Filter for pellet hops & Trub

[cathlabrob]

Hi all,
I have a 10 gal pro pilot system and have only brewed 3 times so far with it. It has a 20 gal boil pot with whirlpool. My recent brew clogged the output valve with residual from only 2 oz of pellet hops during the boil. Since the wort is transferred to the therminator plate chiller via a pump, I’m looking for solutions to help prevent the clog and help keep the hops/trub from entering my chiller (since it is difficult to get out even with reversing the flow). I actually had a blichmann hopblocker installed, which may work well with the whole hops, nut it did nothing for the dissolved pellet hops. During a search I found something called a hop spider. Has anyone had any experience with using it with pellet hops? If so, did it successfully screen the sediment? I also found a company that sells custom metal screen baskets but they were pricey and I’m not sure how that would work with a whirlpool and 240v heating element in the bottom of the pot.
Thanks for any ideas and suggestions!
Rob Williams

 

[Golddiggie]

When I was using keggles, I also used my hop spider. 6" diameter, 14" of stainless mesh, would hold about a full pound of hop pellets. One with a larger diameter would hold more, or allow them to swim more freely.

There's a place in Utah that makes them, and will customize them to fit your need as well.
https://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/brewingfilters.php
I had reached out when I was thinking of getting a larger one for the keggle. Since I've gone to a 20 gallon Spike+ kettle, I've not needed it. I did add a wort strainer (from Brewers Hardware) between the pump and plate chiller. That's kept the hop matter out of the chiller for every batch. I typically catch 3-4oz of matter in the strainer with each use.

If you can mount the wort filter, that might be a better solution for you as well, compared with a spider.
https://www.brewershardware.com/Wort-Strainers/I have the smallest one listed there 3" body), since it's rated for up to 30 gallon batches. I might upgrade to a larger one at some point. But for now, this one does the job very well. I would advise getting the mounting bracket they sell. Just be sure you can get the correct size f'king metric bolt it uses to mount that. I wanted to use a stainless one to mount mine, but none of the hardware stores have such an animal. When I place my next order with Fastenal, I plan to get at least one (or a few) of them to use.

 

[Sammy86]

I've heard this works well Hop Stopper

No personal experience but the reviews have been good.

 

[IslandLizard]

I resorted to bag all my hops. They get "massaged" and drained every 5 minutes or so to refresh the wort inside. Seems to work well, even with NEIPA hop loads. But for larger batches (over 10 gallons) that may be cumbersome.

 

[marc1]

I've heard this works well Hop Stopper

No personal experience but the reviews have been good.

I just got one of those. Looks good, haven't used it yet.

The communication with the vendor was great to make sure I was getting the right size

 

[cathlabrob]

When I was using keggles, I also used my hop spider. 6" diameter, 14" of stainless mesh, would hold about a full pound of hop pellets. One with a larger diameter would hold more, or allow them to swim more freely.

There's a place in Utah that makes them, and will customize them to fit your need as well.
https://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/brewingfilters.php
I had reached out when I was thinking of getting a larger one for the keggle. Since I've gone to a 20 gallon Spike+ kettle, I've not needed it. I did add a wort strainer (from Brewers Hardware) between the pump and plate chiller. That's kept the hop matter out of the chiller for every batch. I typically catch 3-4oz of matter in the strainer with each use.

If you can mount the wort filter, that might be a better solution for you as well, compared with a spider.
https://www.brewershardware.com/Wort-Strainers/I have the smallest one listed there 3" body), since it's rated for up to 30 gallon batches. I might upgrade to a larger one at some point. But for now, this one does the job very well. I would advise getting the mounting bracket they sell. Just be sure you can get the correct size f'king metric bolt it uses to mount that. I wanted to use a stainless one to mount mine, but none of the hardware stores have such an animal. When I place my next order with Fastenal, I plan to get at least one (or a few) of them to use.

Thank you for the info and advice. I just ordered a hop spider 8” and the 4” wort strainer (with mounting hardware…Lol….good advice) from brewers hardware!