Problems with malt muncher grain mill (2 roller.)

[Truman42]

I keep having problems with my grain mill where it will stop pulling grain through and I have to tap it a bit or poke the grains in the hopper with a stick to get it started again.

This can happen numerous times during a crush, sometimes almost constantly and I have to stand there pushing the grain with a stick.

I ended up putting some cardboard in the bottom of the hopper to make the opening smaller and this fixed the problem some what in that now even though it will stop pulling grain its only for a second or two and then it starts pulling through again without me having to poke it.

Not sure whats causing the problem. Anyone else having issues??

 

[sp0rk]

I've had the exact same problem with mine
Turns out my mill had crappy ball bearings (that had rusted up) instead of the brass bushings they're advertised as having
I ripped the bearings out, soaked them overnight in petrol and gave them a good cleaning
once I put them back in, I added a little graphite powder before putting everything back together and they worked fine again
make sure you're not keeping the mill in a damp area, they rust up quick if you do

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Have you given the roller a spin by hand to see if it is free enough and no dust has got into the bearings, given the bearings a clean, used enough lubrication (on the bearings ) ?

 

[Midnight Brew]

Ive had similar problems with the monster mill mm3 and found over time the screws that mount the mill need to be retightened and the rollers need a bit of a dust down.

This thread is well worth a read for a few different solutions relating to most mills.

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/34950-monster-mill-problems/page-2

 

[Truman42]

The free roller spins fine but it might be worth givin it a service and see how it goes. Thanks for the replies, and the link Midnight brew.

 

[Truman42]

I like the idea from that other thread about attaching an O ring to the drive roller that pushes up against the idle roller and makes it spin too.

Anyone tried this?

 

[DU99]

i put inox grease on my mine,haven't had issues since

 

[wide eyed and legless]

The "O" ring will work to drive the idler, but give a bit of a service first.

 

[Truman42]

Pulled the mill apart today and noticed that one of the bearings on the idler pulley was very stiff and rough. No grease left at all. So I pulled out the bearings and they had a part number on them. Phoned Statewide bearings and they had them in stock for $5.00 each. But the new ones have a rubber seal and our completely sealed. (Not just cheap Chinese sealed)

I also noticed that the rollers had been wearing against the end plates as mentioned in a previous post, so I made sure I had spread the end plates out a bit when doing up the screws so I have a 1mm gap at each end approx.

Now she's good as new for $10 and an hours work. The hardest part was getting the bearings out. Had to heat one end just to get it out.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Might be a good idea for those with the same mill to follow your lead Truman, a bit of preventative maintenance and $10 for a decent set of bearings would save any trouble down the track.

 

[sp0rk]

Very interesting that like mine, yours had bearings
Looks like KK's advertising is wrong...

 

[Truman42]

Apparently the "newer vesion" of these has bushings. (Although we all know about KKs "Newer versions")
Has anyone got a new model with bushings and can you vouch that the bushings are an improvement over the original problem? Unfortunately my fix didnt last that long and Im back to square one so am going to try all of the fixes listed in the various threads Ive read which are.

1. Scrub the rollers with a wire brush.

2. As my bearings are sealed I don think flour has got into them but I might have flour gumming up the space between the bearings and end plates so will give this a clean.

3. Not tighten up the screws that hold the mill down to my MDF so tight allowing a bit of play.

4. Make sure my end plates are pulled apart so they dont clamp onto the end of the rolllers and bind them.

5. Ensure the gap is set correctly at both ends of the roller so its not askew causing it to bind.

6. Make my hopper feed into the mill a little smaller, which seemed to help last time.

7. And if all that doesnt work I will use an O ring on the idler roller so it is driven by the main roller.

 

[QldKev]

8. Piss the Keg Krap unit off and get a decent quality one. h34r:

 

[DU99]

Sound familar..Even expensive mills have issues too
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/34950-monster-mill-problems/

be a interesting read to find out the percentage of KK mills that where sold,of many had issues.Yes i had a bearing issue.worked what was wrong.people have to remember a bit of maintence helps..moisture and flour make for glue and glue dry's

 

[barls]

had my mill master for years now and never had a problem with grain not pulling through. I've burnt out 3 drills though.

 

[QldKev]

Sound familar..Even expensive mills have issues too
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/34950-monster-mill-problems/

be a interesting read to find out the percentage of KK mills that where sold,of many had issues.Yes i had a bearing issue.worked what was wrong.people have to remember a bit of maintence helps..moisture and flour make for glue and glue dry's

Sorry if I've offended you with my comments, but I don't understand the expensive comment in the linking to monster mill issue thread? They are only a little bit different in price? KK price $135 Vs MM $US139. You do need to get 2 x MM at a time to make postage attractive, but that should be easy on here finding someone local. The only know issue on Monster Mill is the mounting has to be square otherwise they bind. Same as Crankenstein, KK etc. But the KK ones from reading on here seem to have bearing issues (even though should not had been bearings), seem to have softer knurling, and the common mounting issue.

 

[lael]

get a mini millmaster. be happy. celebrate. life is now better.

 

[heyhey]

I've got a Malt Muncher and I'm about to ditch it. I'm boycotting KegKrap as everything I buy from them is pure rubbish that doesn't work as intended (MM mill, ball locks, '16A' temp controller, taps). Pure shthouse there stuff is.

Not only does the grain feed stop continuously, the threads in the screw holes have stripped so the damn thing won't stay together enough to maintain square so the rollers don't rub against the end supports.

The poor man pays twice.

EDIT: Can someone recommend me a good mill and retailer

 

[VP Brewing]

I bought a mini mill from full pint about a year ago. It's solid as a rock and haven't had any dramas with it. Stainless geared rollers.

 

[heyhey]

MillMaster vs Maltmuncher