Grainfather!!

[Yambor44]

Also, here's a couple of screen shots on how to calculate your mash and sparge water.

 

[celiacguy]

The standard in the food industry for sanitizing is 77c/170f

It is in the US. At that temperature, sanitizing is near instant. I don't know how resistant to heat the O-rings and pressure release valves are so I didn't want to take it up to 80c. I chose to go with a lower temperature and longer time to get to the same place.

 

[scallopking]

I've used up to 6 ounces of pellet hops. Posted a video a while back in the thread of someone using 8 ounces of pellet hops, neither of which clogged, both mine and his are throwing the hops directly into the boil.

Was it slow on the transfer to the fermenter? Absolutely. I just use that time to clean everything I can that isn't being used at the moment.

I was going to try taking the spring and ball out during the transfer to see if that helped, but haven't done that yet.

I have a 300 micron 6x14 hop screen I used to use. I'm not excited about my wort inside the screen not boiling while everything outside the screen is. Mine never clogged, I just feel better not using one. as others have mentioned, if you really want to use one, go with the 400 micron.

yep, same here use the time for cleaning, I removed the spring and ball several batches now and no speed up on transfer that I notice.

 

[gspot]

I removed the ball and spring too. If anything, it seems even slower, like the pump had more suction and is able to compact the trub around the filter even tighter

 

[Yambor44]

yep, same here use the time for cleaning, I removed the spring and ball several batches now and no speed up on transfer that I notice.

I removed the ball and spring too. If anything, it seems even slower, like the pump had more suction and is able to compact the trub around the filter even tighter

Good to know. I was thinking that it wouldn't change much if any. Thanks for your input.

 

[RockyMountainCraftBrewing]

I removed the ball and spring too. If anything, it seems even slower, like the pump had more suction and is able to compact the trub around the filter even tighter

If it aint broke dont fix it

RMCB

 

[joyride75]

I removed the ball and spring too. If anything, it seems even slower, like the pump had more suction and is able to compact the trub around the filter even tighter

Yeah, but it's one less thing to clean at the end of the brew day. 6 of one, half dozen of the other.

 

[Gareth68]

Here is what I got for sparging.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RC6S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I went with the used option from amazon for $60.

an Inkbird controller and it has been great.

I have a thermowell and ball valve that I am in the process of installing then I'll be done.

 

[Kampenken]

Gone from here a few days, and pages of posts! Enjoy reading all of these!

I'm in. Placed the order this afternoon with Northern, then had to get the coat directly from Grainfather since Northern didn't carry it! (boo).

Hopefully I'll be able to play with my new toy this weekend!

Congrats and welcome! You're going to enjoy it, post back how it went, always good to hear more observations & thoughts!

Yes, there is a simple mathematical formula in the user manual to derive your exact quantities of both mash and sparge water. .... Worked out nicely. . ..

I copied the formula from the manual to my Bru'n Water spreadsheet, and link in results. I have not had as good results, always about 1/2 gal extra in the fermenter, so I've adjusted now for that.

Does anyone know the recommended hop basket size/micron for the Grainfather? Searching reveals lots of discussion, but no sizes/products to buy.

I have the 6 x 14" 400 micron. I scrape the sides and stir up the bottom and allow exchange of the wort, so some trub does escape, but I'm ok with that, it retains most. I do this to ensure good utilization, have no idea if I'm improving it. It feels right, I too am not fond of how it appears to not mix as well as I'd hope for, so far seems fine.

Well damn it, never thought of that.

Do you think I need to clean the wort chiller or just switch to cold water?

No. Your only questionable practice was using hot water to begin your boil. I think the water you ran through the chiller (and it was on the cooling coil?) is not harming anything. Even if on the wort flow of the chiller, I assume you will sanitize this as per GF instructions with the hot wort post boil.

Anybody used leaf hops with the GF? How'd it do? ... At one point I had my wife lift up the chiller while I scraped the filter with a spoon, which helped a bit, but soon slowed again. I'm considering moving the chiller off the top of the unit in the future so I can scrape the filter constantly while transferring.

I have used them, though I used with pellets as well, all in boiler (the leaf hops were FWH addition and I didn't have assistance that day to lift the grain basket and tuck in the hop basket with the hops). This was my worst clog, however I carefully scrapped the hop filter and voila! That and removing the spring and ball had the pump running very strong. I'm thinking the leaf hops helped!

I always run with my chiller on a stool, instead of the lid, so I have access to the boiler.

I think I found another use for the Grainfather. I heat sanitized some keg parts tonight. With my propane burner I didn't use heat to sanitize anything because I didn't want to melt any rubber or plastic parts. I put the keg parts in the basket and set the temperature controller to 65c and recirculated. 30 minutes should be enough at that temperature. The keg had an infection that I was worried might stick around after PBW and starsan. This gives me a little more peace of mind.

Great idea!

yep, same here use the time for cleaning, I removed the spring and ball several batches now and no speed up on transfer that I notice.

