Last edited by a moderator:
So you think it's tied to too fine a crush or another issue? One way to determine would be to add 1/2 lb of rice hulls to your next batch and see if that resolves it.
Wayne - thanks for the feedback! Which version do you own, the 20L or 40L? What mash schedule are you running?
I actually did this today with 1 gallon of 188 degree water. I had to abort my mash session so I figured the mash had been "mashing" sitting still for over an hour total so I would just rinse and get the boil started.
As DeGarre mentioned, do you run your water at a very slow rate thru your chiller? I use a sump pump from Harbor Freight and it has one speed...wide open. I found a way to throttle it so I was thinking of trying the Speidel chiller once more and slow the ice water.
I just put my cold water on full blast through the chiller, turn the pump on and swirl the chiller around every 5-6 minutes. cools in 15 or so minutes even on a hot California day.
hfk2 said:Your crush looks similar to mine. I do think I get too much flour. I've noticed that after 6 to 7 minutes of adding the grain to the pipe I have to pause and gently redistribute the grains. I use my paddle and just poke down through the bed until the density feels equal all around. I also found I have to be very careful about getting grains into the main pot. My last batch some grain got into the pump and not only made a rackety noise, but stop pumping all together. Fortunately I used my March pump to pump wort through the BM pump intake hole which cleared it out. Yambor44 maybe your bed was too compacted combined with the cloth filter maybe being out of place, the wort found the path of least resistance. My first batch I found channeling at the outer edge of the pipe and around the center post. If the problem was the new impellers I would think that when the wort is ramping up to the boil, while the pump is running, it would be shooting up like a geyser, but you didn't say that happened. A few pages back an Australian said his shop where he bought his BM made cloth filters with a drawstring that fit around the SS sieve. Maybe you could have someone make on and try it out. My SS screens don't lay flat so when I add the grain some slips underneath the bottom and some comes out the top, so these aren't the cure all either.
My vote is change one step in your process to determine on your next batch. Either a draw string filter or rice hulls. I think it's crush related as it looks a bit on the fine side from what I can see in the pics. Rice hulls or wet mill would be my next step if I was modifying. Let us know how the next session goes.
Man I don't know what the deal is then. I know for my system, the chiller works best if the water running thru it is fast. Yesterday took over an hour at the slow water rate.
I have done just as you described twice and both times it took 45-50 minutes to get to 68.
Ok, from your accent I am guessing you are from the south--Texas--Memphis:cross:
makomachine said:My vote is change one step in your process to determine on your next batch. Either a draw string filter or rice hulls. I think it's crush related as it looks a bit on the fine side from what I can see in the pics. Rice hulls or wet mill would be my next step if I was modifying. Let us know how the next session goes.
cyberbackpacker said:OT: Wayne, actually I am assuming he is a Florida native. The further north in Florida you go, the more South you get Ocala has been historically more farm/ag country then anything. Those type of accents are not uncommon for natives from certain parts of FL.
I can say this as I grew up there and just moved away about 11-12 years ago. In fact I played against Daunte Culpepper at Ocala Vanguard when I was a Senior in high school.
Not sure. I made 4 batches with the same crush, one was the exact same grain bill so I'm at a lose.
I'm thinking of getting some stainless steel or copper thin wire and tying the mesh to the sieve in a few places to hold it in position. It shouldn't take a minute to put together and can be taken apart fast to clean.
I got the metal filters and find it difficult to place the top one onto the mash without splashing liquid and thus some malt onto the filter because I have to drop it a bit. Need to figure out some pliers etc that I can use to just gently place it on top of the mash. Or get the one that is tied to the edge of the metal thingy.
I'm thinking of getting some stainless steel or copper thin wire and tying the mesh to the sieve in a few places to hold it in position. It shouldn't take a minute to put together and can be taken apart fast to clean.
You are dead on. I was born and raised in Gainesville them moved and finished 8-12th grades in Starke which is where I'm sure I picked up my "accent". Moved to Ocala in 91.
Where did you go to high school?
Back to Wayne. I use ice water for the entire chilling process pumped thru the chiller with a sump pump.
I'm such a knucklehead--All I had to do was look left to your profile, but I was so fascinated by the cinematography i could not take my eyes off the screen
Did you try it on a brew day or with just cool water? I would imagine you wouldn't want to add that until after you removed the malt pipe eh?
Threw caution to the wind and tried it on my last brew day, a Belgian Dubbel with 13.5 lbs of grain. Put it in before I added water - heated, added the malt pipe and crossed my fingers. Ran the entire process with it in place without a hitch. Next time I may not be so lucky but it seems to be pretty solid.
-Chris
This thread rocks! I'm definitely going to try Chris's whirlpool mod when I get mine as that's something I was thinking about. I mean you have a pump... Why not a whirlpool integrated? Brilliant!
You'll have to keep us updated on how the mod holds up through your next few brew sessions. The only thing I can think it might impact is that the pump has to work a bit harder on the bend to keep up the circulation through the grain bed. If you didn't have a problem with a large malt bill though, it would appear to not be an issue.
Rob - wondering if this would help or hurt your channeling issue?
Enter your email address to join: