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You can use a beta glucan rest at 104F to achieve lowered viscosity and improved lautering. As others have said, this is mostly of concern with low-modified malts and cereal additions. I sometimes brew with a Picobrew Zymatic. Its standard step mash schedule includes a beta glucan rest, I...

Braumeister has a LoDo accessory which also slightly increases its grain capacity.

@Trevor Mack, do you use Finish Powerball dishwasher tablets with your Z step filters, either using the standard cleaning cycle or in a dishwasher without the heated dry nor sanitize cycles? I have read comments elsewhere suggesting that even these approved tablets lead to cracking in the...

A quick update on my replacement pump. I replaced just the input pump using the new pump with the lower flow rating, which, assuming that they're performing the same as when Picobrew tested and marked them, should have been OK. I've run through a couple rinse and cleaning cycles and the flow...

It seems more likely to me that there is some copper in the system that is reacting with the acid -- essentially cleaning it. Many of those with a JadEd Corny Pillar know how clean and shiny it gets after soaking a short time in StarSan, which is quite acidic. Is the HEX loop copper or...

What is the reason for the acid rinse? I realize that many cleaners, like PBW, have a high pH, but I've not heard of doing anything beyond rinsing well with water after using PBW on other brewing equipment.

I got SFDP1-007-020-21 pumps. These 2.6 lpm pumps appear to be more similar in flow rate to the original 2.5 lpm pumps shown in this photo, but the barbs are removable 90-degree swiveling elbows. Regarding the small in-line circuit board, the board itself is labeled as "Picobrew © 2015". The...

I ordered a pair of pumps. These seem to be shown by Picobrew to pump at a higher rate than the old pumps, based upon handwritten labels, although the new ones seem to be gallons per minute and the old ones in liters per minute. I have a few questions regarding these pumps, which I believe were...

The insulation isn't that useful from a thermal perspective in this application and it will just get in the way on the inside. I used nice 2x6 or possibly 2x8 pine which I put through a thickness planer and finished with a water-based matte poly. The result is very clean-looking. Sort of...

I like your bypass solution! Glad it restored your flow rate. But take note of my recent experience with PBW and the acrylic sampling port. You might want to swap out to a different hose when doing a PBW cleanse.

The part that rusted I don't believe is even supposed to get wet. The cam rotates and alternately depresses a valve at the top of bottom of the head. However it got wet, it was quite corroded. I can't even pull it off the motor shaft, whereas the one on the other pump slips right off. I guess...

I disassembled the pump heads and don't believe that running dry would have done any more damage than was clearly already there. The output pump's actuator (rotating piece attached to the shaft of the motor) was completely rusted,. including the bearing around its perimeter, which turned with...

I don't know how long the pumps ran dry after the sampling port broke because I wasn't around, but the output seems lower now. Is it likely that they were damaged? The actual output on passthrough at the moment is .7l per minute. Well below the pump ratings. I'm not sure how much resistance is...

One more improvement to this cleaning hack and a warning. I decided to add a tray to contain any liquid in case I make a blunder with the recipe or a hose slips. That was all well and good, but when I had left PBW recirculating through the passthrough, I came home to a large puddle on the floor...

I just brewed this for the first time. I reduced the chilies from 2 to 1-1/2, scraping out the seeds. It still had obvious heat, at least in the tincture. In the beer, it's obviously going to be less noticable, but it's still enough for me. The cinnamon is the dominant flavor. Due to a scaling...

How to avoid Zymatic step filter cracking? So I understand that using a variety of common brewery cleaners is a sure way to cause cracking in the step filters. I’ve also read allegations, contrary to what Picobrew has publicly stated, that dishwasher detergents and even the cleaning tablets...

Interesting. Might be good as a filler if I end up drilling holes to stop cracks from growing. It's a putty, so it's quite thick. Good to know that it's safe! I have an update on the Weld-On 3. It seems to have worked pretty well. It's water thin and evaporates in maybe 30 seconds leaving a...

How big are your batches? i have two chillers. The Stasis is probably the least expensive chiller on the market and can chill two 5- or 6-gallon batches simultaneously. It has built-in pumps and thermostats, which is important to consider when comparing cost. Most others don’t come with those...

True, but as luck would have it, it seems the time and temperature requirements for beer are nearly identical to milk, perhaps due to their similar pH. https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/edvVKFchSZ/

Excellent point and suggestion.