Cooling Recir Problems

[pbrosnan]

Hi all,

I recirculate the wort after the boil through a MashMaster plate chiller. The problem is that after a short period of time (i.e. 5 mins) the flow is contricted down to little more than a trickle. The cause is hop debri clogging up the outlet in the kettle. I recently installed a BeerBelly hopscreen but again there were problems with blockages on the screen. Any fluid mechanics specialists out there that might have any suggestions? I'm thinking that I might try and put a screen in-line outside the kettle and try to rig up some kind of clearing mechanism.

cheers

Patrick.

 

[AndrewQLD]

I've had similar problems Patrick since starting to use pellet hops, tried a few different things and have settled using a couple of hop bags to contain the pellets during the boil, works really well and during the recirc they settle to the bottom of the kettle over the pick up tube and help filter out the trub.

Andrew

 

[alowen474]

You can try two things, first whirlpool prior to chilling. This should give you a pile of debris in the middle of the kettle.
Second, I use plugs as the second hop addition. This helps the filter bed and stops the blockage. I have had the same trouble in the past, but plugs added 15 to 20 min sorted that out.
Worth trying, simple solutions!! I use stainless scourers, but the hopscreen looks the goods!

Cheers