Blocked hop filter

[L2wis]

This evening instead of getting a stuck mash I struggled when draining the boiler. Which filter designs work best? At the moment I have a length of pipe with little holes drilled in it. Maybe I just need more holes? I only had 35g of hops (in 23lt brew).

[jimp2003]

That's bad luck L2wis.

I have a hop filter from Maltmiller like this one: http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.ph ... ductId=193 and have never had problems with it.

It might be that the position of the filter in relation to the bottom of the kettle is causing problems. Mine sits only a few mm off the bottom..

[sweatysock]

I used to use a stainless braided sleeve but it was no good. Now use a copper tube with 3mm holes in. It works a treat. Any big bits carried over will drop out anyway.

[L2wis]

The holes in mine look smaller than 3mm so maybe that's the issue. I use no chill also not worried about getting bits transferred. I've got some 15mm pipe left over so might try bigger holes and putting a bend in it like the malt millers design. Mine currently sits around 15mm from the bottom.

[Martin G]

As well as design of filter, it is also might be worth thinking about other factors, somone on here posted recently that they think too much copper finings is the cause. I started getting problems with my pipe with holes filter with no change in my equipment, and using the same amount of irish moss. I think I was running off too fast and ramming the hops into the holes, as when I took it to bits there was apparently no blockage.

By the way I moved to hop bag when I scaled up as a temporary measure, well actually it is a grain bag as they are bigger and still allow the hops to jiggle about and I now give them a few squeezes during the boil to be sure. At the start of cooling I push the hop bag down to the inlet for the tap (15mm pipe a few mm off the bottom)and hold it in place with the coil, the idea being that it will hold back some of the trub. I don't stir during boil either, as my coil is well distributed and it allows the trub to settle, have not yet tried to whirlpool.

[L2wis]

Martin you make some good points here. I only used around an eighth of a protofloc table (do you need to chill your wort for These to work?) however i was in a rush and opened the tap full straight away and like you said there was nothing jammed after it had all drained.

[barneey]

This evening instead of getting a stuck mash I struggled when draining the boiler. Which filter designs work best? At the moment I have a length of pipe with little holes drilled in it. Maybe I just need more holes? I only had 35g of hops (in 23lt brew).

I`ve tried quite a few filters in the past, the malt miller one works well, other styles such as the "garth ring style" also work, Dellar recently made one from stainless rings, Aleman also made one from copper. The stainless steel braid idea also works, although I found it best to enclose the braid with a fine mesh draw string bag (ring of stainless with bag over it).

If you ever start using a plate chiller to cool, think very carefully what you want to filter out for a normal gravity fed system any of the above shouldnt get blocked, but for starters I would see if more holes work in the existing setup.

[Rick_UK]

I used to get blocked bolier hop filter when it was a pipe with holes in it. I swapped to a steel braid type and have not had a blockage since - granted it can get quite slow draining toward the end of the run off.

Rick

[L2wis]

Think ill have a mess about with my current one before swapping to a different type entirely. I don't remember having these issues before so maybe it was more the run off speed causing the problem.

Can I ask, what is the purpose of the holes being on the bottom of copper pipe strainers?

[techtone]

Had you switched to Bairds malt when this became a problem?

I sometimes find I can pump the tap lever a few times to get it going again. Otherwise I just pour and filter through a sieve. It all drops out in the fermenter anyway so is not really a problem.

[micromaniac]

Think ill have a mess about with my current one before swapping to a different type entirely. I don't remember having these issues before so maybe it was more the run off speed causing the problem.

Can I ask, what is the purpose of the holes being on the bottom of copper pipe strainers?

so that the hops dont get sucked in from above .with the holes on the bottom they tend to stick on the top and side acting as a filter

[darkonnis]

3 options really:
1. put more holes in the filter
2. leave the boil running whilst you empty it out then when you get toward the element, boiler off and drain the rest
3. use hop bags which eliminates the problem with whole hops and pellets!? (really fine muslin cloth worked a treat for me)

Reason I say leave the boiler on is I get a big swirling mass (even on the big rig and its lone 3kw element), the current forces the hops round, when I was recircing for 10minutes no issues, as soon as I turned the boiler off and put it to the FV it went slow and slower and.... trickle. as you're doing no chill, it's no hardship just ot leave it running hope that helps.
cooky

[greenxpaddy]

One thing I swear by is not recirculating or whirlpooling until the chill is nearly complete. So there is a good bed of hops and fluff.

[orlando]

It often comes down to speed of run off. The finer the filtering the slower the run off. If I am keen to have a really clear wort and am using say a lot of torrifed wheat or some other protein laden adjunct then I employ a sock that I had SWMBO run up from a coarse grade hop bag. This goes over a copper manifold with slots cut into rather than holes, which might be an alternative for you to consider.

[orlando]

One thing I swear by is not recirculating or whirlpooling until the chill is nearly complete. So there is a good bed of hops and fluff.

Now that's interesting, when I recirced today I thought it speeded up the formation of the bed, but I use a plate chiller so don't run off until I have a clear wort anyway.