Question on Grants

[baltobrewer]

I dont use a grant and dont see the need for one. The only way I'd see needing a grant is if you frequently lose the prime on your pumps and want to eliminate that. My system works just smashing without it. extra crap to fabricate, IMO.....

Do you just control the flow with ball valves then?

Yep, that's all I do. One ball valve on the outflow side of the wort line and you have very fine control of the flow rate. Another ball valve on the outflow of the water side and you can match flow rates with equal precision for sparging. If you batch sparge this makes no difference, but I fly sparge on mine...

Also, grants are open, and some people would argue that it's at that point in the system where you can pick up HSA. Personally, I think that's a load of crap for most homebrewers. We keep the beer cold most of the way through to consumption, and don't typically have it around for very long, so HSA shouldn't be an issue.

extra crap to fabricate, IMO.....

Isn't that half the fun? Oh sure I could just brew on my turkey frier... a brewstand is just extra crap to fabricate...

Yeah, I was just joking there....I loved my brewstand project...all 2+ years of it! It really is an unneccesary piece of equipment, IMO, if the rest of your brew system is designed right...

[BrewBum]

That is what I thought. I am thinking of doing a single tier batch sparge system with one pump, so I want to make sure that was possible and it appears it is without the grant.

I assume you control the flow prior to the pump right?

[Mylo]

Even if you dial down the ball valves so the sparge goes real slow - if you have a stuck mash you will compact the grain - just more slowly that if you were going faster. Stuck is stuck. Instead of just gravity, you will have the force of the pump. So far, 100% of my stuck mashes (2) got unstuck by slicing up the top - so it is probably going to become part of my regular routine. Brew day is usually long enough without having to deal with a stuck mash. I'm probably just stressing for no reason.


Mylo

[BrewBum]

Even if you dial down the ball valves so the sparge goes real slow - if you have a stuck mash you will compact the grain - just more slowly that if you were going faster. Stuck is stuck. Instead of just gravity, you will have the force of the pump. So far, 100% of my stuck mashes (2) got unstuck by slicing up the top - so it is probably going to become part of my regular routine. Brew day is usually long enough without having to deal with a stuck mash. I'm probably just stressing for no reason.


Mylo

Never had a stuck mash before and if the pump is limited on what it is pulling I don't see it being a problem. You rarely see grants on peoples sculptures they post and I don't think B3 sculptures utilize them so i know it can be done. I may get there and have to had a grant, but I don't want to build one if I don't have to. After all, it would be pretty easy to add after the fact.

[baltobrewer]

I assume you control the flow prior to the pump right?

No....always throttle on the outflow side or you'll cavitate the pump like a beeotch.

As an aside, I throttle the flow down very slow and even with 35+ pounds of malt in a 14 gallon pot I've never stuck the mash.... I do stir the mash occasionally to even things out though.

[BrewBum]

I assume you control the flow prior to the pump right?

No....always throttle on the outflow side or you'll cavitate the pump like a beeotch.

As an aside, I throttle the flow down very slow and even with 35+ pounds of malt in a 14 gallon pot I've never stuck the mash.... I do stir the mash occasionally to even things out though.

That is why I asked, thanks.

[slanted & enchanted]

i use a converted keg system with a false bottom and no grant. i think i had one stuck mash on maybe my 3rd batch. it was a wit and i probably used too much wheat without using rice hulls. anyway, the rest have been great, and trust me, i load up that mash tun to capacity.

if it gets really slow i'll blow on the end of the outlet just to clear out the clog or whatever. that almost never happens though. i think the key is a very slow rate of transfer to the boil kettle. that keeps a lot of liquid down under the false bottom.

i keep the flow about the thickness of a pencil. that usually takes a good 45 minutes for 13 gallons so maybe 1/4 gallon per minute.

that works pretty well for me. i don't really see a problem with suction when using a march pump. i'm no fluid dynamics wizard but it seems to reason that the pump doesn't prime itself, so how can it really "suck" enough to compact the grain bed?

[Mylo]

that works pretty well for me. i don't really see a problem with suction when using a march pump. i'm no fluid dynamics wizard but it seems to reason that the pump doesn't prime itself, so how can it really "suck" enough to compact the grain bed?

If a mash does get stuck, the compaction will occur before the pump looses it's prime. However, it sounds like this risk can be minimized by raking the top of the mash and/or using rice hulls on batches that are more prone to being stuck.


Mylo