Do you use software? By tweaking and dialing in your equipment profile you will be able to correct those issues. SS Brewtech even supplies very accurate equipment profiles for users of Beermith and I haven't had any problems hitting my gravity or volumes.
I've made the tough decision to sell mine. I want to clean it up first and I can't do that right now... I only have one good arm following shoulder surgery last week. But by late fall, early winter I'll get it ready for a new home.
Beersmith has everything I need. There is a steep learning curve and it so completely customizable that it frustrates those who expect a plug and play type of tool. When you get it dialed in though it is dead accurate.
20+ year brewer here. The first for me was buying a grain mill.
Second was fermentation temperature control.
Third came closed transfers to minimize O2.
Then there is water treatment including PH.
I've been brewing closer to years and my favorites are London Porters and Stouts... with English and American IPAs next in preference... within the past years I've come to enjoy historic and oddball lagers.
OK, so you made me go count how many recipes I have archived in Beersmith. Almost 350. About 270 of those are historic recipes and the rest split between clones and random things I've picked up here and there (books. magazines, online).
I've only scratched the surface when it comes to making...
You need to forget what you did with that old cooler rig. This is a brand new system with its own equipment profile. Start building your recipe from scratch and make refinements along the way until you get the results you want. I started with a cooler mash tun type system and then went to a...