IME I had great improvement removing the ball and spring. That's what I thought others experience was as well, why the suggestion was put out there in the first place. It saved me on a day I tried pellets in the boiler instead of the basket. I now use the basket all the time, just use my scrape and wort exchange as I noted above.

 

[gspot]

I always run with my chiller on a stool, instead of the lid, so I have access to the boiler.

Great idea! I'm thinking this might be the way to go for me in the future so that I can scrape the trub off the filter periodically. I agree that it's a great time for cleaning during the transfer, but I'm not built for multitasking. I want the wort in the fermentor ASAP so I can devote my attention to something else. Personal hangup, I guess.

 

[Stupidsexyflanders]

I have read a fair bit of the thread, but not all. I have not seen anybody discuss using the still, anybody tried?

 

[Eichler]

Here is what I got for sparging.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RC6S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I went with the used option from amazon for $60.

an Inkbird controller and it has been great.

I have a thermowell and ball valve that I am in the process of installing then I'll be done.

How quickly does this heat up? Maintains a good temp with the PID?

 

[JunkCatsOnThePorch]

Love the name, I'm a huge simpsons fan.

However, your question can answered just by looking at the homebrewtalk emblem at the top left of your screen. Or just reading the forum rules.

About to get The Grainfather! I cannot wait! I am an apartment brewer so this thing will really solve most of my brewing inconveniences. SWMBO is supporting my purchase too. I think it looks quite a bit safer than my current setup of boiling 6 gallons on the stove then carrying 212F wort to the bathroom(only connectable faucet for the wort chiller).

Probably on here but how to stop boilovers? Wort hardly ever tries to boil over for me but I usually just remove the pot from the stove, stir a bit then back on.

I also like doing low gravity extract beers for the keg, and bottling my AG recipes. (I got probably 30Lbs of light DME from work at the food science lab they were just gunna throw away because it was open for 6 months+. No clumps or anything. And its still making great beer. SCORE!) So scorch free kettle is defiantly a plus for me.

 

[JunkCatsOnThePorch]

Here is what I got for sparging.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RC6S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Ohh yea this looks way awesome! It just says 100 cups of coffee. Im guessing thats the standard us cup so over 6 gallons?

 

[d-bone]

Great idea! I'm thinking this might be the way to go for me in the future so that I can scrape the trub off the filter periodically. I agree that it's a great time for cleaning during the transfer, but I'm not built for multitasking. I want the wort in the fermentor ASAP so I can devote my attention to something else. Personal hangup, I guess.

I have been doing tthis as well, however my last two brews I have not been scraping the filter and found that although it makes the transfer a little slower, helps keep some extra trub and sediment out of the fermenter. the first time, I put my first hop addition( one of many) straight in the boiler to help work around the filter so that it doesnt get as clogged with trub during transfer. The second brew was a cream ale with very little hops so they all went in filter, and this was a little slower transfer due to some minor clogging, but I just turned the pump off, and then back on once or twice and it worked itself out. I think the first method of adding just the first bittering pellets straight to the boiler worked out better.

by the way, had my best brew time yet, wednesday. I used my new heat stick to help bring my water to strike and it got 3.75 gallons (small grain bill) from 48 to 155 ( mash temp of 152) in 24 minutes. I think it would have bought my usual 5. something gallons up in about 35, which is still just over half as long as without. Best $40 upgrade yet, besides the bucket dolly I bought so I could move the full GF around.

 

[MT2sum]

Ohh yea this looks way awesome! It just says 100 cups of coffee. Im guessing thats the standard us cup so over 6 gallons?

I doubt it ..... most of these manufacturers use anywhere from 3 or 4 ounces per cup to 5 or 6 ounces per cup. I went to a restaurant supply website, and West Bend's 101 cup urn is 3.9 gallons.
Caveat Emptor!

 

[MT2sum]

Sorry to hear about your crappy water. That sounds pretty bad. I have a sediment prefilter on my RO unit, and it's entertaining to watch it turn from white to orangish-brown over the course of a couple months use.

The first time that happened it plugged up the filter so bad the water wouldn't even come out of the faucet. We just finally dumped the filter and now we go to another town and get really good mountain water from a spring -

Good luck on deciding on a system. ..

Still working on that

 

[Kampenken]

I have read a fair bit of the thread, but not all. I have not seen anybody discuss using the still, anybody tried?

Not yet! There are you tube videos you can see on this topic from GF.

...Probably on here but how to stop boilovers? Wort hardly ever tries to boil over for me but I usually just remove the pot from the stove, stir a bit then back on...

You got it, stir! That's all, no boil over. If you keep the lid on to get up to boil it will try to boil over so just remove lid as you approach 212.

...get really good mountain water from a spring

Sounds good for drinking but I'd still want to know it's profile. I've gotten more into water adjustment, Bru'n water, and I believe it makes a big difference. Especially on light color brews

 

[gspot]

Probably on here but how to stop boilovers? Wort hardly ever tries to boil over for me but I usually just remove the pot from the stove, stir a bit then back on.

