I'm new to all grain brewing and have done a couple batches using batch sparges, but I'm wanting to start doing fly sparges using a cooler for my HLT. If I'm doing 5 gallon batches, would I ever need an HLT that holds more than 5 gallons?
brewfun said:Contrary to Tom's comment, I don't think fly sparging is finicky. But, batch sparging has advantages of better water management and flexibility in temperature. Batch sparging can also be more forgiving of milling issues. Fly sparging works best with rectangular coolers, where the top surface area is more than on any side. For tall, cylindrical mashtuns, I think Batch sparging is better because the water can't channel down the side wall.
brewfun said:Fly sparging is about flow control. With a correctly designed mashtun, the outflow is set to fill the kettle in 60 to 90 minutes. Set it during recirculation and forget it. Then there is just ONE valve to adjust for the inflow of water. Not hard to manage at all.
tom_hampton said:Homebrewer's with the typical 1/4 turn ball valve have very little feedback on the outflow rate. Worse, the ball valve flow-rate vs. angular setting is rather "exponential". A little one way or the other can cause the flow rate to be higher or lower than expected. Until the brewer gets a good feel for this, flow rate will be all over the map....with the resultant variation in extract efficiency.