Hop strainer?

[EROK]

Or make yourself one of these. Easy and works great.

Where can I get the parts list for this hop filter setup?

 

[jaginger]

I have the parts available that i can get to you a good bit cheaper than you'll have to pay retail. Shoot me a PM and we can work out details.

 

[EarthBound]

Sparky,

I use the PEM150P2POSS Polyester Multifiliment Bag which is 150 Micron in Size 2 (7.25" Dia x 31.5" Long). I purchased the long bag in case I do a 5 gallon batch. They are well long enough to reach down into a 5 gallon batch. As I mentioned, you will get no Hop debris and the Hops incorporate themselves into the wort very well. They are $4.60 ea and are washable and reuseable.

I plan on buying some of these bags. They have a minimum order of $35, and they're $6 a pop, so I have to buy 6 of them.

Has anyone else tried these bags out? I look forward to trying them myself and posting the results on this thread.

 

[EarthBound]

Scrap that idea! Those filters will hurt the hop utilization, for sure. I decided to DIY a hopstopper instead. I'm making it out of a $3 SS strainer from BB&B and stripped copper wire. Talk about cheap! It'll be done tonight. If someone shows interest, I'll post a pic.

 

[Lou1998]

Earthbound,
I would be interested to see how that works for you. I built a copper manifold and it works well with whole leaf but not pellets and am looking for alternatives I can use with a heating element.

 

[EarthBound]

Earthbound,
I would be interested to see how that works for you. I built a copper manifold and it works well with whole leaf but not pellets and am looking for alternatives I can use with a heating element.

Sweet, I will post a pic then. A hopstopper, IMO, is your best bet if you intend to use pellet hops, a heating element, and no whirlpooling. That's my intention, as well. I've done a lot of research on this forum, and all signs point to the hopstopper or at least a DIY version of the hopstopper.

I bought this colander, took the top ring off, and will sew the sides together in the shape of a taco. Leaving the bottom ring attached will provide adequate structural integrity. I'm open to any criticism or suggestions.

 

[EarthBound]

Here' a couple pics. I plan on hacksawing some slots at the bottom tip of the diptube, of course. Think it'll work?!

Edit: BTW, the copper tubing is 5/8" OD, and I had to change out the compression fitting shown in the picture because it was the wrong size.

 

[bruin_ale]

Only one way to find out! Let us know.. right now I'm using a bazooka screen - but not using any pellets for fear of clogging. Also, you may want to think about changing that hose clamp out for a stainless clamp.

 

[EarthBound]

I certainly will. If it works fine, then I found a very cheap DIY hopstopper!

I'm pretty sure that it is a SS clamp. That's what it says on the bag it came in. If I see any rust after the trial run, I'll definitely switch it out.

Speaking of a trial run. I was thinking of just boiling about 6-7 gallons with about 4 oz. of hops. The hops to be used have been already opened up and sitting in my freezer for many months, so it's not too much of a waste. Does this sound reasonable?

 

[bruin_ale]

test run sounds ok, but you won't get any hot or cold break like you would in a real brew. So it will give you an idea, but not 100% definitive - better than no test at all though.

 

[EarthBound]

Ah, good point. I don't have cold break in the BK because I use a CFC, so I may just initially trust it enough to brew a batch. I'll make sure I have a backup plan in case it clogs, though.

 

[EarthBound]

Here's the result of my test run. It seems that because I just used water and hops, the hops really stuck to the inside of the BK. I ran the outlet of the BK through a paint-strainer bag to see how well the "hopstopper" worked. Not much made it through, IMO. My conclusion is that it worked well enough for my purposes. I usually brew IIPAs, so I needed something, ya know?!

 

[peter78]

Anybody ever tried wrapping a fine mesh, like the one Dog House Brew suggests, over a bazooka screen? You can get a 12x12 sheet at McMaster for about $15. What do you guys think?

 

[Dog House Brew]

You could wrap it, but IMO its about the surface area. Using the mesh and making a hopster has been the best thing I've ever done. I never have problems with hops anymore. If I could build something again it would be out of 30x30 mesh.

 

[KevinW]

I've search all over researching how I wanted to build my version of this. From what I have gathered the window screen stuff is a No-No because of coatings they put on the screen material, either stainless or aluminum. The screen material that looks like metal is either a gray plastic type coating or clear plastic type coating.

So are you saying that the aluminum or stainless window screen is OK and not to use the "non-metallic" screen or to not use any type of window screen for filtering regardless of what it is made out of?

