diatomaceous earth filter

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Beer_Pirate

Beer_Pirate

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Does anyone know anything about how to construct a diatomaceous earth filter for the small homebrew scale? It would be used for filtering out hot/cold break after the wort chiller. I know it would have to be actively pumped, but i know little about how absorbant DE is and other factors.

If anyone has any experience, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
you would be better off looking at paper filters than trying to build a DE filter as you have to coat a filter plate and keep adding DE as you go to keep from plugging filter bed. Any special reason for wort filtering?.
 
Avoid DE. It is an effective filter bed, but very impractical for homebrewing. Expensive and dangerous (skin and lung problems if you come in contact with it).
Instead try a plate filter you will also need a pump.
 
If you want to pursue DE filtration, the Filter grade DE is not expensive, ~$.70 a pound, not toxic or dangerous just a dust nuisance when handling. Most of the DE filtration systems use a fine cloth filter pad to catch initial layer of DE then additional layers build up over cloth. Back flush cleanup followed by removal and cleaning of cloth media should work.
 
Normal plate filters are enough of a pain that that want to avoid them as much as possible. DE filters are even worse. Head the other poster’s advice to stay away from this. They are a mess to set up and operate which is the reason why they have little use in home brewing and even in the industry they have serious competition b/c of their difficult handling.

But if you are looking for a DIY challenge you found it.

Kai
 
WOw homebrewing with a DE filter? Now thats going to be a pain in the ass.

If you are dead set on doing it however, use Sil-Kleer Perlite. It doesnt have the skin and lung problems you'd find with DE, and you have to use 60% less than than you would with DE also.
 
Chimone said:
WOw homebrewing with a DE filter? Now thats going to be a pain in the ass.

If you are dead set on doing it however, use Sil-Kleer Perlite. It doesnt have the skin and lung problems you'd find with DE, and you have to use 60% less than than you would with DE also.
Click to expand...


Did you learn that in your fancy school? I'm impressed! ;)
 
The bottom line is that there's no compelling reason to remove break material, at least not that I'm aware of. If you're going through the trouble of fine filtering, you might as well save it for post ferment. I'm not recommending that either.
 
All the commercial brewing systems i have been around use centrifuges for break material removal and DE filtration from fermentation to bright tanks. For homebrewing a cloth filter should be sufficient for break material removal, paper element for post ferment absolute filtration.
 
BTW, there have been commercial attempts in DE filtration of wort. But they didn't prevail. To much work for very little gain.

Kai
 

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