Plate chiller and break material?

[JonM]

Hey all!

So after years and years of using a simple immersion chiller, I finally got a Therminator. My plan is to run hot wort through a steelhead pump mounted just below the Therminator. I'll sanitize the pump and chiller by recirculating boiling wort through it for the last ten minutes of the boil, then cut the gas and turn on the chilling water.

I always bag my hops, so that's not an issue. My question is with the break material and those little globs of goop that come from using Whirlifloc. Do I need to worry about clogs from break and Whirlifloc, or can I just run everything through the chiller? I know Blichmann strongly recommends a whirlpool, but that won't work if I recirculate during the boil. Thanks for your help, everyone!

 

[pcollins]

I do exactly the same process except I stopped using whirlfloc altogether to avoid those huge chunks. I have the little solar pumps that are pretty popular these days and have found them to be just fine. Hop material is definitely a problem and I use a bag or ss basket for that.

You could put some sort of screen of hop blocker between the outlet and the pump. That will definitely reduce solids going into the chiller.

 

[JonM]

Thanks! Dropping the Whirlifloc makes sense because the rapid chill leads to clarity making the Whirlifloc unnecessary. Good idea!

 

[augiedoggy]

I do exactly the same process except I stopped using whirlfloc altogether to avoid those huge chunks. I have the little solar pumps that are pretty popular these days and have found them to be just fine. Hop material is definitely a problem and I use a bag or ss basket for that.

You could put some sort of screen of hop blocker between the outlet and the pump. That will definitely reduce solids going into the chiller.

I have the same setup...I use whirlfloc and never had an issue though... I have to admit I have always been concerned with what could be getting stuck in my duda plate chiller since I too recirculate through it for the last 5 minutes of the boil... that said I use a stainless hop spyder as well as a 30" long braided stainless tube attached to my BK diptube which runs the bottom circumference of the kettle and I haven found any edvidence of anything clogging up my plate chiller... earlier this week I ran pbw through my whole system and circulated it through my chiller leaving it in there for hours and I found NO solids of any type coming out, I reversed flow as well thinking that woulf break it loose if there was any... I have just over 40 brew sessions on this setup so far BTW..

Jon did you read any reviews on the therminator? From what I've read longer plate chillers are more efficient than the short ones with more plates...I bought the B23 20 plate duda diesel chiller after reading it outperformed the 30 plate therminator and it was less than $100 with shipping... (I dont mean insult your choice here) I just thought its worth mentioning for others reading and thinking of purchasing a plate chiller. Plus since you just bought it I guess you could always return it if you wanted... and if You or someone else has information that states otherwise Im interested in hearing it as well. I know most of Blichmanns products are top quality as I'm sure their chiller is but unlike most of their other products they don't make the chillers with their name on them... They do have the manufacturer put the water ports on the backside though which I would think to most is inconvenient unless its permanently plumbed in.. I have to assume this modification is why they charge an extra $100-115 over all the other plate identical plate chillers with the ports on the front?

 

[microbusbrewery]

It's not a concern. Break material is kinda like snot...it'll flow right through without clogging. Whatever is in there will easily rinse out with hot water and some oxyclean/pbw. Hop debris, ground spices, stuff like that is more of a concern.

 

[ajdelange]

No matter what you do some break material will deposit inside the chiller and will have to be removed. Certainly a flush with hot water after all the wort is through is a good idea. Prior to each use I back flush the chiller using the pump that I use to clean beer lines and recirculate either beer line cleaner or just plain old lye solution (hot) for about an hour. It always amazes me how many little particles of black stuff come out and are trapped by the screen over the pump's inlet hose end. I really need to take the chiller apart and clean the plates from the inside per the mfg's instructions but figure that as long as the lye gets things to the point where no more junk is coming out it must be pretty clean. I'm more concerned about the material serving as a place for bacteria to hide and grow than I am that they will reduce the efficiency of the chiller.