Just wondering!

 

[cheezydemon3]

My research says that nylon leaches **** at 200F.

i just don't feel good about the nylon.

 

[edmanster]

Look up the MSDS for every material you question!! Sofar all I can find on nylon says materials to avoid are strong acids and oxidizing agents and conditions to avoid are temps above 555° f may cause thermal decomposition(degrade).. So melting point temps at +400°f is where it would probably start to leach or I guess also if you soak it in sum strong acid!! Look it up!!

 

[cheezydemon3]

Plastic leaches a ton of bad stuff WAY before it decomposes.

The nylon Crock pot liners leach stuff at 200F, and they are specifically made for food and heat.

AND THEY ARE FDA approved.

No one expects anyone to boil paint, so there is no data on boiling those things.

Everything plastic leaches above 200F or so.

I am not saying "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!"

I am just saying, "NOT IN MY BEER"

 

[edmanster]

Reread http://www.ehow.com/list_6133150_dangers-plastic-crock-pot-liners_.html
At temps of 200°c (400°f).....

 

[cheezydemon3]

Ahhh....not used to seeing the C listed first!

My bad. I am still not a fan of them.

Extreme temps (400F) means a spike or short flare. BOILING said SH!T for 60-90 minutes hasn't been tested, and if I was betting, leaches stuff just as badly.

 

[edmanster]

That's why I always go to the MSDS.. I use them almost every day since I do make plastic and turn it into the tubing that is used in your veins for IV catheters.. We can't use pigment and (UV) stabilizers which is where most of the toxic chemicals come from..
EDIT: oh, and we do use the paint strainer bags for our pellets to run tests on and our driers run at 190°-250°f

 

[cheezydemon3]

I don't claim know to all about it, I just know that every 6 years or so, we learn that something or other that was thought safe, isn't.

I will limit where I can.

(MSDS?)

 

[edmanster]

I don't claim to all about it, I just know that every 6 years or so, we learn that something or other that was thought safe, isn't.

I will limit where I can.

(MSDS?)

Material Safety Data Sheet

 

[Sawdustguy]

Material Safety Data Sheet

Thats why I recommended the Polyester water filter bags.

 

[Sawdustguy]

Material Safety Data Sheet

Thats why I recommended the Polyester water filter bags. What the hell nobody listens to me anyway.

 

[passedpawn]

Thats why I recommended the Polyester water filter bags. What the hell nobody listens to me anyway.

Wha huh... did you say something?

 

[edmanster]

Thats why I recommended the Polyester water filter bags.

Looks good to me!! Melting point for polyester is 480°f and they have sum with a SS ring in the top!! Win Win

 

[TheOnionKnight]

Looks good to me!! Melting point for polyester is 480°f and they have sum with a SS ring in the top!! Win Win

Are you looking at these? http://www.thepurchaseadvantage.com/page/TPA/CTGY/polyester_bag_filters.html

Would a 50 micron size be good to filter out particles while still letting the acids out?

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Would a 50 micron size be good to filter out particles while still letting the acids out?

Lessee, 50 microns is near 'nuff to .002 inches, which I think is way too fine to allow water to flow through at a useful rate.

By comparison, a 40x40 SS woven cloth using .01 inch diameter wire has .015" wide openings - and I've yet to see anyone construct a hop taco or hop blocker with anything that fine. 30x30 is usually the tightest used, and that has openings more like .024" - which is a dozen times coarser than that 50 micron mesh...

Cheers!

 

[edmanster]

Are you looking at these? http://www.thepurchaseadvantage.com/page/TPA/CTGY/polyester_bag_filters.html

Would a 50 micron size be good to filter out particles while still letting the acids out?

yeah, those were what I looked at for a material comparison but I do agree with day_tripper for utilization purposes because you want the wort to contact the hops as much as possible for full utilization.

Lessee, 50 microns is near 'nuff to .002 inches, which I think is way too fine to allow water to flow through at a useful rate.

By comparison, a 40x40 SS woven cloth using .01 inch diameter wire has .015" wide openings - and I've yet to see anyone construct a hop taco or hop blocker with anything that fine. 30x30 is usually the tightest used, and that has openings more like .024" - which is a dozen times coarser than that 50 micron mesh...

Cheers!

here is some of the screens we use 40,60,80,120 and we go to 500 on some materials.. I agree that a 30 is as fine as I would go for a hop blocker...