Never even come close to having one. It seems as if enough head-space was designed into the thing that it's a non-issue. (Ymmv ) A spray bottle of water nearby however would probably be enough to take care of it.

 

[Gareth68]

How quickly does this heat up? Maintains a good temp with the PID?

Honestly, I haven't paid much attention to heating time.

I start it up when I am almost ready to mash in, and it's always ready when I sparge.

According to this site: http://www.jesrestaurantequipment.c...-capacity-polished-aluminum-fin-p-935381.html

It holds 4.68 gallons.\

It seems to keep the temp pretty well.

I'll see once I get the thermowell installed how that affects things.

Right now I have my probe just hanging in the water.

 

[jbb3]

Honestly, I haven't paid much attention to heating time.

I start it up when I am almost ready to mash in, and it's always ready when I sparge.

According to this site: http://www.jesrestaurantequipment.c...-capacity-polished-aluminum-fin-p-935381.html

It holds 4.68 gallons.\

It seems to keep the temp pretty well.

I'll see once I get the thermowell installed how that affects things.

Right now I have my probe just hanging in the water.

It should hold temp well. Nobody likes cold coffee...

 

[tommymartel]

Just got my own Grainfather, can't wait to try it! This thread as been really helpful!

 

[gspot]

Just got my own Grainfather, can't wait to try it! This thread as been really helpful!

Congrats! Enjoy!

 

[MT2sum]

Sounds good for drinking but I'd still want to know it's profile. I've gotten more into water adjustment, Bru'n water, and I believe it makes a big difference. Especially on light color brews

Yeah, I got the readout from the city ..... the water is so pure in that town the EPA can't force the Chlorine/Chloromine/Flouride crap on them but the city told me that the EPA forces them to "clean the delivery system (pipes)" once a year, so they have to warn all the users not to use the water for 2 weeks until the chemicals have disappeared from the water! It's great water! -- Annnnd, I usually only make Dark beers and very hoppy IPAs. As we all know, "A Hoppy Beer is a Happy Beer!" I see you're enjoying your GF .... congrats!

 

[Eichler]

Honestly, I haven't paid much attention to heating time.

I start it up when I am almost ready to mash in, and it's always ready when I sparge.

According to this site: http://www.jesrestaurantequipment.c...-capacity-polished-aluminum-fin-p-935381.html

It holds 4.68 gallons.\

It seems to keep the temp pretty well.

I'll see once I get the thermowell installed how that affects things.

Right now I have my probe just hanging in the water.

I have a STC-1000 and dual outlets wired up for my yogurt making machine. I'm totally going to pivot this over and use it for a sparge heater like yours. :rockin:

 

[JunkCatsOnThePorch]

Honestly, I haven't paid much attention to heating time.

I start it up when I am almost ready to mash in, and it's always ready when I sparge.

According to this site: http://www.jesrestaurantequipment.c...-capacity-polished-aluminum-fin-p-935381.html

It holds 4.68 gal

I was actually just about to order one. But 4.68 gallons seems like not enough to me, although I am not on the grainfather for a couple more weeks. I guess Ill wait and see how much water I end up sparging with, my 8 Gallon pot and 10 Gallon Cooler mash tun should work just fine.

Question. I know it is silly but I still use my original spinning flysparge arm on my regular AG batches. It does not disturb the grain bed at all and thats why I keep using it. Is it possible to use it on the grainfather? Any thoughts?

 

[Gareth68]

I was actually just about to order one. But 4.68 gallons seems like not enough to me, although I am not on the grainfather for a couple more weeks. I guess Ill wait and see how much water I end up sparging with, my 8 Gallon pot and 10 Gallon Cooler mash tun should work just fine.

Question. I know it is silly but I still use my original spinning flysparge arm on my regular AG batches. It does not disturb the grain bed at all and thats why I keep using it. Is it possible to use it on the grainfather? Any thoughts?

Check the calculator, So far the volume has been plenty for every brew I've done (6 gallon batches).

I have the pieces to construct a sparging system next. The upper perforated plate keeps you from directly impacting teh grain bed.


So far I have been pulling a gallon at a time from my sparge heater and pouring over the back of a spoon to sparge......once I add the ball and thermowell (likely before the next brew) the next step is slick little sparge arm I have pictured in my head and allready purchased teh supplies to build....pre measuring the sparge water exactly and cracking a valve.

 

[tommymartel]

I'm testing my grainfather. And I can't set the mash higher then 105F. It won't just go higher then this. The temp probe seems to work fine, I checked it with my other thermometer. So you guys have any clue what is wrong?

 

[elreplica]

Did you try the reset button on the bottom of the GF? It's the only thing that possibly be wrong - other than the controller being facked...and THAT would truly suck, being a new machine and starting a brew :_(
PS. My second thought was that you're in Celsius...

 

[tommymartel]

Ok, I had to do the initial setup in celcius and then redo it back in farenheit!