Keggle to fermenter. What works?

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Spames

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I have a ball valve and plumbing inside. I can't get a good method for transferring to fermenter. I've tried a false bottom, a bazooka tube, and one of those pan scrubber things. Usually, it will flow for a minute or so, then go down to a slow trickle.

At the point it turns to a trickle, I end up ramming at whatever device I have in the pot at the time which just lets the nasties pass through anyway. I'm ready to just start fermenting in the darn keggle...

What works for you?
 
I would imagine you are using pellet hops. They are quite hard to filter through screens and false bottoms. Whole hops work better and also some brewers whirlpool and then draw the wort off the edge of the kettle.

A creative brewer came up with this idea and there are good testimonials that it works well. Check out this thread.>> https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=40738
 
I whirlpool then let it sit for about 25 minutes to let everything settle down into a nice little cone shaped mound. I don't use filters or false bottoms and I get nice clear wort into the fermenter.
 
I whirlpool very rapidly as soon as I turn off the flame. I do that for about 45 sec., then I stop, and let the entire mass of liquid in the keg keep swirling. I run out the back door, turn on the hose for my CFC, come back inside, and by the time I'm back (about another 45 sec.), I open the valve and start chilling into the fermenter.

I don't use a false bottom or a dip tube or a copper scrubby or anything.

At the end of siphoning, i'm left with about .75 gal in the bottom around the hop "mound", I just tip sideways VERY gently, slip a broom stick under the back side of the keggle (between it and the burner), and let it keep siphoning.

Works like a charm, no problems at all. That said, I probably am going to fabricate a very small dip tube, just to help preventing the need to tip the keggle at the end. Just a simple lazy L shape, going to the side of the keggle, not into the center.
 
That first contraption looks like the ticket... I will do something like that, and leave my bazooka in place to stop the cold/hot break from coming out, and try again.

Thanks
 
One other tip, unlike a stuck mash, you can't blow (with your mouth) through tubing/plumbing to get the flow going again. So, whenever flow isn't enough or gets stuck on the kettle, I take a sanitized turkey baster and blow air through the tubing. This has got me out of a jamb several times and the beer suffered no ill effects.
 
I bought two large stainless steel strainers, disassembled them, and stitched them together with copper strands from electrical wire to make my own Hop Stopper which is very similar to this one: http://www.ihomebrewsolutions.com/index.php?view=article&catid=36%3Aourproducts&id=52%3Athe-hop-stopper&option=com_content&Itemid=54

I also use a hop strainer like in the link above. Between the two, I have been very pleased with the results.

Are you talking about those large splatter-catcher frying pan lid things (like something you use to put over a frying pan when cooking bacon? I've been eyeballing that in the kitchen cabinet lately, and thought it might be worth trying as a hop stopper.

thanks again everyone-
 
Are you using a piece of sanitized silicone hose on the barb of the valve on the keggle. You need it for the siphon. I have a piece about 12 inches that drains into the buckets. My banjo burner is up on cinder blocks to give it some height.
 

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