Grainfather G30 with false bottom issues

[spittiz]

I tried using a false bottom with my GF for the first time today and it was a rather big failure. I bought it from my local HBS and it was sold as the official Robobrew false bottom that should fit perfectly into the GF. When testing it dry I had to bend the ring in the middle but other than that it seemed to fit reasonably well. I had read about people having issues with the false bottom jumping around during the boil, so I tried checking for that with a steel paddle but it seemed like it stayed in place. I added 50g of hops in total straight into the boil. At the end of the boil when I was going to recirculate boiling wort though the chiller for a few minutes it clogged immediately. I tried blowing air backwards through the chiller a few times but it just got stuck again when enabling the pump. I ended up chilling with an immersion chiller and transferring with a siphon.

I realized when cleaning that the clog probably was in the ball and spring valve where you connect the chiller, if I had realized it during the boil I might have been able to fix it. However, it was evident that most of the hops I added to the boil had somehow gone though the false bottom, so it was pretty much useless. For now I'm going back to just using the standard filter and a hop bag for the hop additions, but I'm curious how people use the false bottom successfully? Are you throwing the hops straight into the kettle and have them stay on the false bottom during transfer? In that case I guess I either have an incompatible false bottom or it has jumped around during the boil without me noticing.

As a bonus a picture of the GF being used as a glorified boil kettle, and a judging dog.

 

[Jag75]

Yes I just toss in the hops with zero issues. However I took that ball and spring out of the valve a long time ago. I also leave the stock filter on as well.

 

[BrewAgain]

I also removed the check valve. I do use a hop spider. For me, the false bottom is good for collecting the grain particles that make it out of the basket. Lately, I've noticed the false bottom does get displaced. I find it tilted. It still has most of grain particles attached. I could be from the boiling or the stirring. I've used it for about 10 brews. I may try without it. It does reduce the boil vigor. My main concern is that I cannot clear the bottom of the kettle if the boil is weak.

 

[Jag75]

I have no issues with my false bottom . It boils good and collects and drains properly. I just toss the hops in.

 

[spittiz]

I tried again today, same amount of hops as last time but with ball and spring removed from the valve.

It went better this time, although my whirlpool evidently failed (tried the GF whirlpool paddle for the first time). There was some hop matter below the false bottom and a bit of it had made it into the stock filter, but no issues with the pump so all in all OK. Does this align with your experience @Jag75 ?

 

[Jag75]

I tried again today, same amount of hops as last time but with ball and spring removed from the valve.

It went better this time, although my whirlpool evidently failed (tried the GF whirlpool paddle for the first time). There was some hop matter below the false bottom and a bit of it had made it into the stock filter, but no issues with the pump so all in all OK. Does this align with your experience @Jag75 ?

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Yes , I've gotten a minimal amount under as well . That's normal . Glad everything is working for you !

 

[murphyslaw]

When I first learned of the robobrew/brewzilla false bottom fix it was sold out everywhere. Now I can only find the new version that says it doesn't' fit the grainfather.

I just ordered this, more expensive one. We'll see how it works. BacBrewing False Bottom for Grainfather 30L (1 mm Ø Holes)

 

[BrewAgain]

Wow. It was under $20. It does help as I have the cheaper version. I haven't had the build up on the burner portion as i did before, but whirlpool causes it to shift. The best thing would be if the heating element was less dense. (Aka more spread out on the bottom). It does seem to help the blocked pump. I did purchase the new version of gasketless top and bottom plates. That will be tested in a few weeks. Anybody use them yet?

 

[Chorgey]

When I first learned of the robobrew/brewzilla false bottom fix it was sold out everywhere. Now I can only find the new version that says it doesn't' fit the grainfather.

I just ordered this, more expensive one. We'll see how it works. BacBrewing False Bottom for Grainfather 30L (1 mm Ø Holes)

Let us know how this works out.

I wonder if @Bobby_M from BrewHardware.com has something similar to this.

 

[murphyslaw]

We’ll, I should have done my research. That store is a fraud (Long Island homebrew). Never got the product and disputed the charge.

Instead, I bought it direct from Italy and it came via DHL in less than a week.

It fits perfect and the legs hold it up above the pump. I got the one with 1 micron holes.

Used it for the first time today on a 4 gallon NEIPA. 3.25 oz of hops. I put it in the kettle after my sparge but before I hit boiling temps. Everything seemed to go normal. I was able to circulate through the CFC without throttling the flow.

When pumping the wort into my fermenter, towards the end, it got clogged up a little a bit. I just scraped it with my mash paddle to clear a channel and it kept going.

Overall I was very impressed. It seemed to block almost all of the hop matter.

 

[murphyslaw]

Here's the link, btw: False bottom for Grainfather hole version Ø 1 mm

I think it ended up costing about $70 shipped.