Lauter Cap?
I plan to move to a recirculation approach soon, but in the meantime, the best I can do to get clear wort is a normal mash tun. As I drain that into my boil kettle, I would like to use a lauter cap. But there are...protrusions in the BK, whirlpool arm, dip tube....
What do brewers use for lauter caps in a situation like this? Or is it the case that whatever I can make work is better than nothing and at least some benefit? Any ideas?
Mash Cap--foam board with Stretch Wrap covering it?
I also plan to try to do some mashing in my traditional mash tun. I have a Wilserbag to line it, and will lauter to produce as clear of wort as I can. My mash tun is a square Igloo Cube cooler. I have some foam board I can cut to serve as a mash cap--but I don't know about that foam board coming into contact w/ the mash. I could cover it with Aluminum Foil, but that, like copper, also contributes to Fenton Reactions.
What about using something like stretch wrap? Anybody try this, or have reasons why it wouldn't work?
Flushing Silicone Tubing w/ CO2?
I plan to flush the silicone tubing with CO2 prior to pumping pre-boiled water from my BK to the underletting line in the mash tun, and eventually with the HERMS. Is there a trick to doing this that makes it easier? I have a couple of smooth-jaw hemostats I can use to seal most of the tubing to keep CO2 in there. I plan to use a LONG CO2 line with a gas ball valve at the end to control the on-off of the CO2.
System Losses in Tubing, Dead Space?
What do brewers do with the excess liquid in the tubing? Just chalk it up as losses such as dead space in a mash tun? I can up my grain bill and water by 10 percent or so to accommodate this, just wondering if that's what people do or there's another trick here.
I plan to move to a recirculation approach soon, but in the meantime, the best I can do to get clear wort is a normal mash tun. As I drain that into my boil kettle, I would like to use a lauter cap. But there are...protrusions in the BK, whirlpool arm, dip tube....
What do brewers use for lauter caps in a situation like this? Or is it the case that whatever I can make work is better than nothing and at least some benefit? Any ideas?
Mash Cap--foam board with Stretch Wrap covering it?
I also plan to try to do some mashing in my traditional mash tun. I have a Wilserbag to line it, and will lauter to produce as clear of wort as I can. My mash tun is a square Igloo Cube cooler. I have some foam board I can cut to serve as a mash cap--but I don't know about that foam board coming into contact w/ the mash. I could cover it with Aluminum Foil, but that, like copper, also contributes to Fenton Reactions.
What about using something like stretch wrap? Anybody try this, or have reasons why it wouldn't work?
Flushing Silicone Tubing w/ CO2?
I plan to flush the silicone tubing with CO2 prior to pumping pre-boiled water from my BK to the underletting line in the mash tun, and eventually with the HERMS. Is there a trick to doing this that makes it easier? I have a couple of smooth-jaw hemostats I can use to seal most of the tubing to keep CO2 in there. I plan to use a LONG CO2 line with a gas ball valve at the end to control the on-off of the CO2.
System Losses in Tubing, Dead Space?
What do brewers do with the excess liquid in the tubing? Just chalk it up as losses such as dead space in a mash tun? I can up my grain bill and water by 10 percent or so to accommodate this, just wondering if that's what people do or there's another trick here.
