Therminator

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Beer Weevel

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Today was the first time I used my new Therminator plater chiller man what a amazing piece of equipment!!! It brought down the wort from 212F to 74F in about five minutes with tap water of 67F unbeliveable this thing ROCKS, I'm just sorry I did'nt buy one along time ago. As far as I'm concerned it gets five stars!!!:)
 
The only negative thing I've ever heard about plate chillers is that they're hard to clean. Do you agree, or is that just an excuse not to spend money on a great gadget?
 
I suppose if your not careful and got somthing lodged in it, it could be a problem. but I used a kit that has the hopps in the malt as well as pelletized hop additions and they passed through no problem. As far as I'm concerned I'll never use an immersion chiller again. The plate chiller works to well!!!!! As for cleaning all I did was back flush which takes less time to clean than and immersion chiller. I don't think that if you used a false bottom, manifold or bazooka screen that anything that passes through them would pass through the plate chiller.
 
3/8 th's, there my be an advantage with going to 1/2 as far as debris in the wort, but you my increase the out going wort temperature with the incrased wort volume?
 
I also love mine but am concerned about how clean it gets. It's hard not to run break material through it and, regardless of how much you flush it, there's no way to internally inspect it to verify that it's clean. Other than that, awesome piece of gear.
 
I know you can't see the inside of the unit, but I figure if you back flush and soak in a sanitizing solution, or boil in P.B.W. that sould do it. I guess I have a don't see don't tell policy. You need to have a trust in your sanitation program.
 
Are you running your's with a pump or gravity? If gravity how about some pic's of it set up. I have a Shirron using gravity and i'm having a problem keeping a siphon going.
 
I just hooked it up gravity flow and it worked fine I made sure that all my connections were tight. I used high temperature hose from the boil kettle to the Terminator and just used regular 3/8th's gas tubing from the Terminator to the
Throumometer to the fermenter. They say that it works with a pump. That will be my next up grade. I'll take and post pictures when I brew next time.
 
I just used mine for the second time yesterday. There are definetly some draw backs to the therminator. For one, it is hard to clean. I have found that boiling after use gets most of the lodged material out. I boil it for fifteen minutes, turn off the heat, then add PBW. I then take a pair of tongs and remove the therminator, empty the liquid, submerge, empty the liquid and so on. This action helps get the rest of the particles out. I then rinse and submerge in sanitizer. This may sound contrary to the instructions, but I think hard flushing the Therminator only lodges the fine particles further. Dunking and draining the Therminator may be more effective.

Another aspect about the Therminator that I do not like is that it is hard to get all the liquid out of it. There is always a little liquid trapped in this thing. I blew miny out with co2 , and that helped, but I could still hear liquid in it.

My chilling results using the Therm are nothing short of amazing. I use the 1/2" fittings with gravity and I am collecting 10 gallons in 7 to 8 minutes.

The Theminator WILL NOT get a thumbs up until I have brewed at least ten batches without issues. So far this is the only peice of equipment that I have changed in my setup in the past year. If the Therm doesn't clean and sanitize the way the manufacturers say it will, then it does me no good.

I am a little worried about my last batch, only becaused of the debris that was trapped in my therminator. Even though I boiled it and sanitized it, there is no way to tell that I got all the particles out. I'll post my results when I rack my beer.
 
I have a Shirron plate chiller, and boy does it works great. It cools my wort right down to pitching temps as fast as I can siphon it. Even in the summer months, it has worked for me with no problems.

The main problem I have heard about from using plate chillers is the build up of beerstone. Many so-called experts have warned about the build up and inability to clean it from the plates, and advise that they are infections waiting to happen. (They also say the same thing about counter flow chillers)

From the Coors Brewery in regards to Beerstone in draft lines:
All beer contains calcium, which is introduced into the brewing process with raw materials such as grains, or in the brewing and blending water. Oxalic acid, or oxalate salts, are present in hops and formed during the germination of barley, and in the course of malting. The calcium ion and oxalic acid can form an insoluble compound called Calcium Oxalate (Ca2CO4).
​
The solubility of the compound becomes less in cold conditions. It can continue to form as the beer ages, or if it is stored at colder than recommended temperatures. The resulting calcium oxalate precipitant can settle out of the beer and deposit on draught line surfaces.

Calcium Oxalate deposits, in combination with insoluble protein, and other material, is commonly termed ‘beerstone’. The beerstone will continue to build if the system is not cleaned properly or regularly, eventually it can lead to drawing problems and beer turbidity if it begins to flake off.

