Whirlpool Vessel: Angle Of The Dangle?

[Fat Bastard]

FB,
Seriously I have tried many version of returns etc, and the best method on the home brew level is 15 sec with a spoon. Only reason I wouldn't d this is if you plan to whirlpool and immersion chiller path of which you won't end up with a clear trub cone anyway as all the cold break will sit on top of your cone.

This photo was today with 200g of hops and 15secs spooning..I have a baffle approx 20mm hi holding the cone back. Boiler is 70l robinox pot.

15 seconds? Seriously?
Of all the manual attempts I made, it was more like 10 minutes solid thrashing ( well starting slow and building up from there) and by far the worst were with a spoon. The best ones were with a plain half inch dowel, the back end of the spoon being too thin to push the wort effectively.
The best attempts were no better than the pump can do, and took longer and required more effort.

I'm beginning to think that beautiful, solid trub cones are a function of pot diameter than anything else. I've never been able to get one that doesn't slump as the wort around it drops in my 36 litre kettle, and that seems to be common with many other users of kettles around that size, as well as keggle users.
I think there are a few advantages to using the pump too, not the least of which is that you can leave the lid on and not lose hop aroma to steam, or have bugs fall in!
I seem to have the process pretty well dialed in now, flame out, lid on, open the valves on the kettle to prime te pump, wait 5 minutes or so until the majority of the break drops out, start the pump with the throttle valve barely open and increase over 5 minutes or so until its as open as it can be without splashing, turn it off, throw in the aroma hops, wait until they've dropped ( 5 minutes or so ) and open the valve to the plate chiller.

It works well enough for me, and cleanup isn't so bad as I use the pump to recirculate hot sodium percarbonate solution through the system afterwards.

 

[hockadays]

15 seconds or so definately less then a minute. The baffle is tack welded at 4 spots on each side. I had originally wanted a return but with all the plumbing etc to put a whirlpool return in, I would spend my money elsewhere. I don't use a spoon either, I use a ss flipper.
Cheers

 

[TidalPete]

Not sure what you mean by "ss flipper" hockadays?
A Google search turns up some sort of a switch-blade knife. --- https://www.google.com.au/#bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=7b38e75ab18cac32&q=brous+ss+flipper
Googling beer + slipper does not help either.

Can you please elaborate on that baffle build & how it is held down to the bottom of the kettle?
Have my own ideas on this but keen to hear what you have done.

I have long since modified my whirlpool tool for height above kettle bottom & the angle from kettle side re another probably forgotten thread. Just interested in another way to avoid sucking out the trub. :beer:

 

[Fat Bastard]

I'm thinking of something like this:

I was thinking about baffles for the bottom of the kettle a while ago and thought that a cheapo stainless bowl rim with about an inch or so of the bowl left on would work. Is that how you did yours hocka?
Probably no good for my kettle with the element there, but an idea for another day,

 

[hockadays]

My flipper is a ss slotted thing that you would flip a meat pattie with. The baffle is a 20mm strip of stainless bent to the same shape as the bottom of the kettle, it's just tack tig welded to the bottom of the pot. Pretty simple really, it works really well.

 

[Parks]

I'm thinking of something like this:

I was thinking about baffles for the bottom of the kettle a while ago and thought that a cheapo stainless bowl rim with about an inch or so of the bowl left on would work. Is that how you did yours hocka?
Probably no good for my kettle with the element there, but an idea for another day,

I have one of those exactly and you can get a ripping whirlpool in 15 seconds, easily.

Having said that I am like you FB - could rarely get a cone to stay put.

 

[hockadays]

Here you go guys, hopefully this clears it all up. Also the my flow my counterflow chiller is is not real fast. The whole batch of 45L takes about 30mins to drain to the fermenter. Remember if your chilling with an immersion chiller the you will never get a cone because of the cold break. It took me going to a counterflow chiller to confirm this.