Why?!?! The Grainfather has a 24 month warranty. If the heating element "takes a crap 6-12 months in," then you get it fixed under warranty. There's no need to drill a hole in it and do a bubba mod. The beauty of the GF's hidden heating element is the ease of cleaning the boiler body. If you want to spend a lot less on an "all in one," then get a Robobrew or Brewer's Edge Mash and Boil. The GF is not the cheapest, but it's well made and works great. Ed
I did not know the GF's warranty period. I was going by the poster's question: "element take a crap 6-12 months in and find out you'd need to buy a whole new system".Why?!?! The Grainfather has a 24 month warranty. If the heating element "takes a crap 6-12 months in," then you get it fixed under warranty. There's no need to drill a hole in it and do a bubba mod. The beauty of the GF's hidden heating element is the ease of cleaning the boiler body. If you want to spend a lot less on an "all in one," then get a Robobrew or Brewer's Edge Mash and Boil. The GF is not the cheapest, but it's well made and works great. Ed
Hi. The short answer is yes, but I personally wouldn't do it. One of the steps before using the CFC is to run boiling wort through it for about 10 minutes to sanitize it before chilling the wort. How would you do that with mash temp wort? I know you could argue that the wort after the mash will get boiled anyway, but why take a chance? The GF is pretty easy to maintain a consistent mash temp, so why do you need to cool it? If you are having trouble with higher than needed strike temps when you dough in, you may consider setting the strike at your first rest temp, then let the GF heat back up once you've added your grist. Starting a little low and going up isn't as troublesome as starting too high and trying to go down. Hope this helps. Ed
Hi. The short answer is yes, but I personally wouldn't do it. One of the steps before using the CFC is to run boiling wort through it for about 10 minutes to sanitize it before chilling the wort. How would you do that with mash temp wort? I know you could argue that the wort after the mash will get boiled anyway, but why take a chance? The GF is pretty easy to maintain a consistent mash temp, so why do you need to cool it? If you are having trouble with higher than needed strike temps when you dough in, you may consider setting the strike at your first rest temp, then let the GF heat back up once you've added your grist. Starting a little low and going up isn't as troublesome as starting too high and trying to go down. Hope this helps. Ed
Hi. That makes sense. Unless you have a loft of grain bits in the wort, it shouldn't clog your CFC (when you mash normally, the pump is running anyway to recirculate, so why not run through the CFC?) You may want to remove the spring and ball from the valve, just in case. If you're willing to accept the small risk of the sanitation, I say go for it. It certainly can't be any less sanitary than adding chilled water. Good luck. Tell us how it turns out. Ed
Thanks for the insight. I'm committed to purchasing a GF in the near future!Hi. That makes sense. Unless you have a loft of grain bits in the wort, it shouldn't clog your CFC (when you mash normally, the pump is running anyway to recirculate, so why not run through the CFC? You may want to remove the spring and ball from the valve, just in case. If you're willing to accept the small risk of the sanitation, I say go for it. It certainly can't be any less sanitary than adding chilled water. Good luck. Tell us how it turns out. Ed
Do you have a link to the screen you use? I have been brewing on this for over a year and have now seen an increase in grain matter after sparring.Hi. You may want to reconsider wrapping the filter. If it clogs, you'll have no choice but to knock it off, or drain the kettle to unclog it. I suggest you may want to try (if you don't already do so,) conditioning your grain with 2-3% (by weight) of water misted and mixed into the grain before milling. I usually do mine the day before, let it rest, then mill right before doughing in. I use a Schmidling Malt Mill with a factory default gap of ~0.045. I know that's a little wide, but I never have an issue with grain flour or stuck sparges. If you continue to have issues with grain bits, a lot of folks (to include me) use a fine SS mesh on top of the bottom filter plate. But again, if you crush too fine without conditioning, that'll get clogged too. Hope this helps. Ed
Note: I updated link from original post.