Beerstone is evidenced as grayish/hite or brownish deposits on the faucet or inner wall of the beer line, or as tobacco like flakes in the beer.

The experts claim that the rapid chilling process of the plate chillers, along with multiple use and the inability to disassemble and clean the plate chillers is what causes the build up in them over a period of time.

The manufacturers of plate chillers claim that using an acid based cleaner will remove it if cleaned immediately. I usually cap my carboy once I fill it with chilled wort, and attend to the chiller immediately by disconnecting it from the kettle, add some Star San into the chiller, connect my backflush and start running hot water through it.

So far so good, but I really wish someone made one that you could disassemble for cleaning.
 
seansbrew said:
I just used mine for the second time yesterday. There are definetly some draw backs to the therminator. For one, it is hard to clean. I have found that boiling after use gets most of the lodged material out. I boil it for fifteen minutes, turn off the heat, then add PBW. I then take a pair of tongs and remove the therminator, empty the liquid, submerge, empty the liquid and so on. This action helps get the rest of the particles out. I then rinse and submerge in sanitizer. This may sound contrary to the instructions, but I think hard flushing the Therminator only lodges the fine particles further. Dunking and draining the Therminator may be more effective.

Another aspect about the Therminator that I do not like is that it is hard to get all the liquid out of it. There is always a little liquid trapped in this thing. I blew miny out with co2 , and that helped, but I could still hear liquid in it.

My chilling results using the Therm are nothing short of amazing. I use the 1/2" fittings with gravity and I am collecting 10 gallons in 7 to 8 minutes.

The Theminator WILL NOT get a thumbs up until I have brewed at least ten batches without issues. So far this is the only peice of equipment that I have changed in my setup in the past year. If the Therm doesn't clean and sanitize the way the manufacturers say it will, then it does me no good.

I am a little worried about my last batch, only becaused of the debris that was trapped in my therminator. Even though I boiled it and sanitized it, there is no way to tell that I got all the particles out. I'll post my results when I rack my beer.
Click to expand...
I have now used my Therminator on three batches and It cleans exactly as the manufacturer specified!!! I use a backflusher and backflush at least three times and than sanitize in idophor I have had no problems, I even went a step further for laughs and giggles, I backflushed and then boiled the unit in PBW after using a pre hopped extract ,after the PBW boil I got very little particulate out of the Therminator certainly not enough to clog its passages!!!! in my book it still gets five stars!!!:ban:
 
smogman said:
I have now used my Therminator on three batches and It cleans exactly as the manufacturer specified!!! I use a backflusher and backflush at least three times and than sanitize in idophor I have had no problems, I even went a step further for laughs and giggles, I backflushed and then boiled the unit in PBW after using a pre hopped extract ,after the PBW boil I got very little particulate out of the Therminator certainly not enough to clog its passages!!!! in my book it still gets five stars!!!:ban:
Click to expand...

I hope I get the same results. I'll post the outcome of my Roasted Red when I rack it.
 
If the "beerstone" is calcium based, it should clean out easily with a calcium/lime remover and a thorough flushing afterwards. I have not used my CFC enough to have the issue, but I run a cleaner (CLR) through my coffee pot a few times a year and never have an issue with off tastes in God's second favorite brew.
 
Hopfan said:
If the "beerstone" is calcium based, it should clean out easily with a calcium/lime remover and a thorough flushing afterwards. I have not used my CFC enough to have the issue, but I run a cleaner (CLR) through my coffee pot a few times a year and never have an issue with off tastes in God's second favorite brew.
Click to expand...

You would think that since we are all crazy about cleaning and sanitizing everything we use, that since we clean our plate chillers immediately, that there wouldnt be time for any real build up. Beer Line Cleaner (BLC) is supposed clean beerstone as well. Either way, Im not giving up on mine.
 
So I racked my Roasted Red today, It is most excellent. The Therminator is two for two. Keep in mind that this is the newest addition to my brewhouse in two years.
 
seansbrew said:
So I racked my Roasted Red today, It is most excellent. The Therminator is two for two. Keep in mind that this is the newest addition to my brewhouse in two years.
Click to expand...

DANG!!!

i was hoping you'd wanna dump that thing CHEAP!!!

we've been using what amounts to a automotive heater core for hundreds of gallons with great results. but it don't look sexy like those therminators.
 

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