Any suggestions on devices to help automate sparging? I am using a picnic cooler mash/lauter tun. To date, I have been ladling sparge water with a 1qt cup onto a plate held above the grain bed (using gloves of course). It can be a pain, especially when I’d rather be measuring the runoff pH and grav.
Thanks for any ideas.
Why not just batch sparge?
+1! Would save a lot of time and energy compared to what you are doing now.
+2! One of the best process changes I’ve made.
+3!
With batch-sparging you’re gonna get a great efficiency and have less of a headache overall. Fewer fiddly bits too. A very straight forward process and system.
First I’ll say I’ve nothing against batch sparging.
I built a manifold from copper pipe (it was cheap back in the day) with slits I made with a hacksaw. It rests on the top of the cooler and drips across the surface of the water. I control the flow with a tubing clamp on the hose from the HLT.
As others have said, batch sparge, then don’t worry about the PH and gravity for the most part. For when you vorlauf/recirculate to clear the wort, just find a plate or other item that will stay near the surface that you can just pour the wort onto in the mash tun. It can be a pie plate or anything. I used to use a tupperware lid because it floated. No reason you should need gloves for the operation, and no reason to have to hold it above the grain and liquid. Many times I just poured it back directly with no deflector and it never mattered.
That’s the way I’ve always done it.
another way to cut the slits is to use a pipe cutter and just go over about a third of the tubing back and forth. less chance of nicking the knuckles.
that said, i just dump in with a pitcher
I’ve been very happy with the Blichmann auto sparge. I gravity feed my sparge water and pump from mash tun to kettle.