Plate Chiller Very Slow

[Lillywhite]

What is going on?

I have only been using a plate heat exchanger for about 8 or so brews, everytime I have opened the tap on the kettle it has always taken a several minutes (5 - 10) to start flowing. Tonight I have brewed a beer and it has been 30 minutes and I have 4 litres in the fermenter, it only just increased from a dribble to a slightly larger dribble.

I have considered blockage but when I sterilised it the steriliser flowed through without a problem and I wash it pretty well by soaking in hot water with bottle wash and then run the hose through it several times until it clears.

Anyone have similiar issues?



(40 minutes and I now have 9 litres)

 

[Lillywhite]

Just started flowing normally?????????

 

[dmac80]

Do you have the same problem when using a cube? Is it a kettle pickup blockage? Can you raise your kettle to get a larger head pressure to increase flow?

Just some things to check i guess....

 

[JDW81]

What is going on?

I have only been using a plate heat exchanger for about 8 or so brews, everytime I have opened the tap on the kettle it has always taken a several minutes (5 - 10) to start flowing. Tonight I have brewed a beer and it has been 30 minutes and I have 4 litres in the fermenter, it only just increased from a dribble to a slightly larger dribble.

I have considered blockage but when I sterilised it the steriliser flowed through without a problem and I wash it pretty well by soaking in hot water with bottle wash and then run the hose through it several times until it clears.

Anyone have similiar issues?



(40 minutes and I now have 9 litres)

This may sound counter intuitive, but have you tried putting the wort outflow above the inflow. This will allow any air to be pushed out the top, and not get caught in the many nooks and crannies of the chiller and create a blockage.

Also, how high above your chiller is the kettle. Might not have enough head space.

 

[Droughtmaster]

been using a plate chiller for awhile now what i found is they tend to get a airlock inside, what i do as i brew next to my sink is put a spoon down the plug hole and rest the chiller against it so that its on a 20 deg angle i guess beer in at the top and out at the bottom straight into fermenter.
found that it starts off slow then once the air perges upwards and goes back through the meister it runs perfect

 

[Lillywhite]

Wort in is below wort out, top of plate chiller is approx. 4 inches below bottom of kettle.

Sounds like airlock issues........just frustrating.



Cheers