Okay, so my wheels have been spinning ever since I did this brew....I think I'm going to rip out the fine mesh and get ALL of the JB Weld out of there.
A couple reasons:
1. The epoxy absorbed the hop pigment so it is perfectly green and looks like paint
2. The mesh was too fine and wasn't allowing any flow as intended.
2A. It wouldn't drain the mash well, so it stayed heavy as hell.
2B.
The pellet hops immediately clogged the mesh, rendering it useless. FACT: A coarser mesh will STILL filter ~80% of pellet hops, I'm learning the trick is to use STAGES of filtration. You only want the mesh to handle the appropriate particle size and then allow everything to pass to the next filter size. Otherwise, you're going to kill your flow and have to service the filter mid-brew. I want a filter that will catch junk, but still allow wort to flow! I will try to achieve this "balanced filtration" with 4 additional levels of filtration between the kettle drain and hopback. Have you ever seen A GOLD MINING OPERATION? Same concept!
So, here's what I'm planning on doing, let me know what you think:
1. I have a fair amount of 6x6 mesh with 0.028 wire diameter. It's pretty sturdy. I was thinking about wrapping it around
twice on the inside, and just
bolting it in. I think this would give me about 12x12 mesh while still allowing good flow...plus it's pretty burly.
2. Now,
how about this: When I bolt in the screen, I can use short carriage screws with the heads on the outside of the basket. These would be like the
LIFTING BOLTS ON THE SPEIDEL BRAUMEISTER but actually a bit more safe. Then, I'd just slide a rod in on either side. If I wanted to suspend it really high, I could slide the rods under the basket but medial to the legs so they can't slip out. I'll just use the grill for grilling
3. Split some silicone tubing and run it around the perimeter of the FB. I noticed a lot of hops and sparge water coming through an open area where it didn't mate up well. The liquid will always go with the path of least resistance, and I want that path to be even across the basket so nothing bypasses my filtration.
Lots more ideas.....who's picking up what I'm puttin' down?