Stir bar issue

My stir bar keeps flying off the magnet.....Its never happened before...

I am doing a larger starter than I usually do, could that have anything to do with it???

The larger starter would definitely have something to do with it. You might very well have it turned up higher to compensate for the larger starter and this will throw the magnet. It could also have a higher viscosity because of a higher cell count.

Is your speed adjustable? If so try turning it down and see if that helps.

Also for mine sometimes if I disturb it once it is going I can not get it too roatate again without throwing and I have to turn it off and set the flask on it to get the magnet properly aligned then I can restart it.

Start it out slow, and then gradually build the speed up. If the motor is going much faster than the liquid, the bar will not spin, and so fly off. You might find you cannot stir as fast as with your smaller starters though.

BioBeing said:

Start it out slow, and then gradually build the speed up. If the motor is going much faster than the liquid, the bar will not spin, and so fly off. You might find you cannot stir as fast as with your smaller starters though.

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+1 This has been my experience too

So can ya boil the stir bar?

I would like to, but don't, especially on an electric stove.

David

Don't use the switch, just turn the speed down till it stops. Turn it up slowly so the magnet and wort can keep up. Watch the magnet with water in the flask or jug.

Its a great tool so far. I have only one batch with it, but the ferment was sexplosive.

David

Stir bars *should* be chemically inert. In my lab we boil solutions with them in all the time and it's never caused anything to go awry with the experiments.

Yeah you can boil with them in and that is part of the advantage of using one. You can autoclave or pressure cook with them in as well which I do.

Thank you Next time I'll put it on with the wort before boiling. I love it. I am sure the flask is sanitized and now the stir bar.

I take a spare magnet and hold my stir cross on the side of the flask, so it's not directly on the flame. I know the flask should insulate it, but why take the chance.

I use the same magnet so I don't dump the stirrer into the carboy as well.

B

With the magnet in trying to boil the wort, the magnet was boiling filling the flask with foam. It ran over a couple times, so I started over with out the magnet.

This was an electric stove.

David

I had a stir bar go *bad*. It used to work, then it quit working. It wasn't thrown. On start-up it would make about 4 or 5 revolutions then just stop and vibrate in the center of the flask. Speed variations had no effect. I had another stir bar of same size and it works just fine in wort and in water. Somehow it's magnetic properties changed so I tossed it.

rcrabb22 said:

I had a stir bar go *bad*. It used to work, then it quit working. It wasn't thrown. On start-up it would make about 4 or 5 revolutions then just stop and vibrate in the center of the flask. Speed variations had no effect. I had another stir bar of same size and it works just fine in wort and in water. Somehow it's magnetic properties changed so I tossed it.

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I've got two stir bars that I'm certain have had their magnetic properties changed. One of them it seems like one end had it had its polarity reversed. I used to store them next to each other, but no longer. They still kind of work but I can't turn my plate up past 3 or they get thrown. These same bars in the same flasks I used to be able to crank up to 7-9 without being thrown