Grain milling at low temps. Change gap?

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Grannyknot

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Yesterday, I milled 16lbs of 2-row in my rather cold garage. The mill (a cereal killer) was pretty cold, and the grain was 55 degrees. I had it set at .035. The result was pulverized grain. Very little noticeable grain husks. About half way through the milling, I noticed the results, and widened the gap to about .045. The result was some of the grain was just falling through the gap and not getting properly crushed. Didn't get a stuck sparge, but I think since I widened the gap to get more husks, I didn't get the efficiency I needed.

So my question is, does cold equipment & grain often result in a very "powdery" crush, or does my mill just need to be replaced?

Any other thoughts or ideas?
 
Get a space heater for use while brewing, and then start conditioning your grain. I like a tight floury crush for the improved efficiency and destroyed husks don't usually present a problem on my system. If they were a problem, I would definitely start conditioning the grain with water every time. I might start doing it either way.
 
I usually mill my grain 2 times. I start off with the gap set just a little bit tighter than the width of the grain. This gently crushes the inside and leaves the husk almost totally together. Then I tighten it down to around .035" and send it thru again. I started doing this because my mill (Barley Crusher) would just spin and spin when I tried to send it thru just once, even at like .040". I keep my mill outside on my roofed patio so it goes thru some pretty substantial temperature changes, but I haven't noticed an issue. I also check the gap every time I use it.
 
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