Plate chiller in/out

I recently aquired a plate chiller from Dudadiesel.
The four connectors are not labelled at all, am I correct to assume that flow can be in any direction and any pair can be used for either water or wort ?

Yes, of course you obviously want the flow of wort vs. water to be opposite (counter) to each other.

Thanks.
BTW - for anyone debating getting a plate chiller - this thing has changed my life !

I have a 30 plate on the way. Never used one. Any advice? I am really concerned about cleaning it.
Also only use pellet hops. I am worried about clogging. How do you unclog it if it does?
Thanks

I used my Chillhog 4000 for the first time with my last batch. I use hop bags, so i get very little trub from the kettle to fermenter. For the connections on the chiller, one set should be garden hose size, the others 1/2" pipe thread. Pretty easy to tell which to use for each. As mentioned have the chilling water flow opposite of the wort flow. I would also advise NOT touching the wort in side with bare hands.

I'm getting ready to get a pump for my setup. It should help feed the chiller better from my Blichmann kettle, especially once the level gets below the valve body. I plan to use QDs on it, to make it a bit easier. Plus it will match what i have from the kettle to the chiller.

If you don't use hop bags, you might want to install a screen inside the kettle.

for cleaning it aftwr use, backflush under full hose pressure. You can also pump PBW through it and then StarSan. Of course, with a pump, you can run boiling wort through it ~5 minutes from flame off to sanitize it. your choice there. Both methods will work, I've heard that some prefer the hot wort method since it will kill anyting still inside the chiller.

As always RDWHAHB

I also use a hop bag (paint strainer) and havn't had any clogging issues. I stopped using Irish Moss some time back as Ive found my beers clear completely with gelatine but I suspect Irish Moss may cause some cloggin issues.
There have been threads on HBT of plate chillers becoming unusable after becoming completely clogged - from hops or otherwise.

Just what SAMC said. Here is pic of mine. You just make out the labels i wrote in sharpie. Wort in comes in from right 90deg cam lock. Wort out is left 90deg camlock. Water in is the top left and water out is top right.

I use 200 micron nylon filter bag from duda diesel for my hop bag. I recirc wort through chiller last 15 minutes of boil. after boil I back flush with hose and then bake in oven for 20 minutes or so.

rockytoptim said:

Just what SAMC said. Here is pic of mine. You just make out the labels i wrote in sharpie. Wort in comes in from right 90deg cam lock. Wort out is left 90deg camlock. Water in is the top left and water out is top right.

I use 200 micron nylon filter bag from duda diesel for my hop bag. I recirc wort through chiller last 15 minutes of boil. after boil I back flush with hose and then bake in oven for 20 minutes or so.

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What Temp do you bake it? What does that get you? If the sugars are still in the plate, wouldn't it still grow nasty stuff? I bought my plate because I thought it might cut down on brew time. It takes about 40 Min for me to chill with my IC. But if I chill in 10 with my plate but spend 30 min cleaning then I really haven't gained anything. Plus now I have cold break in my Fermenter and a screen to clean in my kettle.
Am I wrong? Are they worth the trouble?

If you can keep the hop particles out of the chiller then clean up isn't a big deal. If they get stuck inside it takes a lot of effort to clean it out. I don't see the point of a 20 minute bake. I ran mine in the clean cycle of the oven and it turned everything to ash, not sure that is a good long term cleaning method however.

I had hop debris stuck in my chiller and I can't begin to remember how many different chemicals and flushes with boiling water I did before it finally stopped flushing bits of old hops.

I use mine because I have it, not sure if it is the best way to go.

I have never worried about putting cold break into my fermenter as it all falls to the bottom anyway. I usually bake at 300 - 320 just to make sure everything inside is sanitized. The way i see it is that if it takes you 40 minutes to chill with your IC and I can do in 10 minutes. I am ahead on brew time. the 30 minutes its baking in the oven you can be doing other things its not like I am scrubbing it for 30 minutes. My hop bag I just spray off then run through the dishwasher with all my other brewing stuff.

samc said:

If you can keep the hop particles out of the chiller then clean up isn't a big deal. If they get stuck inside it takes a lot of effort to clean it out. I don't see the point of a 20 minute bake. I ran mine in the clean cycle of the oven and it turned everything to ash, not sure that is a good long term cleaning method however.

