Suitable Filter For Chillout

[kirem]

Can anyone suggest a suitable pre-filter for the chillout.

My kettle has a vertical strip welded in the bottom of it about 2 inches from the perimeter. I have a whirlpool setup with my pump and hopefully most of the solids will be spun out to the area between the lip and the edge of the kettle and my pickup takes from the centre. I would like any ideas that I can incorporate as a pre-filter to prevent the chillout blocking.

any ideas?

Kirk

 

[warrenlw63]

Kirk

Bunch of brewers are pondering similar things on Brewboard. This delves into whirlpool chilling, unusual useage for plate chillers/pumps etc. and is a pretty interesting thread.

See what you think.

here

Hope this helps.

Warren -

 

[Justin]

Kirem, the trub and hops collect in the centre and the clearest place to draw from the kettle is actually close to the sides. At the moment it sounds like your pick up tube will draw from the middle of the crud.

The best way to prevent trub/hops from going through the chiller is to let it settle for 10-15mins before drawing off. Otherwise there seem to be mixed results with a bazooka type screen or the hop stopper (way over priced IMO).

If you're going to use the Chillout and pellet hops I'd probably make myself some generously sized hop bags out of some muslin cloth (cheese cloth) or nylon mesh. Both are available for next to nothing from your friendly fabric shop. You could make dozens for a dollar or two. Could even piff them after a single use but they are easy to wash out.

That would be THE best way to prevent the majority of hops even getting near the chillers.

Cheers mate. Justin

3, 2, 1..... Cue the music-Enter the retailers h34r:

 

[ant]

...Could even piff them after a single use but they are easy to wash out.

You can't piff a silky terrier!!! (back when Merrick and Rosso were funny...)

The hop bag might be cool for the hops, but it doesn't stop cold break going into the plate chiller.

I've been contemplating this also kirem, and the best option I can come up with are using a hop bag for the pellets, leaving the wort to whirlpool for 10 minutes, a pickup tube curved around to the side and making sure I keep an eye on the pump.

Although now the brewboard link (cheers Warren) has me thinking that I could run the wort through the immersion chiller in a HERMS unit (filled with ice and water) for 10-15 minutes, directing it back through the lid to the side of the kettle 5-10 cm below the boil level, which might allow more of the break to settle out in the centre before I leave it for another 10 minutes, then drain it from a side mounted pickup tube on the bottom of the kettle to the plate chiller. Geez. This is getting complex.

Some kind of inline filter pre-plate chiller would be much easier...

 

[Justin]

I piffed him into the bushes Actually no. I take my used hop bags and bury them under a big tree overlooking a field. But when I need to use them again I have to go and piff em back. I remember the show, pissed myself for ages.

Sorry. Nothing you can do about the cold break as the cooling is going on inside the chiller-if you can leave that in the kettle I'll be mightily impressed . Did you mean hot break? I've see chunks of hot break the size of golf balls before, especially in wheat beers although lately I have had crap hot break formation. A bazooka would sort these chunks out without clogging I'd guess. There isn't as much as the hops.

 

[Justin]

........which might allow more of the break to settle out in the centre before I leave it for another 10 minutes, then drain it from a side mounted pickup tube on the bottom of the kettle to the plate chiller. Geez. This is getting complex.

Some kind of inline filter pre-plate chiller would be much easier...

I think the keep it simple approach is going to be a winner here Ant. Just going to create more to clean and more hoses to transfer. If you had an immersion chiller already you could maybe use that with less hastle, just using the tap water to knock the guts out of the temp in the kettle. Also means less cooling work needed by the plate chiller. Ultimately though you really just want things as simple as possible IMO.

 

[kirem]

I like the design and quoted specs of Jamil's cooler.

If the system can cool to lower than 38 degC in 3 minutes, I might look into this setup a bit more. Not sure what I can do with my chillout if this works as well as he says, no reason why it wouldn't.

Kirk

 

[BrissyBrew]

I use a hop sock extra large, and whirlpool at the end, I have a small filter on the pickup tube, which consists of some stainless mesh I got from Big W (toaster mesh in the camping section) for $1.00, actually I think it was like 50cents but I brought a couple. I have rolled the mesh around and around the pickup tube. I think I may have even put a post somewhere on ahb with it.

 

[bindi]

I use a hop sock extra large, and whirlpool at the end, I have a small filter on the pickup tube, which consists of some stainless mesh I got from Big W (toaster mesh in the camping section) for $1.00, actually I think it was like 50cents but I brought a couple. I have rolled the mesh around and around the pickup tube. I think I may have even put a post somewhere on ahb with it.

