Dedicated Grainfather Guide, Problems and Solutions Thread

[acarey]

Im sure it has been answered in the thread, but with the coarseness of the search I cant find it.
What is the max grain capacity of the malt pipe, and how easy would it be to do high gravity brews, say 1.120?

They say 9kg max. I did like a 9.1 and it was a bit of an epic disaster, the water calcs seemed to fail and I had to do a lot of ******* about. The beer was still good though [emoji41]

Not exactly a relaxing brew day.

 

[welly2]

Yeah! Mine arrived finally!

 

[HBHB]

Im sure it has been answered in the thread, but with the coarseness of the search I cant find it.
What is the max grain capacity of the malt pipe, and how easy would it be to do high gravity brews, say 1.120?

We've done up to 9.0 kg (it's a squeeze)

Highest gravity that we achieved during the earlier play days was 1.120 using Joe white as a base malt in a 17L batch of American Barley Wine. From memory, it achieved around 72% Brewhouse efficiency and was about a litre under on volume from what was planned. Would have to go back and find It to get exact numbers. It'll handle 18-20L batches with gravities up around 1.105 no troubles.

 

[welly2]

So putting my Grainfather together. I must have a fairly new model because it comes with seals for the false bottom and top. It seems the seals are too big because they won't stay on. Every time I push the bottom and top plates down inside the inner basket, they come off so I'm not getting a good seal.

Bugger. Have dropped Grainfather a message on their facebook page, I'm sure they'll get back to me fairly promptly.

 

[taztiger]

So putting my Grainfather together. I must have a fairly new model because it comes with seals for the false bottom and top. It seems the seals are too big because they won't stay on. Every time I push the bottom and top plates down inside the inner basket, they come off so I'm not getting a good seal.

Bugger. Have dropped Grainfather a message on their facebook page, I'm sure they'll get back to me fairly promptly.

Just try wetting the inside of the basket and it should slide a bit easier.

 

[carniebrew]

Just try wetting the inside of the basket and it should slide a bit easier.

Or a bit of food grade/keg lube (a really little bit) on the outside of the seal should work.

 

[welly2]

Just try wetting the inside of the basket and it should slide a bit easier.

Oh it slides in fine, the problem with the seal is that it is not tight enough to stay on when you slide it in. It's basically too big for the false bottom - not by much but enough that it won't stay on.

 

[carniebrew]

Ah ok, so it won't actually fit snugly around the bottom plate? That is curious.

 

[welly2]

Ah ok, so it won't actually fit snugly around the bottom plate? That is curious.

Exactly. It fits around but it's a bit loose and when you push the bottom plate down, more often than not the seal comes off. So that's a shame. Thankfully I wasn't planning on brewing this or next week so can hang on. Not the end of the world!

 

[GalBrew]

The Grainfather website has video instructions on how to put the thing in. Basically spray with some starsan. The video library is quite helpful.

 

[welly2]

The Grainfather website has video instructions on how to put the thing in. Basically spray with some starsan. The video library is quite helpful.

Yeah, did the star san trick. It's not that the seal is too wide/tight to fit in the inner basket, it's that it's just too loose to actually stay on the top and bottom plates. It doesn't sag or anything but the slightest movement on the seal - ie. when you slide it into the inner basket, and it comes off. I managed to get the bottom plate in with the seal in once (very carefully) but as soon as I pulled up the top overflow pipe, the bottom plate slid up and the seal came off. From my understanding, the bottom plate should be fairly firmly lodged in the inner basket. Either way, it's not quite right. I've emailed Grainfather to see what they suggest.

 

[acarey]

I've got the 1st generation grainfather and I'll be upgrading and buying all the new parts separately when they are available. I don't see myself bothering with the bottom seal. I've done about 20 brews and never had an issue.

2c

 

[carniebrew]

I don't think the bottom plate is causing me issues now either...the only way grain seems to be getting in to my wort is when it leaks through the centre hole in the top plate,and then gets sucked down the overflow pipe. I'm stopping that now via a mesh filter over the overflow pipe inlet.

 

[welly2]

Got this additional tube with my Grainfather that goes in the top as shown above. I'm guessing that should stop any grain getting where it shouldn't.

 

[carniebrew]

Is that cap only supposed to be used during the mash in though, like the little copper jobby we got with ours?

 

[Parks]

Is that cap only supposed to be used during the mash in though, like the little copper jobby we got with ours?

Correct.

It also tells you how far you can extend the two-piece centre tube without pulling it apart.

 

[carniebrew]

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1436363861.816307.jpg

Got this additional tube with my Grainfather that goes in the top as shown above. I'm guessing that should stop any grain getting where it shouldn't.

I only just realised that top piece is actually a 3rd pipe...I thought it was just the cap, then realised it's inserted into the top of the top pipe. Does it actually push all the way down into the bottom overflow pipe?

 

[welly2]

I only just realised that top piece is actually a 3rd pipe...I thought it was just the cap, then realised it's inserted into the top of the top pipe. Does it actually push all the way down into the bottom overflow pipe?

It does, yes. Not having yet brewed with the grainfather, I'm still not quite sure about the context of it and how it's better (if it is!) than how it worked previously, but all in good time!

In the meantime, this is the problem I'm having with the silicone ring/seal:



It does this every time (bar one single time I was very, very careful), with or without starsan. The problem is the silicone ring is just not tight enough on the plate. It only overlaps the plate by a couple of millimetres.

I've been exchanging some messages with Grainfather about this on their facebook page. Suggested the following:



The ring needs to overlap the plate far more so it stays in place. A. being how it currently is, B. being how it probably should be to stop this problem of the seal coming off. But who knows, maybe it's just me and I've been unlucky with a dodgy batch of silicone rings and plates.

 

[carniebrew]

Does anyone know if they've changed the actual inner mash pipe design and bottom plate at all, to suit this new bottom plate ring? The way my GF is designed is a large bottom internal lip, and the bottom plate is only very marginally smaller in circumference than the mash pipe, so it takes a bit of wiggling to get it down to the bottom. I assume there's no way I'd be able to add a silicon ring to my bottom plate and expect it to still fit.

 

[Parks]

I only just realised that top piece is actually a 3rd pipe...I thought it was just the cap, then realised it's inserted into the top of the top pipe. Does it actually push all the way down into the bottom overflow pipe?

It does, yes. Not having yet brewed with the grainfather, I'm still not quite sure about the context of it and how it's better (if it is!) than how it worked previously, but all in good time!

No, it doesn't. It's the same diameter as the bottom piece and sits on it.

I didn't use version 1 but assumably the first version was easily lost and a little fiddly. The new version not only blocks grain getting down the tube it tells you when the two-piece pipe is fully extended.