Mill Upgrade

[dhempy]

So way back when I built my motorized mill I used an 8" sheave ... it ran a little fast but did the job. Recently I found a 12" sheave and upgraded. The mill was slower, didn't get "stuck" as it had sometimes in the past and seemed to be doing a better job. All was well until mashout when I was rewarded with a stuck mash ... evidently it crushes better when going slower.

I'll be doing some adjusting before the next brewday!

Dan

[JonW]

I've always been of the opinion that a stuck mash is a combination of several things including:
- mill gap
- mill speed
- false bottom
- water/grist ratio
- height/width of mash tun
- grains used
- mash recirc rate
- mash out temp
- etc.

I'd be surprised if the mill speed alone resulted in such a finer crush that it caused the stuck sparge. I'd think it was a combination of items that got you there.

For myself, I adjust my mill down until it starts binding and then back it off just a hair. I obliterate my grain and rarely have issues.

[DrDually]

Jon
What sort of efficiency ratings are you seeing with the narrow gap?

[maltbarley]

Because of your post, I adjusted my mill and ended up overshooting my efficiency. Thanks a lot, Dan.

[JonW]

Jon
What sort of efficiency ratings are you seeing with the narrow gap?

I normally run 80-84% for anything up to about 8% ABV, but it tapers off a bit on higher alcohol beers.

[dhempy]

Because of your post, I adjusted my mill and ended up overshooting my efficiency. Thanks a lot, Dan.

Sure .. anything to help out a homebrewer ...

What was your efficiency improvement?

Dan

[maltbarley]

Therein lies the problem. As I finished cleaning my mashtun and placed it in the stand, I hit the valve on my HLT and it quietly started draining into the boil kettle. I think I got an extra 2 gallons before I noticed it. I suppose I could do some math and figure out where it got me, but I'll just wait for the next brewday in a week or so.

[SamIam]

Well, at least you didn't have a boil over.