Beer Filter

[jimmyjack]

I called it and some chick named lilly answered!!!!

 

[altstart]

:beer:
Hi people
I took advice from Ross and paid a visit to len @ Pure Rain @ Capalaba Brisbane and purchased a filter kit and a 1 micron Absolute filter. So far I have filtered a German Kolsch brewed with 1007 yeast with absolutely crystal clear results. I have also used this filter on two English Ales with the same result. I would also say that the advice I recieved on reverse osmosis filters from this business is excellent. I did decide to invest in this filter as well and I do not regret one cent of the money I have spent on products from this man. No affilations etc etc.

Cheers Altstart

 

[Hydrofil]

Hi there.

We have got an email from Michael Boots regarding one of our products our famous brewing filter kit. Thank you. I have noticed that our monthly sales have increased by 10 filters; it must have been you guys, thank you. I have read the posts. Let me explain the genesis of the filter kit. Whenever I have attended a party there was always somebody prepared to swap their homebrew six-pack for my Heineken ones.
A mate of mine was the leader of such transactions. But enough is enough.
I suggested to improve his stuff and the filter kit was born. Not fancy and technologically advanced but inexpensive and in most cases doing the job.
Why the polyspun cartridge in it? It is a bonus. We have numerous clients
buying the simple disposable cartridges and they are obviously happy with them.
They can as well be used as preliminary filtration followed by finer one.
We offer them at heavily discounted prices when bought in qty of 6 , that many we can fit in 3kg express satchel. If you are interested send us an email.
Absolute versus nominal 1 micron. It is of some importance in some critical filtration application. The difference is approximately 10%, for more info visit the site:
http://www.lenntech.com/absolute-nominal-filters.htm
The price is usually 100% more for the absolute ones, unless they are sourced in China, but the Chinese will place any labels on their filters. Our filters come from reputable American manufacturers. Please remember that the yeasts are between 6 to 8 microns in size. It is much more important to run the filtration process at as low differential pressure as possible. You can press very big objects through small holes if you apply excess pressure. If you are not happy with your initial results repeat the process and run it again through the same filter. The beer filtration can be a very complex issue especially in the home brewing environment. By offering our basic kit we encourage beer makers to experiment to further improve their products. No more swaps for Heineken, you guys can be and very often are, much better than the commercial brewers.
To satisfy your curiosity, in the near future we will introduce 1 micron absolute option to our kit. You are welcome to try it. Please visit us at www.hydrofil.com.au

Cheers
Valdek Skibinski
Hydrofil Australia

 

[ozbrewer]

welcome Valdek and thanks for the info...and for the most ecelent service

your correct in your assumption, i was not going to bother with the filter untill some one here posted your link, and the price got me.... Infact the price was so good that i got an extra one for the kitchen sink..SWMBO thinks is so we can have clean drinking water, but its so i can have clean brewing water.....

I have also ordered some john guest fittings from hydrofill, guys, these seem to be the best price i can find, my local supplier have them for over $6 each compared to about $2 each......and as i, and others have said, service and advice is fantastic, keep it up Valdek and you will see lots more of my money

 

[Darren]

Hey,
I haven't used my filter yet but hope to soon in the next few weeks. My experience with filtration of biological material concur with Valdek's. Lower your pressure and clear it the best you can before filtration. Given that most gas bottles push 300 + psi and that yeast cells are "flexible" it is not surprising that you could push some through the filter, especially if it is not an absolute 1uM (ie it will all run through the biggest hole).
Filtration is a way of cleaning a final product, not a way to clean up a "just" finished beer.
If that is your aim then go a 5 uM filter. It wont clog so quick. Then pass it through a 1 uM.
no affiliations etc.
cheers
Darren

 

[Ross]

Hmmm....

Not quite so impressed - sorry.

The spun filters are a TOTAL waste of time in home brewing & are very cheap to import - my Chinese contact can get them at well under $1 each & I still wouldn't buy them.
However slow (practically) you run a "nominal" 1 micron filter, the results are rubbish - maybe some are satisfied with the improvement & maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist, but the difference between the 2 you can see from the pics on this thread - there really is no argument.

Valdek, How much extra is a good quality 1 micron PET "absolute" pleated filter from your company please? If not an option, how much for the cannister without the filters?

They are available in Brizzy for $19 plus postage - the extra cost when you consider the number of brews you can do is minimal.

Valdek, your company appears to have a very good value product & by all accounts you give excellent service, but i can assure you that for the homebrew market you need to re-assess the filters you supply.
I have thoroughly researched this subject & am more than happy for you to contact me direct, with any questions you may have. [email protected]

 

[Boots]

Thanks for taking the time to respond Valdek, and for adding the extra option to the product.

Cheers

Boots

 

[Boots]

I also meant to say :

Valdek, there is a Retail section on this website where you can flog your wares, so please feel free to add posts whenever you have sales going, release a new brochure, or introduce new products etc.