Yep, I do the same, but I was ripped off by Kmart cost me over $2 , well more then $1.00 for two I am sure of that.
Ever noticed when you go shopping [your asked "let's go to shopping dear" and you hate it, but go to keep the peace] you look for things you can use when brewing? <_<

 

[BrissyBrew]

bindi, I am always looking for things for brewing.

 

[jayse]

I'll pipe up, firstly the point from your first question as Justin pointed out is you want the whirlpool collecting in the centre and pumping from the outer edge unlike you have it there, your trying to get that to work arse about with a centre outlet and expecting the solids to collect at the edge. With pellets you'll find you can get a fairly clear wort running out after you whirlpool and let it settle for a reasonble time, 15 mins at least. You can watch it and see everything settle out clear pretty much. Even take a sample from the kettle spigot before you hook it up and start chilling.

That part is a must
- whirlpool ends up in a tight pile in the middle and shouldn't move much at all
- pick up tube at the edge.

Next part is simply a S/S pot scrubber off the supermarket shelf wrapped around the pick up tube end for that little bit that might fall off and come away from the tight pile of trub and hop debris.

Basically aim to run off very clear wort to start with and any filtering means if needed at all keep very simple. You shouldn't need to actually filter the wort itselp the whole way through just stop any bits that might come off the trub pile coming through in a otherwise very clear wort.

Anyway thats exactly how I think you should be doing it and any other ideas of actually doing strange things with it disturb me :beerbang: a individual hop bag for every pellet won't be need, hop bags are for samples of shappelle's finest when going to a party.



Alcohol fueled brewtality
Jayse

 

[Justin]

I like the design and quoted specs of Jamil's cooler.

If the system can cool to lower than 38 degC in 3 minutes, I might look into this setup a bit more. Not sure what I can do with my chillout if this works as well as he says, no reason why it wouldn't.

Kirk

FWIW I've done this for quite a while now, ever since I commissioned my pump. It works great and increases the efficiency of my immersion chiller immensely because it basically means I'm stirring for the entire chill rather than in short bursts or constantly standing there stirring. I can just sit the lid on my kettle and let it whirlpool and chill efficiently while I clean up and do other things.

I think the main reason people gripe about the efficiency of an immersion chiller is because they don't stir, just let it sit in there in which case they do a terrible job. With the constant motion I'd be surprised if I'd see much of an improvement in cooling speed using a counter flow or plate chiller but then I am blessed with cold tassie tap water too.

Last time I brewed I had 6 degree tap water from the in-ground tank. I over chilled my wort because it chilled so quick and I wasn't watching No harm done of course.

 

[kirem]

I wonder how a whirlpool setup running through the plate chiller (maybe two chillers) would work? Maybe run a bypass until the wort clears then run it through the chiller/s

At present I intend to use an esky with a submersible aquarium pump. The esky full of water with a couple of large ice blocks in it. This would be the source of cooling water. With the water recycling through the esky.

I also have a water purifier that I want to setup to use this cooling setup through the condenser.

I can see some quality improvements by getting the temp below 38 deg C ASAP after the boil, especially for DMS and pilsners, but also late hopping.

Kirk

 

[Justin]

I guess the problem with running it through the plate chillers while whirlpooling is that you haven't had any time for the trub and hops to settle at all. The whirlpool does work to pile hops and trub in a cone to a degree but not nearly as well as just letting it settle for 15mins or giving it a real strong vigorous stir with a spoon where you can really get it moving.

I really think this whirlpool idea lends itself best to an immersion chiller, or a counterflow or convoluted where you have no real risk of clogging. Plate chillers are probably less than ideal here.

I agree, I like the idea of the immersion chilling the whole wort at once for those late addition hops. Throw them in and then crash the temp. I can see many advantage for the immersion chiller in this instance, but this has been discussed plenty of times before and I don't want to start the debate again.

Whirlpooling for a while when it's still hot as you stated only exposes those late hops to more heat for longer. Maybe you wouldn't see a difference but in theory it wouldn't be ideal IMO.

Probably best just to use the plate chillers as they were conventionally used. The recirculating whirlpool is really just a technique to get out of having to manually stir the wort while chilling with an IM.

Just something to watch for and it will be interesting to see how your esky with ice idea works out, but when you're recircing you'll be pumping steaming hot water back into your esky right from the start. This is going to vapourise your ice pretty quick and the whole reservior of chilling water is going to continue to increase in temp for the whole chill. This will mean your chilled wort temp will continue to rise the longer the chill goes for, the downside of this is with a counterflow or plate chiller you get one pass at your chill. ie. you can't keep chilling it further once the wort has passed through the chiller (other than into the fridge) so you have to get your pitching temp first go. I like the fact with the immersion you can just keep chilling until you get your temp.

 

[kirem]

easy to add more ice blocks as they melt.

I agree the whirlpool does seem to lend itself to an immersion chiller.