Ah, a helpful hint is being told that after whirlpooling you must wait 20-30 min for it to all settle... I didnt see anything at the bottom of my kettle but i surely saw particulate in the wort as i poured it into the fermenter. I dont know if its worth letting your vulnerable temperature wort hang out for 20-30 minutes...isnt that why you bought a chiller???
Sorry about the bump, saw the date after posted. Still a valid concern for many. And a good link to wiki I havent seen.
I whirlpool and leave for 15 to 20 minutes for the trub cone to settle. Just put the lid on the kettle and no critters will get in. I haven't done hundreds of batches (still a noob), but I've never had an infection in my first 10 AG batches (knock on wood). I use the whirlpool primarily to keep solids out of my plate chiller when draining to the fermenter. Also, I usually use pellet hops, which I'd like to remove from the wort before letting the beer alone for a few weeks. I don't use any bags, strainers, false bottoms, bazooka tubes, etc. Just whirlpool - there's less equipment to clean up after the boil.
As far as whirlpooling effectively, here's my method that works well for me.
-Put stirrer/paddle in boil to sterilize
-Turn off boil
-After a few minutes (less than 5) vigorously stir wort for at least 10 seconds. Get a good whirlpool going.
-Remove stirrer from kettle and allow whirlpool to spin unhindered. Cover.
-Let sit for 10 to 20 minutes.
-Remove wort slowly so as to not disturb the solids cone deposited at the bottom.
I have keggle with a 1/2" drain on the side, close to the bottom (about 1" up from the bottom). I do not have a bottom drain. I did it this way so I could whirlpool, then drain from the side. After the liquid level gets below the kettle drain, I just tip the kettle slightly to get the last bit of liquid without disturbing the trub/solids cone. I usually only leave about 1/2 gallon or less of wort behind
- plus of course all the hops residue, hot break, and other crap
.
Pangea