Low efficiency clarification

Hi there...been reading through some older posts about this.  Would like to confirm that what I'm reading is correct...

I've been routinely getting gravities an average of 10pts lower than my planned recipes.  This happens no matter how low I set my brewhouse efficiency while formulating recipes.  I batch sparge 5 gal batches in a 10 gal mash tun and boil in a 9 gal kettle.  Generally there is about .75 - 1gal left over in my kettle after I run off 5 gal into my fermenter.  So technically my batch sizes could be considered "6gal" not 5gal.  I've always set my batch size at 5gal and updated my equipment profile to try and account for the leftover wort in the kettle by setting "loss to boil trub and chiller" to 1gal. 

From what I've read, it looks like using that setting has NO effect on recipe formulation and final brewhouse efficiency.  Am I right in my assumption?  So if I'm trying to accurately formulate recipes to hit a certain OG, I should set my batches to 6 gal, but adjust my equipment settings to end at 5 gal into fermenter right?

Thanks

You basically have it if you want to use post boil efficiency instead of gross brewhouse efficiency- though it depends on which brewhouse efficiency you are looking for.

BeerSmith calculates and plans your OG based on "gross" brewhouse efficiency which would include all losses in the system (i.e. with the trub loss).  If you are instead interested in planning to your "post-boil" efficiency, then you would increase the planned volume by your trub loss which in this case appears to be 1 gallon and plan to a 6 gallon batch vice 5 gallon.

What is strange about your post is that as you lower your estimated brewhouse efficiency, you should be seeing at least some improvement in your final OG.  Lowering efficiency effectively puts more grain into the same amount of wort - so I'm surprised you are not seeing a corresponding increase in OG.  You might want to look into other process factors like the crush of the grain as possible suspects.

Cheers!
Brad

I also have the same question, and if I could give an example to what I mean:

I have a recipe from a brewing magazine which calls for

10 lbs  2 row
1 lb  crystal malt

w/ a OG of 1.051

when I type in the recipe into beersmith I get a OG of 1.060 (when I have my batch size at 5 gall.) but like llama 34, I usually have around a 1/2 gall or gall left over to trub etc. so when I switch batch size to 6 gall. Beersmiths OG matches the recipe (1.050) so I don't think its the grain crush, but something I'm entering wrong into my "brewhouse efficiency"

I'm sorry if this is basically repeating llama 34's question, but I'm still not understanding what to enter.

John,
  I would have to say your efficiency may be set a little too high.  There are several types of efficiency, and BeerSmith uses gross brewhouse efficiency which is the overall number including all losses.  If your recipe is showing 1.051 and you are getting a much larger number, you mibht want to try a lower brewhouse efficiency.

Brad