Braid OR Manifold?

[FlyGuy]

SS braids cost $3. If you build them properly, they won't crush. And you can lauter your mash in a fraction of the time for other systems. Hard to beat, if you batch sparge.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Just my limited experience.
Just built my first MLT, and went with the SS braid.
I put a heat resistant tube with slits cut on the bottom inside of the braid to keep it from getting smashed, and ran that tube up to my connection. So far so good, on testing I get around 1/2 cup of water left over and I can't see any water when I remove my grains after I'm done.
I may also make a manifold out of CVCP to see if I get any better performance, just to see if works better for me, or just if it looks cooler. I'm convinced the gadgets and toys are just as enjoyable as the final product.

 

[Bobby_M]

I won't claim to be an expert on this topic as I've only used a braid and false bottom so far but I'll still give you my 2 cents.

If you're batch sparging in a cooler, I can't imagine a better medium than the braid. If you want something slightly more rigid, you can use the larger 1" diameter water heater supply braid. You can also buy the longer dishwasher supply and replace the thing every 10 batches if you're smashy bafoon with your mash paddle. The mash runs clear after a 2 quart vorlauf. I haven't used a manifold for this purpose but I find it hard to believe it performs any better and it just looks like a way to impede your stirring at the bottom of the mash (F it... I have my fireproof suit on).

Here's where the false bottoms fall..... If you are fly sparging, it can't be beat because it's easily the most distributed collection system. If you want to use a direct heat MLT, it's really the only way to keep your mash from scorching (regardless of sparge style). The only downsides I can see are cost and the fact that you need to run a thinner mash (for a slight reduction is efficiency).

I would say that manifolds do have their place, especially if you're trying to fly sparge in a rectangular cooler. The better alternative would be a full false bottom but that's quite cost prohibitive unless you get it from Jaybird.

 

[Bobby_M]

I won't claim to be an expert on this topic as I've only used a braid and false bottom so far but I'll still give you my 2 cents.

If you're batch sparging in a cooler, I can't imagine a better medium than the braid. If you want something slightly more rigid, you can use the larger 1" diameter watter heater supply braid. You can also buy the longer dishwasher supply and replace the thing every 10 batches if you're smashy bafoon with your mash paddle. The mash runs clear after a 2 quart vorlauf. I've run a braid over an inner core of soft copper that acts as a stablizer and siphon tube which is a really nice implimentation if I do say so myself.

I haven't used a manifold for this purpose but I find it hard to believe it performs any better and it just looks like a way to impede your stirring at the bottom of the mash (F it... I have my fireproof suit on).

Here's where the false bottoms fall..... If you are fly sparging, it can't be beat because it's easily the most distributed collection system. If you want to use a direct heat MLT, it's really the only way to keep your mash from scorching (regardless of sparge style). The only downsides I can see are cost and the fact that you need to run a thinner mash (for a slight reduction is efficiency).

I would say that manifolds do have their place, especially if you're trying to fly sparge in a rectangular cooler. The better alternative would be a full false bottom but that's quite cost prohibitive unless you get it from Jaybird.

 

[tdavisii]

I use a braid and it works fantastic.