Filtering

[Fourstar]

Hmm ok ive been filtering my Chilled Black IPA still seem to be running into issues. Its been filtering for an hour now, this is how long it usually takes me to filter a whole batch and it came to a grinding halt around 3-4L in, so far its only 1/2 way filtered and an hour into it..... CRAWLING.

Is there a possibilty my filter cartridge is stuffed? I cleaned the bejeebus out of it after the Rye beer but it went like a rocket for the 1st few L and now its almost halted.... <_<

 

[Fourstar]

Hmm... 40 mins later and its moved 1 cm.....

Any takers for WTF is wrong? For a filter to not be able to handle 18L of beer all of a sudden seems abit strange let alone get stuck 5L into it! Ive NEVER had to chill it ordo anything funky when gravity filtering it from the fermenter 'pumpy style' before. It goes great guns for the 1st 10 mins then as soon as i see bubbles begin to form in the out post of the filter, i know its over. :angry:

Somone, PLEAASSSEEEEE save me!

 

[TonyC]

Hmm... 40 mins later and its moved 1 cm.....

Any takers for WTF is wrong? For a filter to not be able to handle 18L of beer all of a sudden seems abit strange let alone get stuck 5L into it! Ive NEVER had to chill it ordo anything funky when gravity filtering it from the fermenter 'pumpy style' before. It goes great guns for the 1st 10 mins then as soon as i see bubbles begin to form in the out post of the filter, i know its over. :angry:

Somone, PLEAASSSEEEEE save me!

Is it possible it has a vacuum in the filter, and releasing the pressure slightly on the bleed valve on the top will start the flow again.

Regards Tony

 

[Fourstar]

Is it possible it has a vacuum in the filter, and releasing the pressure slightly on the bleed valve on the top will start the flow again.

Regards Tony

Nope, not the case. I've just been farting around, tried to run the beer out directly into the opening of the keg rather than the post and nothing. Even pushing 50 kpa of CO2 into the IN on the filter and it still doesn't even create enough force to push the beer out (and no there are not any leaks.)

I have just dismantled, drained the filter and attempted to fill again from the fermenter from scratch. The filter is that blocked it won't even allow the beer from the fermenter to push its way in. :angry:

I think my filter must be stuffed/clogged to the clappers and is probably creating a massive infection point on my beers as the past 3 beers have been really difficult to filter. All I can picture is billions of dead yeasties, protein and trub stuck in my filter even when it appears as clean/white as fresh linen!

Is filtering even supposed to be this hard, as the 1st 3 where simple!?! To have to replace a $70 filter cartridge after just a handful of filtered beers seems ridiculous! What an absolute pain in the arse!

 

[Pumpy]

Hmm... 40 mins later and its moved 1 cm.....

Any takers for WTF is wrong? For a filter to not be able to handle 18L of beer all of a sudden seems abit strange let alone get stuck 5L into it! Ive NEVER had to chill it ordo anything funky when gravity filtering it from the fermenter 'pumpy style' before. It goes great guns for the 1st 10 mins then as soon as i see bubbles begin to form in the out post of the filter, i know its over. :angry:

Somone, PLEAASSSEEEEE save me!

Fourstar ,
Your filter should handle the 18 litres of beer in 20 mins .

I would suggest you are sucking in air into your system somewhere , I found I had to put some Teflon tape on the screw lid of the housing , to ensure a really good seal .

My filter is about three years old and still going well , It is a pity you cant post a picture of your set up Fourstar so we can see if there looks anything out of order .

If you could not push it through with 50KPA of CO2 that suprises me .

It is important to have it chilled but I somehow dont think that is going to solve your problem .

Pumpy

 

[Fourstar]

I can post a pic, i have jsut gone thru cleaning and backflushing my filter and sanitising, in 20 mins its done around 2 inches more from the fermenter (say 4L~) and has dropped to a crawl. The reason why you see bubbles it not because of a leak but because the flow rate from the OUT post has dropped to a trickle. Hence the reason why when i was filling earlier from the fermenter i couldnt even gravity feed any in due to the filter being overly clogged and not allowing any gas out!

This is the setup



This is the slow trickle.

Off to dinner, i'll measure how much it does in that period!

 

[NickB]

I had the same issue recently that I could not remedy. Filtered a version of Doc's Yardglass Session Lite, (I gravity Filter) then backflushed the filter, pulled out the cartridge, and dumped in some sanitizer for 10 mins while I prepped a batch of Aussie Dark Ale. That beer stopped about 5L in and was taking more than an hour, so I abandoned and just went straight into the keg.

Was thinking my cartridge was stuffed, but recently filtered a batch of pale ale in about 15 mins (gravity as well), so it's clearly NOT the cartridge.

I've got no answers for you, but I've had beers that just would not filter no matter what. Not sure why.

Cheers

PS: just realised this post probably didn't help at all.....

 

[Fourstar]

Crap, maybe i'll just have to crash chill for longer then hey!

By the looks of things its stopped again. Seems like the quota for this filter is around 8L per clean before it craps itself! I have NFI whats going on. Ive got a light beer thats almost due for a keg soon, i'll crash chill that for 48 hours and see how it pans out.

If it still fails, maybe it is the filter cartridge blocking up. All i can tell you is its a masssive pain in the arse. Set and forget it to find out its doing sweet fug all! A lifespan of 9 filtered beers or 160 odd L isnt all that economical for a $70 filter at this stage.

