March pump & hops

[Alemental]

I have been using a Jamil-style whirlpool chiller & a pump to recirculate my wort. I use whole hops, so I have a screen to filter them out. Lately, I have been having problems with break material and hop debris plugging my screen. I have been thinking about switching to pellet hops and recirculating without the screen.
Will the pellet hop particles just flow through the pump, or is that asking for more problems?

 

[korndog]

I got rid of my screen for this reason. I used to recirculate pellet hops through my pump with no problem, but now I use hop bags for whole hops and pellets. You will still get good movement around the coil and clean cold break.

 

[Alemental]

I've tried hop bags in the past, but I didn't really like them. I would rather not go that route if possible.
I am glad to hear that the pellet bits will flow through the pump. I'll have to give that a try. Thanks.

 

[ron1guz]

will pellets flow through a plate chiller also?

 

[korndog]

will pellets flow through a plate chiller also?

You will undoubtedly get some protein and hop particulate running through the chiller no matter what you do, so it's all a matter of quantity. I can't say for sure that you can brew a double IPA without issue. Blichmann recommends a filter of some kind.

 

[WBC]

I finally gave up and dump the whole contents into the carboy when I use them. I also have a conical fermenter which is quite an advantage because I can just wait an hour and dump the trub before adding yeast. I see no difference between either method. Trub does not seem to make any difference in the beer. When I brew I ferment 14 days and then transfer the clear beer to the keg. The trub settles with yeast on top in the carboy and so none of it gets into the keg.

 

[GearBeer]

You can recirculate the particulate without worry of damaging the pump I would guess, but by allowing the greater quantity through your pump you increase the risk of particulates lodging there and becoming breeding grounds for bacteria. If you're sure to thoroughly clean and sanitize your system before and after every use that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Alemental]

You are quite right, Kyle. I already recirculate boiling water through my pump and hoses after every brew session. More toys, more housekeeping. *sigh*