- Features
- Installation
- Manual
- FAQ
Finally a sparging system that's a "set-it-and-forget-it design"! This elegantly simple design automatically sets the hot liquor flow rate and liquid level in your mash / lauter tun. As you change the sparge rate into your boil kettle, the AutoSparge™ automatically responds by increasing or decreasing your hot liquor flow to compensate and keeps a constant level in your tun. Awesome for RIMS systems!
Works great with gravity systems OR with pumps! Wort gently rotates on top of grain bed to reduce channeling, oxygen pick-up, and to increase extraction efficiency. WIth a constant hot liquor level over your grain bed, complicated rotating sparge arms are unnecessary complications!
Float ball and rod are stainless steel. Valve body is low-lead surface treated brass. Includes 18" silicone hose and stainless steel hose float. Requires a 13/16 mounting hole. See installation tab for details.
Fits any pot larger than 12" in diameter including converted kegs. Adaptable to coolers. See installation tab for cooler installation.
Want us to punch the hole in your BoilerMaker™ pot? We're offering 6 optional locations for a nominal charge. Must be ordered with your BoilerMaker™ pot. Click the BoilerMaker™ Installation tab above for ordering details!
The AutoSparge™ can be installed easily into any pot larger than 12" in diameter or about any cooler. We're also offering factory punching of the mounting hole in your BoilerMaker™ pot when ordered with a new pot! Simply specify the position you'd like below and we'll punch it for you for a nominal charge.
To install yourself, you'll need to punch/drill a 13/16 hole in your pot or cooler. A 7/8" hole will work, but it's a little on the big side. We recommend using a step drill or a Greenlee knock-out punch. A great source for these is McMaster.com . The step drill is part number 8841A24 (89315A42 for TiN coating) or a punch 3449A999 - requires a 3/8" pilot hole. This particular punch (Greenlee model 730BB) is special order with a 3 day lead time. Slug-Buster types are available in their catalog but do not work well in this application. When drilling stainless steel a moderate to slow speed is best to avoid overheating the tool. While hole saws will also work, they are difficult to use in stainless sheet metal.
Installing into a cooler:
The threaded portion of the AutoSparge™ is not long enough to fit through a 1-2" deep cooler wall so you will need to use a 2" hole saw for clearance for your hose connection and a smaller hole for mounting the AutoSparge™. To do this, drill a 1/4" pilot hole all the way through the cooler at the desired location. Then slowly and carefully hole saw through the outside layer of the cooler. Be carefull so you don't accidentally drill all the way through it. Remove the outer cut-out and foam insulation inside the hole. Then drill the 13/16 mounting hole through the inside wall of the cooler with a step drill. Here are a few shots of the installation in a 10 gal Rubbermaid cooler:
Click link below to download a PDF copy of the current product manual
Will the AutoSparge™ plug with grain particles? Can I use the AutoSparge™ with a RIMS system?
We have used the AutoSparge™ for several years in the "Blichmann Brew Lab" on our RIMS system and experienced no issues with grain plugging. The valve body was specially designed by us and has much larger passages than typical float valves. In the rare event that you do get some grain stuck, simply push down on the float for a second or two and the wort/hot liquor flow will clear the stuck grain.
Water flows out of the end of my AutoSparge™ - is this normal?
Yes, it is normal for some water to leak past the sliding piston and drain onto the surface of the grain. We have opened the clearance of this part to prevent grain partlcles and sticky wort from causing the valve to malfunction. If the flow is excessive simply throttle back on the pump outlet or the HLT drain valve.
The float arm of the AutoSparge™ does not reach the grain with small batches.
Simply set the AutoSparge™ in the lowest position and allow the hot liquor to rise above the grain until the flow is balanced. It is not a problem to run a larger amount of foundation water above your grain