Placement of mash transfer pump

Production methods from starch to sugars.

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still_stirrin
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Re: Placement of mash transfer pump

Post by still_stirrin »

Stonecutter wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:12 pm
https://fhsteinbart.com/product/counter ... erconvolu/

Is this pretty much what you’re using? I like the idea. I might have to get me one of these things.
Yes, it’s very much like that, except it uses straight pipes instead of coil-in-coil. But, a brewing buddy of mine has one of those and it works very good for him.

In my hex, the inner tube is for wort and it is 3/4” type M copper while the water jacket outer wall is 1”. This makes the water jacket 1/8” annular (1/8” open all around the inner tube). With the thin water flow annulus, I get a very good heat/cooling gradient along the length. This way I don’t overshoot my wort temperature cool-down into the fermenter. I try to pitch at 95 +/- 5*F. The exchanger’s “developed length” is about 20 feet.
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Stonecutter
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Re: Placement of mash transfer pump

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Stonecutter wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 3:37 pm Well…. The whole plan is a flaming pile of dog shit on the carpet. I got good conversion but the pickup tube was completely useless. Lesson learned. Everything I read in the forum said to use a BIAB. I thought I could skirt the lessons learned by others. Nope

Anyway plan B in effect. Fermenting on the grain for the first time. Time to see what the conical can throw me in the 7th inning
Thought I’d give an update.
All 48lbs/21 kg have been squeezed and I’ve got just a hair over 20 gallons/76L of distillers beer getting ready for the boiler.
The conical worked out great! It was the most active ferment I’ve ever had. 2” ports drained the spent grains nicely. Squeezed in a BIAB.
As was mentioned by a trusted source, the fermented grain squeezed a lot nicer than sugary mash.
The yeast immediately reactivated and finished up their meal. Going to twist up a CSST for a cold crasher and strip it out.
Thank you guys for the input.
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Re: Placement of mash transfer pump

Post by BeetleBoone »

I cook & ferment 30 gallons on the grain in a barrel and transfer the wort from my fermenting barrel to my boiler using a small battery powered transfer pump. I hold the pump on the surface as to not transfer the solids. I pump into a bag, in the boiler, to catch any bits of grain or solids. It takes about 5 minutes to fill my 15-gallon boiler. The little pump I use will pump the solids but since I'm going directly into my boiler, I don't want any solids that'll scorch. The remaining wort is transferred into carboys waiting their turn in the boiler. The solids left in the bottom of the fermenter are ladled into a couple of 5-gallon buckets, with bags, where they settle more and the wort floats to the top; then just ladle it over into another container. The bags can also be tied up above the buckets to drain. It's slow but works ok for an old guy. See Amazon: WaterAce WABPU Submersible Utility Pump, Black
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Re: Placement of mash transfer pump

Post by Twisted Brick »

BeetleBoone wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 7:56 am
I pump into a bag, in the boiler, to catch any bits of grain or solids. It takes about 5 minutes to fill my 15-gallon boiler. The little pump I use will pump the solids but since I'm going directly into my boiler, I don't want any solids that'll scorch. The remaining wort is transferred into carboys waiting their turn in the boiler. The solids left in the bottom of the fermenter are ladled into a couple of 5-gallon buckets, with bags, where they settle more and the wort floats to the top; then just ladle it over into another container.
It doesn't matter how many times one racks prior to running. Giving a finished ferment time to clear pays dividends in spirit quality, IMO.
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