Very slow drain on counter-flow chiller

I built a counter-flow chiller based on Bobby_M's excellent guide and used it to chill a 10 gallon batch of Ed's Haus Pale Ale over the weekend.

The leak test with boiling hot water worked beautifully, however once we actually started cooling the wort the flow slowed down to a trickle. It probably took almost an hour to drain all 10 gallons by gravity.

There is a sort of dip tube (copper elbow soldered onto copper tubing screwed into the bulkhead. We used hop pellets straight into the kettle, no bag or anything. Could this have somehow clogged things up? Also the kettle is just a standard 15 gallon aluminum stock pot.

I hesitate to try using this again without figuring out why the flow was so terribly slow, and I'd rather not dump $140+ on a pump if I don't absolutely have to.

 

Pellet hops could have very easily clogged it up. The brew kettle I use has a screen and a diversion plate to keep the extra mess out of it, and I think that it makes it a whole lot easier. I don't think I'd want to do it without at least the diversion plate.

 

yea, i am sure that pellet hops are what did you in. you need some sort of filter to keep the clog-inducing crap out of the tiny copper pipes.

 

+1 on the filter, a 3/8" copper tube will easily get clogged with hop particles. And about that March pump; I know it's a lot to pay, but it's really a great investment. Your back will thank you for moving all that liquid with a nifty pump! Plus, doing vorlauf and sanitizing your chiller is a piece of cake with a pump.

 

Alright, thanks guys. I had one piece for my filter but I need to order another part from McMaster before I can finish it.

 

Did you try whirlpooling the wort to form a hop/trub cone before chilling? I also drain my kettle through my CFC by gravity and haven't had any problems with hop clogging my pickup tube (so far, knock wood).

I did design/adjust my pickup tube so that it runs more along the side wall of the kettle than straight into the middle of the kettle bottom. I also use a keggle which has a sloped bottom and that might have an effect as well.

THAT BEING SAID: this weekend was the first time I used a hop bag in my brewing and really helped with the amount of stuff at the bottom of my kettle at chilling time. No muss, no fuss....pull it out right before you chill! Pretty good considering its a 2.50 paint strainer bag!

 

When using a March pump with a CFC, do you run the pump (or the valve which is throttling the output of the pump) wide open or do you knock it down a bit? I thought I previously read using 1/2 throttle on the influent into the CFC and 1/2 throttle on the pump output. Is there an optimum balance somewhere between the two? How do you use your pump set-up w/ CFC?

 

My vote is the pellets, but I will also put the vote in for a pump. When I first got my CFC I attempted the gravity approach. What a mistake that was. I quickly purchased a pump and never looked back. It is a HUGE asset to the brewery.

As to your question illin8, I only have a ball valve on the "out" end of my pump. I adjust that as needed to maintain the temp I want of the wort coming out.

 

Intake on the right, output on the left with a ball valve.


Sparging setup: HLT on right, pumping up to MLT, gravity draining to Boil Kettle on the left.


Chilling: You can see the line coming out of the boil kettle on the left, then pumping into the chiller in the upper right.

 

Mine ran at a little more than a trickle. it was gravity fed and took mabye 20min. There was a little trub, but i used a hop bag to contain most of the hops. I had no screen, though I may add one for next time.

 

I was just reading about this clogging up stuff on plate chillers.
Yes, likely the pellets/ trub. Check it with mouth pressure if it
ever happens again. Waiting that long is really putting the wort
at risk....as I'm sure you know.
You can bag the pellets, but I'm reading now that you lose some
IBUs from that. I did what bobby did, and put a stainless screen OVER
the false floor in my kettle. I did my hops additions with pellets as
any of us do...just toss in...and no problems when chilling. ALL the pellet
trub and hot break was laying ontop of the screen !! Best way to go IMHO