drsmurto
Well-Known Member
Inline filter? Pull apart and clean?
I find a lot of brewers who complain about hops/trub getting in plate chillers don't understand the importance of a good whirlpool prior to running your wort out of the kettle. Or even the function of the whirlpool.
I have been using a plate chiller for ~5 years (a 20 plate from beerbelly to begin with but the last year or so I have been using a 30 plate), the only inline 'filter' is the beerbelly hopscreen. Never clogged it up yet. Pellets/plugs/flowers - used them all.
If you whirlpool properly and you have your pick up tube placed well, nothing should get in to the plate chiller. Some people use a hop bag, i do occasionally but they are not necessary.
That is the key, making suring clear wort is the only thing going through your chiller.
As for cleaning - immediately after use i flush in both directions a number of times with hot tap water. Drain. Before use I run sanitiser through it and drain. Conveniently, the time between turning off the flame, whirlpooling and chilling, is perfect for setting up the chiller and running a sanitiser through it. Connect to kettle and chill.
A few times a year i clean the brewery - kettle, false bottom, hop screen and chiller. I use a soaking solution of 'homemade' PBW (2:1 sodium percarbonate:sodium metasilicate) @60+C. Soak everything and flush through the chiller a number of times in both directions. Rinse with hot tap water. You could run through an acid based sanitiser at this point to 'neutralise' any remaining PBW but it's not necessary. Drain.
I find a lot of brewers who complain about hops/trub getting in plate chillers don't understand the importance of a good whirlpool prior to running your wort out of the kettle. Or even the function of the whirlpool.
I have been using a plate chiller for ~5 years (a 20 plate from beerbelly to begin with but the last year or so I have been using a 30 plate), the only inline 'filter' is the beerbelly hopscreen. Never clogged it up yet. Pellets/plugs/flowers - used them all.
If you whirlpool properly and you have your pick up tube placed well, nothing should get in to the plate chiller. Some people use a hop bag, i do occasionally but they are not necessary.
That is the key, making suring clear wort is the only thing going through your chiller.
As for cleaning - immediately after use i flush in both directions a number of times with hot tap water. Drain. Before use I run sanitiser through it and drain. Conveniently, the time between turning off the flame, whirlpooling and chilling, is perfect for setting up the chiller and running a sanitiser through it. Connect to kettle and chill.
A few times a year i clean the brewery - kettle, false bottom, hop screen and chiller. I use a soaking solution of 'homemade' PBW (2:1 sodium percarbonate:sodium metasilicate) @60+C. Soak everything and flush through the chiller a number of times in both directions. Rinse with hot tap water. You could run through an acid based sanitiser at this point to 'neutralise' any remaining PBW but it's not necessary. Drain.