Blichmann Therminator - Dumps brown water

[m1k3]

I have a Blichmann Therminator and after brew day (Stout) I back flushed and forward flushed it with the garden hose.... the water ran clear.

I dumped as much water as possible and tipped it up to let more water drip out.

Two days later, I tried dumping it out again and got brown (stout colored) water running out of it... so I back/forward flushed with the garden hose until it ran clear.

Two days later, I tried dumping it out again and got brown (stout colored) water running out of it AGAIN... so I back/forward flushed with the garden hose until it ran clear.

I have not tried again....

Does this thing magically make more stout?

The stout recipe was 31.4 SRM so I'd expect the water to come out brown... once.

I can recirculate Oxyclean before the next brew but I just cant figure out how it could run clear twice and still come out brown again.

 

[IslandLizard]

There's stuff that remains in the labyrinth. There maybe some left from previous batches too. Hop sludge is notorious for lodging itself in the narrow passages between the plates. Hot and cold break compounds the mass and it doesn't flush out easily, since the flushing/recirculating water finds the path of least resistance and goes around it.

Definitely recirculate with hot PBW for an hour or so, use a screen filter over the take-in hose, so you don't suck the hop bits back in.

Flush well with water, shake as much water out as you can, then stick in a 350F oven for a few hours to turn the remainder to ash, then flush or recirculate again. I've used 450F for years, but read somewhere that could cause problems, don't remember why or what.

Use a good filter or a hop spider/bags next time to prevent a lot of hop sludge getting in there in the first place. It makes cleaning so much easier.

I flush well after each brew, and do the PBW recirculation and/or oven treatment (goes in with the pizza or bread) every few (3-8) brews, or when I think it needs it. The oven sterilizes the chiller at the same time.

I use large tightly woven hop bags again and it prevents much of those problems. A hop spider or one of those mesh hop baskets will do the same.

 

[ryanryates]

I can recirculate Oxyclean before the next brew but I just cant figure out how it could run clear twice and still come out brown again.

I'm not familiar with blichman products, but I'm assuming this is a plate chiller. There are several threads on HBT that go into detail about best ways to clean a plate chiller. Some bake in oven, some use PBW, some use caustics.

Personally, I've found that circulating PBW works well follwoing a brew session. Every several brews, I's suggest running caustic through it. CAUTION - when using caustics, wear gloves and eye protection.

Best of luck.

 

[m1k3]

Thanks!

I've never baked mine but I have recirculated hot Oxyclean and three months ago I boiled it for 10 minutes.

It's a pain to take off all the connectors and thermometer that I have attached so I prefer the clean in place - recirculation method... I'll do it next time during the mash when i have an hour to kill.

 

[IslandLizard]

I've got Camlocks on all ports, so it's easy to take it out of the circuit for its monthly bake, which I think is essential to reduce the hop sludge to dry powder that can be flushed out during the recirculation that follows.

You could put a couple gallons of PBW in your boil kettle and recirculate, that's what I do. High temps make it clean better. I save the (filtered) PBW in a jug for next time. I then just add a scoop of fresh oxiclean to it. I dump it maybe once a year and start fresh.

Once you have a good hop filter and your plate chiller remains free of hop sludge, that whole extensive cleaning chore really goes away. Cold break doesn't plug it up.

 

[m1k3]

Once you have a good hop filter and your plate chiller remains free of hop sludge, that whole extensive cleaning chore really goes away.

I learned that lesson after using whole leaf hops!

I bought one of these http://www.homebrewing.org/product.asp?itemid=3181

 

[JonM]

I have it down to a science - I collect just over 3 gallons of the hot discharge water from the chilling the beer.

When the beer is chilled, pull the inlet off the kettle and attach it to the container with the hot water. I use some of the water to flush out the beer that's still in the pump and Therminator. Then Add 70 grams of oxyclean and 30 grams of TSP-90 to the water and let it recirculate while I pitch the yeast and clean up. Then a clean water flush, and all is fine and dandy.

 

[hopbrad]

i have a duda diesel plate chiller and they are indeed a pain to clean. i flush and backflush 3-4 times after chilling is done but it never gets all of it out. I then rinse it again before the following brew day. its definitely not sanitized but i have a pump and re-circulate for 5-10 minutes towards the end of the boil. that kills any nasties in there.

hop sack is a life saver too. haven't clogging mine since.

 

[Queequeg]

A strainer/spider for the hops helps a lot, as does letting your hot break settle out before starting the chiller.

I run the chiller via a pump on full speed with hot water and sodium per carbonate and scent free detergent. Do a forward flush for about 10 mins and then a reverse flush. I then flush with lots of water.

Every now and then I connect into to my kettle and recir boiling water and cleaner through it. Having a filter on the return is important.