Charred Element, Burnt Taste, Sad Face

[Phoney]

*bump*

Had problems with a roggen and a dunkelweizen burning onto my crown concealed element. With the dunkel had modded thebypass and burnt out the element, tipped that one as it tasted burnt. Both of those were biab.

Since converting the urn into a braumaster type have never had the elent burn, i think because no crud in the wort.

Strangely the last brew which was 20% rye the element kept cutting out as the safety kicked in. Still met eob targets though and the element was clean at the end, so no idea why it occured.
Cheers
Sean

Same thing happened to me.

20% rye in the grain bill, hit 1.075 OG as expected after a 2 hour boil... but the element kept cutting in and out during the last hour of the boil. After some heavy duty cleaning of the element afterwards there was about a 2 - 3mm shell of burnt black crud stuck to the element.

I now have a 7.5% Rye IPA with a burnt taste. But I must say it's still drinkable. It's just going on hold for a month or three


ps: How did you convert your urn into a braumaster type?

 

[chrisso81]

Phoney, check this out http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=60805 :beer:

 

[Phoney]

Thanks Chrisso.

Sounds like scrubbing the element pre-boil with a long handled brush has stopped his burnt wort problems rather than his fancy urn build.

Cheers.

 

[lespaul]

The last couple of brews ive done have come out with a burnt element. The last time was horrible, took me about an hour with a stainless steel scrubby to get it off. I read this thread and got rid of the protein rest.
This is a very inconsistent problem, although I realised most of the time i was doing a protein rest, so i though that would have fixed the problem.
This time I didnt do the protein rest but there is still burning. The burning isnt as bad but its still there.
Are there any other causes of a burnt element?

Im doing an english ale tomorrow so I will see if it does the same thing.

 

[QldKev]

The last couple of brews ive done have come out with a burnt element. The last time was horrible, took me about an hour with a stainless steel scrubby to get it off. I read this thread and got rid of the protein rest.
This is a very inconsistent problem, although I realised most of the time i was doing a protein rest, so i though that would have fixed the problem.
This time I didnt do the protein rest but there is still burning. The burning isnt as bad but its still there.
Are there any other causes of a burnt element?

Im doing an english ale tomorrow so I will see if it does the same thing.

Are you recirculating until you clarify the wort before enabling the element?

QldKev

 

[lespaul]

maybe im just turning the element on too early when im mashing in... maybe leave it for 10 minutes before ramping the temp up again?
I dont have any pump or anything.

 

[QldKev]

maybe im just turning the element on too early when im mashing in... maybe leave it for 10 minutes before ramping the temp up again?
I dont have any pump or anything.

Have you got a heating element in the middle of a static grain bed?

Maybe if could detail your system it could help.

QldKev

 

[iralosavic]

Clarification of the wort isn't really an option fir a BIABer... If you have the setup to recirculate, in what cicumstances would actually NOT do so before running to the boil kettle? Anyway, my update: I bit the bullet and bought an Italian spiral burner. Now I use the original electric kettle as the HLT and I've wasted nothing (except extra money lol), but it's always been my plan to progressively upgrade until I get to 3V + HERMS HX.

If you want to run an element in a boil kettle, get a thin/low heat density one like you see in a kettle. Much less likely to char (**** advice for someone who already owns a KK element, but it is what it is.

 

[Topher]

Sorry for digging up an old nugget, but this thread pretty much describes my last brew and has been very informative. No more direct heat application for me in the urn.

So before my next brew I want to clean the black crud off the element...so I don't get a repeat of the undrinkable sooty mess that is in my fermenter.

I've tried boiling some vinegar in the urn, and that didn't make it any easier to remove. I don't think I can get the element out, and I can't really get underneath it to scrub it all off.
Is it fubar? Or is there something else I can soak or boil in it to get the black coating of doom off?

 

[Bribie G]

Stainless steel kitchen scrubber.



And a lot of elbow grease. It took a few months to get my element back to pristine, and it's now copper coloured as I rubbed the nickel coating off it, but still works perfectly.

 

[Dunkelbrau]

Hot caustic will remove organic material.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

 

[spog]

Add enough water to cover the element by 2-3 inches or 50 -75 mm, heat then add a teaspoon full of citric acid ( found in the supermarket) ,let cool over night.
This will loosen the built up/burnt on crud, then use a stiff bristled toothbrush to clean in,around and under the element.
Drain and if required give it another go.
By heating the element it expands the crud,crap,**** ,and lets the citric acid get in and do its job,stir the mixture in when added.
Rinse thoroughly then dry to prevent any residual left overs.
I use 2 Kmart kettle elements in my rig and this works for me.
Cheers....spog...

 

[Hippy]

Stainless steel kitchen scrubber.

ss scrubber.jpg

And a lot of elbow grease. It took a few months to get my element back to pristine, and it's now copper coloured as I rubbed the nickel coating off it, but still works perfectly.

My Birko element is now also copper coloured but I sped the process up by using a wire brush fitting on my angle grinder.
Ended up with a piece of wire sticking out of the cartlidge in the top of my ear, so bought a wire brush bit for the cordless drill and that was a lot easier.
Next time I'll go with ear muffs instead of plugs and maybe a face shield as well.

 

[spog]

My Birko element is now also copper coloured but I sped the process up by using a wire brush fitting on my angle grinder.
Ended up with a piece of wire sticking out of the cartlidge in the top of my ear, so bought a wire brush bit for the cordless drill and that was a lot easier.
Next time I'll go with ear muffs instead of plugs and maybe a face shield as well.

Umm doing what you have I would say that you have stripped the coating and damaged the element,it will now show you who is boss and **** itself, possibly half way through a brewing session .

 

[Topher]

Great, thanks guys. I've been scrubbing like crazy with a green scourer with not much luck.

I'll try the citric tomorrow, then the caustic if that doesn't work....I'm not sure I'll actually try the angle grinder wire brush flinging ear trauma method above. But I might give it a touch with the dremel if nothing budges.

 

[Hippy]

Umm doing what you have I would say that you have stripped the coating and damaged the element,it will now show you who is boss and **** itself, possibly half way through a brewing session .

Yeh probably, but it's done a couple of brews since .
When it happens I'll let you know,.

 

[Hippy]

Great, thanks guys. I've been scrubbing like crazy with a green scourer with not much luck.

I'll try the citric tomorrow, then the caustic if that doesn't work....I'm not sure I'll actually try the angle grinder wire brush flinging ear trauma method above. But I might give it a touch with the dremel if nothing budges.

The angle grinder component lasted as long as copping a piece of wire in the ear and going to plan B. The cordless drill on a low speed actually works pretty well, but if I had of known about the citric and caustic I'd of probably tried that first

 

[Topher]

Ended up resorting to the dremel with the wire brush, then elbow grease with the scourer.

Brewing tomorrow, will see how it goes.

 

[Kak]

My 2400w element burnt. Spoke to the supplier and he recommended lightly sand blasting it. It Just so happens that I have a small hand held sand blasting gun. Gave it a wiz, and that was twenty five brews ago. I think the golden rule is not to boil more than 60 mins. My burnt due to the fact that I was **** faced whilst doing a brew and wasn't payng attention and boiled for bout two hours.

I have had this beer in fermentor for about 6 months. I check it regularly to see if it changes. The taste and smell have subdued a little bit but not enough for me.