Clogged pickup tube with diy hopstopper

[Bizoune]

Yesterday, I finally tried out my new rig with March Pump, Camlocks and my diy hopstopper using a 30x30 mesh screen off a Mc-Carr order. The hopstopper didn't work too well and I need tips. (Neither did my first attempt at fly sparging: 64% eff vs the 82% that I consistently get batch sparging, but this will the focus of another thread...)

Essentially, it seems that the screen around the diptube assembly got sucked in too close to the opening as I was pumping my wort off to my fermenter. This significantly slowed my flow rate and I had to finish the job with my auto-siphon. Not fun!
My pickup tube was angled off to one side, about 1/2" off the bottom of the keg. I was hoping to have more wort free flowing in the vicinity of the opening but I guess that didn't happen.
So here are a few questions for the hopstopper users out there.

1. How can I keep the shape of my mesh basket so that it doesn't cave in when comes time to transfer? Build the screen around a cage and hook up the whole outfit to my pickup tube? Hole/slits on the bottom of the tube?

2. Should I be pumping really slowly or does that not make a difference?

3. What else are you doing that works well?

I'm giving it another go this Thursday. If anybody has any ideas to send my way I'd be really happy to try them out in few days.

 

[FoundersBrew]

How about a hop spider?

 

[pjj2ba]

My first pick up tube simply consisted of a straight piece (after the elbow) that I cut some notches in (like cutting carved pumpkin teeth). That worked OK. What I use now is a ring. I placed a tee after the elbow and then took some soft copper tubing and made a ring (oval) about 6" in diameter. I then drilled a whole bunch of holes, slightly off center, on the bottom side. Then for a little extra insurance, I put a number of zip ties at various spots on the ring to lift it off the bottom of the mesh filter.

I'll post some pictures one of these days. I started with a sewn mesh version of a hop stopper, but for a number of reasons, I have now switched to an even simpler model that is simply closed up with a whole bunch of SS split rings. Makes cleaning a breeze

 

[Bobby_M]

You can't just have the dip tube end with a flat plane. The first way to do it is to put some slots in the end of the tube, spaced 1/8" apart all the way around like teeth. The teeth hold the mesh away while the slots maintain flow. You could also do this with 1/8" holes drilled all the way around the edge. Basically I'm agreeing with pjj2ba.

 

[Bizoune]

Thanks for the info guys. Makes a lot of sense. I was actually looking up your video Bobby on building one. Last night I modified what I had too make it look like yours. I cant get my hands on some SS wire so I just folded the sides over one another. I'll notch out my pick up tube to see if I can it to flow nicely.
So are you pumping out your wort to your fermenter after chilling? I guess if you run the pump full blast you will get your screen basket caving in on you, right?