Hi. In an earlier post, I said I used a splatter screen, which I think is a little smaller than the #20. I took a picture of mine, and compared it with the #30 on Ebay, and it looks like they're pretty similar. I can tell you mine works just fine, so I imagine the #30 would as well. I would caution, however, that if you grind your grain too fine, I think the finer screen would clog up on you pretty quickly. Ed
It will not do so automatically. You will have to do manual boil power control in the settings and turn it down yourself. It applies 100% power regardless of any additional heat.
Welcome back! Good to hear you're already brewing with your GF. I don't have the CF, so I don't have anything to offer. Kegging is the bomb, and once you start, you'll wish you'd done it sooner. Good to have you aboard! EdHappy New Year! Greetings from the Mile High City, Denver, CO!!!! I just finished reading this entire 85 page thread. #1, *BIG* thank you to everyone that has generously shared time brew knowledge with the community. I have ALWAYS thought that HBT is the most helpful and friendliest resource out there!
I am just getting back into brewing after a 6-year hiatus. Past setup was brewing 3.5 gallon batches on gas stove in kitchen with gatorade MLT and various kettles cobbled together. Those days are over
Back in October, after many months of research, I picked up the GF (110v) and GF conical fermenter (basic cooling edition) with dual valve, temp control, and cooling kit. IS ANYONE ELSE USING THE GF CF??? I have no experience with a conical fermenter, any tips would be great. I do NOT plan to harvest any yeast.
I also picked up just about everything else too, lol. Storage Bag. Graincoat. Whirlpool Paddle. Sparge Water Heater. Micro Pipework. Hop Spider. I figured that if i was going to brew again, time to go all in...
I have only done 2 brews on the GF thus far. First was a Robust American Porter 8.3 ABV. Second was a citra/mosaic/ columbus IPA 7.1 ABV. The Porter is nearly finished with bottle conditioning. The IPA has 2 more weeks in the primary.
My next purchase HAS TO BE a grain crusher so i can get a handle efficiencies. Hopefully by summer I will be able to start kegging. Thanks again ya'll, will be checking this thread often
Welcome back! Good to hear you're already brewing with your GF. I don't have the CF, so I don't have anything to offer. Kegging is the bomb, and once you start, you'll wish you'd done it sooner. Good to have you aboard! Ed
I pump StarSan through the CFC before storing it. Haven't done any bacterial cultures to test its effectiveness.Thanks for the warm welcome. One of my next immediate projects is a SS hose clamp for the pump filter, and I read about 25 pages back that someone sewed the black rubber cap into place??? I only saw the one post and remain curious to hear if that worked...
Also, those using the GF CFC, are you blowing out the access water with air? I tried using a bike pump, way too much work. I am looking into an inexpensive electric bike pump or small air compressor. I dont even want to think about what could grow inside the CFC
Also, those using the GF CFC, are you blowing out the access water with air? I tried using a bike pump, way too much work. I am looking into an inexpensive electric bike pump or small air compressor. I dont even want to think about what could grow inside the CFC
Hi. Coincidentally, that was my post about sewing the cap in place as well as using a SS hose clamp on the filter. Bottom line, it works great! One of my brew buddies also has a GF, and he's done the same thing. The process is easy. I used food safe Silicone to seal the rubber insert to the filter body (white circle in picture.) I also used the silicone and heavy black coat thread to sew the cap onto the filter body (white arrow.) Finally, the SS hose clamp holds it all in place. If you want to clean it, simply remove the filter assembly and clean. I've found it stays really clean using the normal GF cleaning procedure at the end of my brew day (3 gallons water heated to 150° with PBW, inside scrubbed, and run through CFC for 15 minutes or so, then everything rinsed thoroughly.) As for cleaning drying out the CFC, I clean it as described above, drain as well as I can by gravity. I then do like @BrewBrains does and run some StarSan through it. Since you hook up the CFC about 10 minutes left in the boil and start running boiling wort through it, I think that pretty much takes care of any little nasties. I don't recommend blowing into it with your mouth/lung power. You'd be shocked at all the little cooties hanging around there! Hope that helps. EdThanks for the warm welcome. One of my next immediate projects is a SS hose clamp for the pump filter, and I read about 25 pages back that someone sewed the black rubber cap into place??? I only saw the one post and remain curious to hear if that worked...