I had hop debris stuck in my chiller and I can't begin to remember how many different chemicals and flushes with boiling water I did before it finally stopped flushing bits of old hops.

I use mine because I have it, not sure if it is the best way to go.

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Mine is rated at 437 deg F for a Max temp. I think the oven in clean cycle goes above that. Maybe not. I assume you did that as a last ditch effort to get those hops out? Did it affect it any doing that?

I have a double screen setup that I am trying to put together to hopefully get the majority of the hops with out clogging on the screen.
I have a Bazooka screen on my kettle then I am wrapping that with a version of the Hop Taco made from 30x30 stainless screen. I am hoping the big screen laying in the bottom will be a good first line of defense without clogging. Then the bazooka will allow drawing of liquid along the entire length of the tube instead of just the end. Then again it could just turn out to be a big mess and I have to break out the IC again.
We will see if this works.
Hops floating in a bag doesn't reduce the utilization of the hops? Or do you increase the amount to compensate?
Thanks for the input.

Cleaning a plate chiller takes 5 mins with a backflush.
Every 10th brew I clean the entire system with hot oxyclean for 30mins, I plan on including the plate chiller into this routine.
A hop bag doesn't decrease hop utilization. I use a large stainless nut in the bag to keep it weighted down.

I just submerge mine in an oxyclean solution in a bucket overnight, about every 3 brews. Normally I just backflush and its fine.

Not to hijack this thread, but I just made a hop bag last night to try instead of messing with all the screens. Hopefully it will do the job and keep my chiller clean.

No problem, thats exactly what I use.

The chiller worked great this weekend.
170 to 65. I was impressed.
I had thermo wells on the in and out hooked to my Love temp controller so I could watch the temp drop across the chiller. Very impressive unit.
The hop bag worked great also. I made a mini hop taco just in case and there was very little hops on the screen.

Nice !
Im impressed with mine as well - straight from the BK at boiling temps to the fermenter at 60*F.
My freinds wife drove onto the hose pipe supplying the chiller with water. The pressure built up and the hose came off - sprayed my garage with water - oh well, never a dull moment when brewing.
I need to install a temp gauge on the "out" side. I may wait untill I get BSC instead of getting an analogue gauge now.

Bru said:

I stopped using Irish Moss some time back as Ive found my beers clear completely with gelatine

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I didn't use Irish moss this time and my beer is very cloudy. Usually my beers are super clear by now. Gelatin - is it too late to use? Can I use it in the secondary? How do you use yours?
Thanks

Hey-

Nice to read what other folks are doing in a similar situation. I have a duda 30 plate mounted above my HLT. I use a wort pump just below the BK to push wort thru the plate and (via some loc-line) back into the kettle for a recirculating chill. Also use a paint bag, but it's suspended on a stainless steamer basket mounted inside the kettle. I'm still having a few issues with different grain bills and clogging of the drain. My filtering regime past the bag is a bazooka screen, another piece of 14 X 14 mesh, and then finally a screen gasket of 20 X 20 mesh. Criminy.

Most brews are fine, but the last one clogged my pre-filter regime. Definitely, all attempts to filter before the plate should be made. I clogged mine the very first time and it was a nightmare. After the filtering regiment, a quick backwash is all I need and makes the whole thing worth it and less time consuming. They are difficult to drain fully of water if they are permanently mounted somehow. I was able to get the one with mounting studs and have it mounted with thumbscrews, so I take it off and shake it out every brew (kind of a PIA, but.. you can't have everything).

Sorry for the late reply.
I normally use gelatine two days before bottling or kegging. I don't normally use a secondary but if I do and I want really clear beer I use gelatine in primary two days before racking to secondary and then again in secondary two days before bottling.
Gelatine works better if you can chill the beer before adding. And don't let it boil - heat it with water untill it dissolves, then cool and add.

nate456789 said:

I didn't use Irish moss this time and my beer is very cloudy. Usually my beers are super clear by now. Gelatin - is it too late to use? Can I use it in the secondary? How do you use yours?
Thanks

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