Tot Efficiency - What does it do?

On the Fermentation tab, center column, is a read only value labeled "Tot Efficiency".  This read only value is changed when the user entered value "Tot Efficiency" in row three of the Design tab is modified.

How and where is this value used in calculating values in the BeerSmith application?

If I change the value on the Design Tab, what calculated values change besides the read only copy on the Fermentation Tab?

Is it used at all or is it just a placeholder for future use or a holdover from a previous release?

Does anybody know?

http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php/topic,5140.msg21413.html#msg21413

Read this topic and see if you still have any questions.

OK, I read the post.

It describes "Mash Efficiency" and "Brewhouse Efficiency".

There is a different value in BS termed "Tot Efficiency".  It appears to be unrelated to the other two.

I don't see it referenced anywhere in the post.  Am I not seeing it?

What am I missing?

Thanks!

It's odd that one is grayed out while the other you can change and yet the mouse-over tip says exactly the same thing.

When BeerSmith2 says 'Tot Efficiency' or, 'Brewhouse Efficiency,' it means 'efficiency into fermenter.' For example, our 'Brewhouse Efficiency', in the profile we are creating here, is going to be very low as we are 'wasting' a lot of wort with the high 'Loss to Trub and Chiller' figure we set above.

Click to expand...

This quote came from the fore mentioned post. They are all in all the same within BS. The editable field on the design tab allows you to adjust that one recipe for alterations with in the process for that brew. The field that is greyed out on the fermentation tab would be linked to the fore mentioned design tab.

Curly55 said:

When BeerSmith2 says 'Tot Efficiency' or, 'Brewhouse Efficiency,' it means 'efficiency into fermenter.' For example, our 'Brewhouse Efficiency', in the profile we are creating here, is going to be very low as we are 'wasting' a lot of wort with the high 'Loss to Trub and Chiller' figure we set above.

Click to expand...

This quote came from the fore mentioned post. They are all in all the same within BS. The editable field on the design tab allows you to adjust that one recipe for alterations with in the process for that brew. The field that is greyed out on the fermentation tab would be linked to the fore mentioned design tab.

Click to expand...

Yes, you found the words 'Tot Efficiency' in the text.  But it does nothing to answer the question at the top of the post.

My apologies for being dense...

How and where is this value used in calculating values in the BeerSmith application?

If I change the value on the Design Tab, what calculated values change besides the read only copy on the Fermentation Tab?

/Thanks!

Hi,
  The number (total or brewhouse efficiency) is used to estimate the OG (and indirectly the FG as well) when designing recipes.  Here's a description of it:
  http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/10/26/brewhouse-efficiency-for-all-grain-beer-brewing/

Cheers,
Brad

If your just using it for OG and FG why not just use Mash Efficiency"?

Your page there with a bunch of math equations doesn't really reveal much for me and therefore am not getting accurate numbers for my recipes because I have to have a math degree to figure out Tot Eff.

I am not saying get rid of Tot Eff. Just not make it so crucial for newbies to figure out.

Thanks,
  I've been leaning towards having an option to use mash efficiency instead.  The problem is that it does affect a number of calculations indirectly - (OG tool, boil OG for the IBU calculations, etc) so its not a really simple change.  It requires some substantial changes.  However it is on my list I'm looking at now for the next set of updates.

Brad

Thanks,

OG Tool(never used it , no idea what it does) -  (suggestion)-stop tying the tools to the software profiles. Make them independent tools much like the tools at Brewer's Friend. Simple and easy. I can't imagine any scenario where someone not building a recipe would need a tool (where the functionality isn't already included in the recipe builder).

Boil OG for IBU calc, etc- I'm struggling to make a connection here. MLT dead space? It seems like any calculation could still include variables already existing before boil-off and trub loss.


Substantial? I would consider this change minor compared to what is needed to make Beersmith user friendly. If you were gonna spend 100 hours on an update, I would only spend 3 hours on this.