Also, those using the GF CFC, are you blowing out the access water with air? I tried using a bike pump, way too much work. I am looking into an inexpensive electric bike pump or small air compressor. I dont even want to think about what could grow inside the CFC
Hi. Try removing the ball & spring from the check valve and running pump again. Sometimes, the little nipple on the return pipe/CFC doesn't push the ball in all the way. At least you can check whether the pump works. In any case, I hope you get your GF up and running soon. Ed
+1 ^^^ this. If you do a good cleaning of your GF after each brew, you don't need to do it all the time. But once every 10-15 or so brews, you should do a detailed cleaning of your GF. This should include removing the Graincoat/Reflectix (if you use it); thermowell & filter bulkhead fittings; remove, disassemble, and thoroughly clean the pump head/connector hoses; return pipe, ball & check valve, etc. Barkeeper's Friend is great for removing the hard to clean stains in the boiler, especially on the bottom. Reassemble and check for leaks. Ed
I would love to see something similar to the hop stopper that is used in the Electric Brewery (www.theelectricbrewery.com/hop-stopper)
No problem. Thanks for trying to get something designed/built. Depending on what actually gets developed, I would be very interested in purchasing one for my GF.
Sorry, no I didn't, but I think it's a great idea! The way I see it, the threaded cap(s) would have two very big benefits. First, it keeps you from knocking off the cap when stirring. Second, it makes for easy, thorough cleaning. If you (or anyone else,) gets this done, I'm in for one! Ed
Hi. After about 25 brews, you should probably take the pump out and clean the head thoroughly anyway, but I don't think that's the cause of your problem. You already stated that the flow rate is fine with the recirc arm and CFC with other liquids. Here's what I found to be a problem with my CFC when using to chill wort. The way the connectors are arranged on the CFC could lead to a pinch or restriction in the soft silicone wort intake or output hoses. I usually set my CFC on an empty keg next to the GF (putting it on the glass lid is begging for a boilover,) and then I'm very careful to ensure the in/out silicone hoses are absolutely free of kinks and/or pinches. The cooling water hoses are vinyl and a little more resistant to getting pinched. You may have to adjust the top & bottom connectors by twisting slightly (then retighten) to get the best angle for your hoses. Hope this helps. Ed
Hi. After about 25 brews, you should probably take the pump out and clean the head thoroughly anyway, but I don't think that's the cause of your problem. You already stated that the flow rate is fine with the recirc arm and CFC with other liquids. Here's what I found to be a problem with my CFC when using to chill wort. The way the connectors are arranged on the CFC could lead to a pinch or restriction in the soft silicone wort intake or output hoses. I usually set my CFC on an empty keg next to the GF (putting it on the glass lid is begging for a boilover,) and then I'm very careful to ensure the in/out silicone hoses are absolutely free of kinks and/or pinches. The cooling water hoses are vinyl and a little more resistant to getting pinched. You may have to adjust the top & bottom connectors by twisting slightly (then retighten) to get the best angle for your hoses. Hope this helps. Ed
Hi @PCL . You can look for videos, but it is really, really easy. Pinch the top & bottom of the stainless pump housing, and it'll unclip from the body of the GF. There are two screws holding the pump on, and the little silicone connector hoses. Once you take care of those, the pump is out and you are free to remove the four screws holding the head and impeller on the pump body. Re-assemble in reverse. The orientation of the pump head is really obvious as won't go back together correctly any other way. You can watch this video on the GF upgrade, at about the 2:00 mark shows how to take the pump out. Hope it helps. Ed
