I think my cereal killer is toast

[PMcGuen]

I’ve used my CK for about a year with no problems. I use a drill instead of the hand crank
It stopped pulling in the grain last time I tried to use it. So my question is, did I ruin my rollers by going too fast? The rollers spin freely. The gap seems fine. Had to press down on the grain with my hand to get the wheels to grab. After I got tired of doing that, I had to bring the corona out of retirement to finish the batch. Anyone have any thoughts? Fixable? Buy a new one?

 

[kh54s10]

Any noticeable sign of wear on the rollers? If they are worn you might be able to rough them up again somehow.

I would take it fully apart, clean everything, reassemble and reset the gap before giving up on it. My first use of mine started fine then stopped. I scooped out the grain and dumped the rest back into the bucket. One end had slipped a little so the gap was uneven. That was enough to stop the mill. It would spin but the grain would not go through.

 

[lump42]

Also, please don't put your hand in a running grain mill. It doesn't take long to slip and tear up a finger. Grab a spoon, scrap of wood, something else as a push rod.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

Were you using the same grains you've always used? I've noticed that with certain grains (like Viking Pale Ale, which is larger than other 2-row), it doesn't pull as well. I put the specialty grains in first to get it started, and the Viking on top of it.

It could also be that the gap has gotten a little out of whack. You should check it periodically and make sure it's even.

If it's only a year old, I highly doubt it's an issue with the rollers.

 

[PMcGuen]

Any noticeable sign of wear on the rollers? If they are worn you might be able to rough them up again somehow.

I would take it fully apart, clean everything, reassemble and reset the gap before giving up on it. My first use of mine started fine then stopped. I scooped out the grain and dumped the rest back into the bucket. One end had slipped a little so the gap was uneven. That was enough to stop the mill. It would spin but the grain would not go through.

I’ll take it apart tonight. The rollers looked fine. My adjustment screws were still tight too So I ASSUMED the gap was ok. Never put a feeler gauge on it. Thanks for the advice

 

[PMcGuen]

Also, please don't put your hand in a running grain mill. It doesn't take long to slip and tear up a finger. Grab a spoon, scrap of wood, something else as a push rod.

Roger that.

 

[PMcGuen]

Were you using the same grains you've always used? I've noticed that with certain grains (like Viking Pale Ale, which is larger than other 2-row), it doesn't pull as well. I put the specialty grains in first to get it started, and the Viking on top of it.

It could also be that the gap has gotten a little out of whack. You should check it periodically and make sure it's even.

If it's only a year old, I highly doubt it's an issue with the rollers.

I used Mecca grade. First time I’ve used them.

 

[RM-MN]

When you have the rollers out check carefully to see if the knurls have bits of grain stuck in them. They might be filling up with grain particles which then would nor let them grab. A stiff wire brush might clean them up.

 

[eric19312]

I had same issue develop with my barley crusher. Learned just how to poke the roller with a long handled plastic spoon...this spoon:
https://www.morebeer.com/products/brewing-spoon-24-plastic.html

With the mill running I would poke down through the grain and nudge the rollers forward. Worked fine. For a few seconds up to a minute or so...then I'd have to do it again. I did do the take it apart and clean a few times and it did help for a while. Maybe one brew day maybe two but pretty soon I was looking for the spoon.

I did this for about four years and finally replaced the mill. I did give the BC away along with some of my older equipment and believe the new owner is using it.

 

[dwhite60]

I clean the roller on my mill after every crush with a wire toothbrush. Stuff builds up fast.

May find simply opening the gap a bit gets it going again. Even with clean rollers mine will stop feeding if set too narrow.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[ba-brewer]

I drop a few kernels of grain in my cereal killer then start the drill. Once the free roller catches and starts spinning I dump in the grain. I try not to stop once it gets going but it will normally pick right up again if I do stop half way thru.

I condition my grain and divide it up into multiple bags to make it easy to keep feeding the default hopper.

I also have a wire brush and modified paint brush(only base of bristle left) to clean after each milling.

 

[BarLee]

I had the same problem with my mill. What I do is spray a little water on the grain once it is weighed. Just enough to get it slightly moist, not wet. This helps the roller grab and keeps the dust down. Maybe give it a shot?

 

[bobeer]

I've had a cereal killer for maybe 5 years and have never had any issues. They only time i've seen it not grab the grain was when I accidentally ran the drill in the wrong direction. Does it work with the hand-crank? If so maybe something is slipping with the drill or, like others have said, there might be too much gunk in the way for how fast the drill spins the mill grinder.

 

[tellyho]

I had a bearing problem early on with my CK - had to replace the bearings. If you pull out the roller you can check how well the sealed bearing spins.