a fine SS mesh.

LOL, Appreciate the offer but I'm determined to make it work. I'm hoping that the test run's success continues!!

 

[Hammy71]

Yeah, you're right, a slightly domed steel plate full of small holes is highly suspect as a design for a false bottom. The fact that you got a defective or damaged part and didn't bother to have it replaced (why should you bother or even care?) means that all their hardware is junk and simply cannot work. After all, you're not a rookie so the problem must be with their hardware. And the fact that I get crystal clear wort and that with a recirculating system is merely my personal opinion and not fact.

I'm not one to defend customer support at all costs but I do feel sorry for them when they have to deal with irrational customers like you and I'm glad I don't have to do that for a living.

I sincerely hope you read this dribble when you have time to actually think. You have made so many assumptions that I'm not even going to respond past this: I am not happy with SS Brewtech. I'm sorry if that offends you. Stop....let me rephrase that. I don't care if it offends you. LOL