 

[Pumpy]

View attachment 33766

Wow now thats Gravity mine is nothing like that high .

Fourstar see the airbubble s creeping up the thread you have to teflon tape the coarse thread of the lid .you must stop that

Pumpy

 

[hughyg]

Hey Pumpy
Do you mean running plumbers tqpe right around the thread of the filter housing?

 

[Fourstar]

Wow now thats Gravity mine is nothing like that high .
Fourstar see the airbubbles creeping up the thread you have to teflon tape the coarse thread of the lid .you must stop that
Pumpy

I should have clarified, those bubbles are from the starsan

I ended up completing the filtering, 6 hours and 2 washes and sanitises! Lets just hope i dont pickup an infection!

 

[enoch]

Crap, maybe i'll just have to crash chill for longer then hey!

Hopefully not a dumb question but have you tried putting the filter at ground level? While you are at it with the line from the fermenter free of loops for any bubbles to collect in. I found that I was having problems unless I did this.

Also whoever said that beerbelly filters don't have a purge valve give BB a call as they can get them (no affiliation but thanks Amanda for some great customer service on that one).

The jury is still out for me as to whether filtering is more hassle than it is worth. Does make for kegs you can move without worrying about stirring up sediment which is a plus.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

you said you pushed C02 into the filter and it still didn't move the beer? I that case - none of the "it could be sucking air" type answers are going to help you. If pressure wont push it through, then ts def not just losing sypho / suction thats the problem. Its blocked. Whether its the filter itself or a fitting thats blocked.. don't know, but if you are saying that a clean makes it go.. then it slows down - I'm guessing the filter.

How are you cleaning it between filter sessions?

I hose mine - a fast jet of hot water to open up and flush out the crevices, make sure I get out all the yeast I can see, then it goes into hot nappisan and stays there for two days - of course its cool after the first hour or so. Then rinsed and backflushed with hot water, air dried.

I would be tempted to soak your filter in hot pbw for a day or two, then give it a good strong hose off with hot water - get some physical action going. Then backflush. PBW to loosen any biofilm or build up in the pores of the filter, physical action to knock it loose and wash it away.

If that doesn't work - then if you want I will lend you my filter cartridge for a run... if things still screw up, its something about your set-up/technique, if they go well in your set-up with my filter.. its your cartridge thats rooted.

Thirsty

 

[Pumpy]

Hey Pumpy
Do you mean running plumbers tqpe right around the thread of the filter housing?

Yes Hughyg ,trust me it will improve its airtightness

Pumpy

 

[A3k]

Also whoever said that beerbelly filters don't have a purge valve give BB a call as they can get them (no affiliation but thanks Amanda for some great customer service on that one).

Not sure if it was me who mentioned it, but my filter doesn't have a purge.
I'll give her a call this arvo and see.

Cheers for the tip,
Al

 

[domonsura]

Hi bcp,
Most people use filters like the ones from beerbelly or craftbrewer.

I have the one from beerbelly, and whilst it's good, it doesn't have a bleed valve but i wish it did.

I keg, but i was given 6 beers from boilerboy that had been filtered prior to bottling. They were bright as hell with only a very thin layer of sediment on the bottom. But they were in my fridge for a long time before that.
So yes you can, but the priming of the bottles is going to introduce some more yeast.

Bring it back to me Alan - I will replace it free of charge with a brand new one that has a bleed valve. Apologies for that, the first lot we had didn't have them and I stupidly overlooked it <_< , have since replaced every one that I have managed to contact the owner or hear about them having issues with. Really sorry about that, my mistake.

 

[A3k]

Bring it back to me Alan - I will replace it free of charge with a brand new one that has a bleed valve. Apologies for that, the first lot we had didn't have them and I stupidly overlooked it <_< , have since replaced every one that I have managed to contact the owner or hear about them having issues with. Really sorry about that, my mistake.

Awesome! Pretty happy about that.
Cheers

 

[Fourstar]

How are you cleaning it between filter sessions?

Well im quite extensive with my cleaning, i usually backflush with cold water and dump from housing until it runs clear and then do the same process with hot water until its clear. make up a nappisan solution in the housing and plunge the filter in itto remove any major debris via agitation. Rinse this out and leave to soak for a couple of hours in the housing with another nappisan solution. Repeating the process of plunge and soak until its glowing white and the nappisan water no longer looks murky/beery. Usually this is good enough after the second soak.

I'm going to try and extended soak (your 2 day job) with the filter now, while its going thru the motions i'll be crash chilling my light beer ready for filtering for the same period. That, coupled with an uber clean filter should hopefully solve my issues. If not, i'd say the filter is stuffed.

Domonsura, are your filter cartridges interchangable with the craftbrewer housing? If so, i might buy one to have around as a backup/interchange between filter jobs incase if my current one is stuffed.

Cheers!

 

[A3k]

Domonsura, are your filter cartridges interchangable with the craftbrewer housing? If so, i might buy one to have around as a backup/interchange between filter jobs incase if my current one is stuffed.

Cheers!

I'm pretty sure they would fit as they both say they're 10" filters.
For $15 why not.

 

[Ross]

Just be aware that the $15 cartridges are "nominal" not "absolute" So you are more likely effectively filtering at approx 3 micron.

++++

Fourstar - Give up gravity for a brew or 2 & filter under pressure between 2 kegs. You should have no problems.



Cheers Ross