Fly Sparging With a Pump

I am getting an additional pump for my rig for Christmas.  I am now doing a recirculation mash (HERMS).  How would you set up the second pump for fly sparging?

I use a HERMS system with a single pump, a mash tun (10-gallon Igloo), and an electric brew kettle. The system flow is: mash tun to pump to heat exchanger (immersion chiller) in thermostatically-controlled water bath (my brew kettle) to top of the mash tun. I disconnect the hose from the pump and drain the mash to a separate kettle then scoop water out of the brew kettle/water bath for a batch sparge.

After the mash is complete, you could disconnect the hose from the mash tun and connected it to your HLT to pump the sparge water into the mash tun. In your case you could avoid the hose switching and use your second pump for the sparge.

I've read posts claiming greater efficiency with fly sparging, but it was always too much of a hassle for me. I feel mash efficiency is over-rated; it's fun to push the limits in efficiency so you know you can do it, but in practice I'm too lazy to push many limits any more. Besides all that, I'm finally getting to where I can hit my desired OG and I don't want to screw that up.

Let us know how you make it work and what results you get.

durrettd said:

I feel mash efficiency is over-rated; it's fun to push the limits in efficiency so you know you can do it, but in practice I'm too lazy to push many limits any more.

Click to expand...

That's cool. Homebrewing is a hobby and doesn't have to be about huge efficiency.

Yet, upping efficiency even modestly can have its rewards. Going from just 75% to 85% mash efficiency can save about 3# of grain on a five gallon, 1.060 batch. That's enough grain to get a fifth batch out of the same amount of malt. And who'd say "no" to 20% more beer for free?

haerbob3 said:

I am getting an additional pump for my rig for Christmas.  I am now doing a recirculation mash (HERMS).  How would you set up the second pump for fly sparging?

Click to expand...

To get back on topic...

In a tiered system, gravity is always the best choice for draining the mashtun into the kettle. So dedicating a pump to the HLT and the other to the HERMS loop would work. No unhooking hot hoses or getting splashed with hot water. That HLT pump could later be used to create your whirlpool and transfer into the fermenter.

brewfun said:

That's cool. Homebrewing is a hobby and doesn't have to be about huge efficiency.

Yet, upping efficiency even modestly can have its rewards. Going from just 75% to 85% mash efficiency can save about 3# of grain on a five gallon, 1.060 batch. That's enough grain to get a fifth batch out of the same amount of malt. And who'd say "no" to 20% more beer for free?

Click to expand...

Me.  I like the flavor of my beer better at 75 pct vs.  85 pct. Although this is more of a risk with low gravity blondes.