I'm planning to get started in all grain brewing and so I'm starting to collect all of the necessary equipment. My question is what is the best false bottom that I can build without getting too extreme in craftsmanship? I see that a lot of people use a stainless steel braided supply line and that looks really easy to set up, but I'm wondering if there are drawbacks such as poor efficiency or too many stuck sparges. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
what is the best way to make a false bottom?
- Thread starter RonPaul
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
theveganbrewer
Well-Known Member
I have done 10 batches with the most basic SS braid, 3 of which used wheat, and never got anything stuck. Efficiency has been great. If you open the valve slowly you'll be fine. Once it's compacted a little bit, then you can increase the flow.
I used the SS braid off a water heater supply line. It's bigger and fit the inside ferrule on the cooler kit from Northern Brewer. 2 brews so not a lot of feedback but I had no problems at all.
Sacdan
Well-Known Member
I use a false bottom and have had a few stuck sparges. When I used a SS braid, I never had one. Try a braid and use some copper wire wound around a pencil to keep it from collapsing.
My guess would be just in the surface area, while a bottom might be larger the braid is still enough to handle keeping everything out.
microbusbrewery
Senior Member
There was a BYO article a while back that discussed the differences between various false bottoms. It's been a while since I read it but if I remember correctly a domed false bottom provided the best efficiency. The reason was there was less vectoring as the wort flowed through the mash tun thus helping to prevent channeling.
That said, I use a false bottom now but started out using a ss braid. I used one off a hot water heater hose so it was a bit larger in diameter than the ones used for a faucet supply line. It worked well and I haven't noticed any huge difference in efficiency after switching from braid to false bottom. I do like the false bottom better because one time I kinked the braid while stirring the mash and it really compromised the flow rate. Oh, i should mention, I have a HERMS so I constantly recirculate during the mash.
I use a braid in my 2 cooler MLTs and a DIY fb in my keggle MLT made from the cut top piece. IMO this is my recommendation because the FB in the keggle is used because I can direct fire heat the MLT, an option that is impossible to do with a cooler.
Sacdan
Well-Known Member
My efficiency was pretty good. Probably at least 70%. I get a lot higher with the false bottom.
