False Bottom Design

This page is intended for those who wish to build their own false bottom by drilling holes in a piece of sheet metal such as a 304 stainless steel sheet. For a RIMS type system the open area of a false bottom is of major importance to aid in rapid flow of wort through the grain bed. This table predicts the percentage of open area in a false bottom drilled in a hexpack pattern. This pattern is the densest type of hole arrangement allowing the greatest open area for a given hole size and center to center spacing. My quick calculations indicate that hex pack spacing allows 12.5% more open area using the same hole size and center to center spacing for a given area on the false bottom. Keep in mind when choosing the appropriate hole size and spacing the smaller the spacing, the weaker the false bottom. Small hole sizes tend to clog easily and large hole sizes tend to keep the grainbed from setting up. When designing your system keep in mind that a minimum grain depth of 6 inches has been recommended by other authors.

Perpendicular Spacing	Hexagonal Close Pack Spacing

Percentage Open Area for Hex Close Pack