Whirlpool Inlet

[Jye]

Yep thats where I got the idea I initially had a set up like that but the whirlpooling didnt work very well, it was mainly for moving the wort over the chiller. The new inlet does both excellently.

 

[Justin]

Glad to hear it's working for you.

I've had a recirculation/whirlpool set up on my kettle for a while now (you can see pics of my brewery if you search for it) and it works well. I'm using a march pump and silicone hose. The biggest benefit I see is if you are using an immersion chiller. I use an IC and by having the wort drawn out the bottom and whirlpooled back into the top it means that I no longer have to stir the wort to increase the efficiency of the chiller, it just keeps the wort moving around the coil constantly. I just turn the pump on and put the lid back on the kettle and let it go while I start cleaning up. It's very effective and allows quick cooling without me having to stand there and stir constantly.

It does create the whirlpool effect and pile the hops and trub in the centre but I still turn the pump off and let it sit for 5-10mins before draining to the fermenter.

Cheers, Justin

 

[ausdb]

This may be a problem for all you march pump users... but not me

Hi Jye care to share some more details on your pump, where did you get it from?

 

[Jye]

It is a peristaltic pump from an old dialysis machine, I have no idea where you would find one this size but if you do I imagine it would cost you a kidney

I imagine it wouldnt be hard to make one if you have a mill, it is a very simply constructed pump.

 

[ausdb]

I imagine it wouldnt be hard to make one if you have a mill, it is a very simply constructed pump.

[post="123605"][/post]​

Ta, thats not completely out of the question if I get the old man to call in a few favours! now he has sold his engineering business.

Are you able to post any more pics? What diameter is the inner curve that the tube is compressed against? what sort of motor is driving it and how many RPM is it doing? and finally what sort of flow rates do you get from it and does it pulsate much?

 

[Velophile]

What I found, using an in-line CFWC, was the hot/cold break that formed went around, and around the system. Each time the break material passes the propellor in the pump it get smashed into smaller and smaller pieces. These smalll particles take along time to settle (actually never settle).

This may be a problem for all you march pump users... but not me

View attachment 6906

[post="123571"][/post]​

Hey Jye, What size silicon hose are you using in your pump?

 

[Doc]

Thought I'd take a bash at doing the rapid chill yesterday on the NSW Xmas Case Saison.

The plan was to take the wort out the kettle outlet, through the March pump, through the Counterflow chiller and back into the top of the kettle. Get a whirlpool going, and do a quick chill.
Everything seem to go well for a minute or two, but then the temp through the counterflow was only registering 35 degC. Figured it couldn't be that good. Temp probe in the kettle and still 85degC. Checked the flow rate and it had slowed.

Resumed normal process of passing to the fermenter. When the level got down in the kettle I noticed that the bazooka screen was clogged of hotbreak material and hop debris. And I only used 50 gr of hops (its a Saison).

So I wouldn't recommend using a filter on the kettle pickup and trying to recirc. I hate to imagine how quick it would have clogged with one of my hop monsters.

Beers,
Doc

 

[justsomeguy]

Hey Doc,

Been through pretty much the same thing with the filter getting clogged on the kettle pickup. I was using a stainlees braid on my pickup and had massive clogging problems.

My solution was as follows:

I made a massive filter screen out of a pair of cheap stainless splatter screens from the local supermarket. I squsjed the edges of the screens together and attached that the my kettle pickup tube. It looks quite similar to a hopstopper from ihomebrewsolutions.com and only cost me about $4 total. It takes about 10 minutes for the screen to set up a good filter bed when the pump starts but you get clear wort after that. The stainless screen isn't really fine so you have to rely somewhat on the hops setting up a filter bed but thats not really a problem when recirculating for cooling anyway.

I've done an APA with 160gms of Amarillo pellet hops and the thing worked a treat. No clogging at all. I've also run piles of leaf hops through it with no problems. I found that I got clear wort faster with leaf hops though.

gary.

 

[BrissyBrew]

What I found, using an in-line CFWC, was the hot/cold break that formed went around, and around the system. Each time the break material passes the propellor in the pump it get smashed into smaller and smaller pieces. These smalll particles take along time to settle (actually never settle).

This may be a problem for all you march pump users... but not me

View attachment 6906

[post="123571"][/post]​

Hey Jye, What size silicon hose are you using in your pump?

Hey Jye
Did you try my the thicker walled silicone tube or is that the thinner walled tube from grain and grape?

 

[Jye]

Hey Jye
Did you try my the thicker walled silicone tube or is that the thinner walled tube from grain and grape?

Im using the GG tube, will give yours a test tonight.

 

[Jye]

I got a couple of bi-metal thermometers (about $22 from Onetemp) yesterday as an early Christmas presents and now I can final accurately measure my strike water temp and wort temp while cooling.... woo-hoo

 

[Jye]

First time I have chilled a brew since fitting the thermometers and I was surprised at how fast the temp dropped. I was low on ice today so initially knocked the temp down with water straight from the tap before switching over to an ice bath, and it only took 30L in 5min to drop the temp to 60C

Hope to give it another go with just ice later this week.

 

[Tony]

im glad you raised this topic again Jye.

I was planing on doing this a while back and forgot all about it.

another project fro the rig.

bloody hell....... im going to need a uni degree to run it soon

cheers