Bazooka tube vs False bottom

For batch sparging, a bazooka should be cheaper and easier. And no less efficient. A bazooka can be used with any shape tun.

 

I fly sparge with a bazooka tube in my 10 gal Igloo and love it. I think you could use it both ways.

 

I use a false bottom, with a 10g Rubbermaid, and it has worked well for me.

I think either would work just as well as the other in a cylindrical cooler...so I'd probably go with the cheapest of the two.

 

Top 5 Reasons Why Ba-zooka Be Better Than False Bottom

◊ Bazooka be less costly than false bottom.
◊ Grain particulate leakage into wort makes more problems with false bottom than bazooka.
◊ Bazooka be made by dissecting fresh water supply line.
◊ False bottom be made by pokin'holes in aluminum pie plate or a re-purposed screen door.

Just sayin'.

 

How To Brew (the book, not the website) has a very in-depth analysis in an appendix of which lautering device is best for what use (flly or batch) and what shape MLT you are using. It's a good read.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888

 

I believe "channeling" can be an issue with fly sparging if you don't have a false bottom. However, I do not have any personal experience with this, as I batch sparge, and I don't know of anyone who has personally experienced channeling either. I will probably fly sparge with my new system when it's online, and I really didn't intend to buy an expensive stainless false bottom unless it's absolutely necessary. I was going to re-use my bazooka tube (or keep my 5gal mash tun intact, and just buy another bazooka tube for the new system). IF there's any issue, I'll probably just leave the tube on there but rig up a screen of some sort to stop any channeling that might be happening.

 

Channeling is an issue with fly sparging, but that is usually from opening up the lauter phase too quickly and the sparge water basically finds one or several runnels down through the grain bed, usually along the edges. The problem with using a bazooka tube on a fly sparge is the large dead zones it can create. Here is a good article that covers that:
http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue3.4/palmer.html
You'll probably experience a fairly notable drop in your extract efficiency if you stick with a bazooka tube for fly sparging. Crafting a manifold from either cpvc or copper is a good alternative. If you do go over to fly sparge, I highly recommend a float valve. I use blichmann's and it's awesome, for my brew day, worth every penny.

 

I built a manifold for my tun. I used a rectangular 48qt cooler for it, so a false bottom wouldn't have worked out, and I do fly sparge. It was a little tricky to build, and certainly more costly than a bazooka, but the trickinesss is part of the fun, no? It worked out perfectly my first brew with it, only needing a couple turns to run clear.