There's heaps of guys on here always looking for filtration and john guest fittings etc etc

Cheers
Boots

 

[user 384]

OK, I'm going to give the Hydofoil system a test run on the weekend. I've got an APA that was brewed 3 weeks ago with US-56. It's had sufficient time for the bulk of yeast to drop out of suspension, so the filtering will be the icing on the cake (how I always envisaged it, not a system for clearing beer that has just stopped fermenting).

I'm going to follow the advice of Hydrofoil and ensure that I filter using the lowest possible pressure. Their reply seems quite sound, particularly the bit about yeast being 6-8 micron. According to the article they provided, if my reading is correct, even a nominal 1 micron will filter 90% of 1 micron thingys (if used correctly). So you would expect with 6-8 micron yeast you would get pretty good results.

As was pointed out by Darren, who has plenty of lab experience, yeast might be 6-8 micron but they are not solid and under enough pressure you could squish them through the filter, so it will be slow and steady.

Cheers
MAH

 

[warrenlw63]

MAH,

Any chance of some before and after pics?

Mine's still tucked up in the box. Be anxious to see if the lower pressures have any significant results. :unsure: If not I'm off to the shop for a 1 micron absolute like JimmyJack purchased.

Warren -

 

[dicko]

Thanks to Hydrofil for the reply.

Now i am a bit confused, nothing new tho!!

Is the pleated filter cartridge that Hydofil supply with their beer filter kit washable or not?

Is a 1 micron absolute cartridge currently available from Hydrofil?

Ross

If the answer to either of the above questions is NO, then I wonder if you would be prepared to do a bulk buy for the AHB members or have your supplier post all his business details under this thread so that we may contact him?

Cheers

 

[user 384]

Hi Warren

I'm going to try and borrow a digital camera from work so I can do a before and after photo.

Cheers
MAH

 

[warrenlw63]

If the answer to either of the above questions is NO, then I wonder if you would be prepared to do a bulk buy for the AHB members or have your supplier post all his business details under this thread so that we may contact him?

[post="77537"][/post]​

I second that. :beerbang: Good thought Dicko.

MAH, Thanks shots would be good and much appreciated. One way or another we'll all get these filters sorted out.

Warren -

 

[SteveSA]

Whenever I have attended a party there was always somebody prepared to swap their homebrew six-pack for my Heineken ones.

What an odd thing to do :unsure: It wasn't a spiced lager that he brought along was it?

Btw good work Valdek on taking the time to reply.

Steve

 

[Ross]

This is where I get my "absolute" 1 micron filters from - www.purerain.com.au Len is more than happy to do mail order.

Best of luck MAH, I sincerely hope it gives you the results you require, but my feeling is, unless you have a pretty clear beer in the first place & you can run it really slow, the results will be far from good.

I filter my beers at pouring pressure & have no problem doing an English bitter 24 hrs after CCing & as Altstart posted, he's filtered 1007 with brilliant results.

Dicko - their pleated filter is washable, but does not clean anywhere near as easily as the PET ones - not with a method I've found as yet anyway.

I would personally be asking hydrofoil for the cost of exchanging the 2 filters you have recieved for an "absolute" PET 1 micron, before you use them. Then make your decision.

Reallity does not always confirm the "theory" & I can assure you I've researched/trialled these things to death...

Good luck...

Edit: P.S. Running through a 2nd time with the same filter is not practical as you would need to clean the filter first & this takes 48 hrs - & if you purchase a 2nd filter, you may as well buy the correct one...

 

[user 384]

Go the camera but no the cable to download the photos, so just a written report.


And the result is.............BOLLOCKS!

I could hardly tell the difference between the unfiltered and filtered. I ran it at the lowest possible pressure. Basically I depress the little plastic bit inside the QD with my fingertip, then turned on the CO2 until it just started coming out. Once I had the flow rate sorted I connected the QD to the receiving keg. I reckon it was only about 1 litre per minute at the most. Even at this low pressure and slow rate it hardly made a difference.

So based on my experience the provided filters are next to useless.

Cheers
MAH

 

[warrenlw63]

Bugger! and thanks MAH.

Looks like I'll be sourcing a 1 micron absolute like the one Jimmy Jack got with the red ends. Provided they work. <_<

Looks like all us Hydrofil purchasers are back to the drawing board. I'll just use the existing cartridge in my water filter.

Warren -

 

[Ross]

And the result is.............BOLLOCKS!

So based on my experience the provided filters are next to useless.

Cheers
MAH

[post="77966"][/post]​

Bad luck MAH - but I did warn you they don't work in my experience & to get a quote for exchanging them before using - I spent months researching/trialling these systems - & yes Warren the ! micron "absolute" work like a dream...

Cheers Ross...

 

[jimmyjack]

Thanx Mah for doing the second hydrofoil test, I was relieved to know that it wasnt just 1007 or my stupidity!!!

 

[PhilS]

In conclusion, am I better off just buying the bare filter without the cartridges, and opting for a 1 micron absolute cartridge?

I am still interested in grabbing one of these, but the reports have set me back a little.