I have been having problems with my motorized Barley Crusher

[B-Dub]

I have been having problems with my motorized Barley Crusher. For the first year it ran like a champ! No problems at all. Into the second year it started staling out during the milling. So I would just stop the motor, run the mill backwards for a rotation and then forward until I felt the grain catch and turn the motor back on. This would happen a few times while grinding in about 20 to 40 pounds. Now it seems to happen ALL the F'n time!!!

The setting was factory for a long time and now I have it open to .47. The pulleys are 10" on the mill and 1.5" on the 1725 rmp motor. This was what a few articles stated was the optimum speed.

If I get the gap setting to tight the grain refuses to mill.

Anyone have the same problems and found a way to fix it? I might start thinking about the rollers if this keeps on.

Thanks,

BW

 

[boo boo]

Have you tried adding the grain to the hopper after the mill was turned on?

Could be that the motor is starting to give out when the strain is on it.

 

[B-Dub]

Have you tried adding the grain to the hopper after the mill was turned on?

Could be that the motor is starting to give out when the strain is on it.

The thing is the malt just stops mid way through milling. Starts off great at the beginning and then it just stops feeding periodically during milling. The motor is still strong and shows no sign of strain or of giving out.

Thanks,

BW

 

[boo boo]

So the rollers are still turning?

If that is the case perhaps the rollers need to be refurreled.

 

[conpewter]

Does the motor stall or do the pullies slip? Can you tell if it is harder to grind by hand than it used to be? If so there could be something wrong with the bushings or alignment.

 

[Lonnie Mac]

So the rollers are still turning?

If that is the case perhaps the rollers need to be refurreled.

boo boo is on to something here I think... My BC does this constantly also now. Now, I love the dang thing, but after many bearing cleaning and oiling, gap settings, I have finally boiled it down to the rollers. I swear I have ran a few hundred batches through this thing so I am totally happy if this is the case, but indeed my rollers are VERY worn now. I have simply worn them down. Rather than have them re-knurled, it may be time for a new mill for me soon... BC has done me very well though...

 

[BrewBeemer]

boo boo is on to something here I think... My BC does this constantly also now. Now, I love the dang thing, but after many bearing cleaning and oiling, gap settings, I have finally boiled it down to the rollers. I swear I have ran a few hundred batches through this thing so I am totally happy if this is the case, but indeed my rollers are VERY worn now. I have simply worn them down. Rather than have them re-knurled, it may be time for a new mill for me soon... BC has done me very well though...

In their specs they claim a "lifetime mill" made out of 1018 CRS rollers.
I would of had the rollers case hardened at day one when brand new before it went into service. Doing a little extra when new would of made the knurling last a lot longer.

 

[BrewBeemer]

boo boo is on to something here I think... My BC does this constantly also now. Now, I love the dang thing, but after many bearing cleaning and oiling, gap settings, I have finally boiled it down to the rollers. I swear I have ran a few hundred batches through this thing so I am totally happy if this is the case, but indeed my rollers are VERY worn now. I have simply worn them down. Rather than have them re-knurled, it may be time for a new mill for me soon... BC has done me very well though...

In their specs they claim a "lifetime mill" made out of 1018 CRS rollers. "Lifetime warranty" hell if it's shot you should receive a free replacement mill.
I would of had the rollers case hardened day one when it was brand new before it went into service. Doing a little extra then would of made the knurling last a lot longer. MM in stainless? Yes big bucks for their SS roller MM unit and too rich for me, instead I went for a MM3-2 and case hardened the rollers and shafts after first cleaning up and polishing the journals. I hate to buy twice it costs more than once with little added effort and improvements done to them.

 

[samc]

In their specs they claim a "lifetime mill" made out of 1018 CRS rollers. "Lifetime warranty" hell if it's shot you should receive a free replacement mill.
I would of had the rollers case hardened day one when it was brand new before it went into service. Doing a little extra then would of made the knurling last a lot longer. MM in stainless? Yes big bucks for their SS roller MM unit and too rich for me, instead I went for a MM3-2 and case hardened the rollers and shafts after first cleaning up and polishing the journals. I hate to buy twice it costs more than once with little added effort and improvements done to them.

What method can home gamers do to accomplish "case hardening"?

 

[BrewBeemer]

What method can home gamers do to accomplish "case hardening"?

Look into the phone book unless you have a kiln, the proper temperture as well the proper oil for case hardening your part. When done I used baking soda blasted the knurling bright clean as well polished the journals back to looking almost like chrome again. The oillite bushing will like this for a long life.

 

[BrewBeemer]

What method can home gamers do to accomplish "case hardening"?

Look into the phone book for companies that do case hardening or cryogenic freezing unless you have a kiln. With 1018 steel at a low carbon content of .18%carburizing will make the part 100 to 600% more durable but only Rc 35-38 vs higher carbon of 1% or more to Rc 58-60. This is 0.010 to 0.30" deep the hardness layer so the inner core material will not become brittle and crack. CryoTune freezing is another process as well heating and adding a carbonitriding gas to the part then there is induction hardening. The proper temperture as well the proper oil for case hardening a part also. When done I used tape on the journals then baking soda blasted the knurling bright clean again as well polished the journals back to looking almost like chrome again. The oillite bushing should like this plus a longer bushing and journal life. I used 0.011" thick nylon washers plus kept the rollers end clearances tight like 0.002" to 0.003" end clearance from the end plates to reduce the dust and dirt from entering the bushings and journals to the minimum. By this the top and bottom plates holding the end frames kept it in alignment with 3/8" thick aluminum plates. The 3/8" at the bottom is longer than the mill allowing for bolting down the mill at the corners to the mill table. At $260 after shipping this investment gift I planned on making it last a long time with this MM3-2 mill I was given.

 

[BrewBeemer]

I have been having problems with my motorized Barley Crusher. For the first year it ran like a champ! No problems at all. Into the second year it started staling out during the milling. So I would just stop the motor, run the mill backwards for a rotation and then forward until I felt the grain catch and turn the motor back on. This would happen a few times while grinding in about 20 to 40 pounds. Now it seems to happen ALL the F'n time!!!

The setting was factory for a long time and now I have it open to .47. The pulleys are 10" on the mill and 1.5" on the 1725 rmp motor. This was what a few articles stated was the optimum speed.

If I get the gap setting to tight the grain refuses to mill.

Anyone have the same problems and found a way to fix it? I might start thinking about the rollers if this keeps on.

Thanks,

BW

With only 1.25" diameter rollers there is a steep angle for the grain to get grabbed and pulled thru vs larger rollers of 2" like the MM2 or MM2-3 mills.
One member made his scratch built mill I recall out of 6" diameter steel tubing, at that low of an approach angle no knurling is required and one less wearing problem to not worry about over time.
At 12 PT your mill should pull in the grain, my thinking JMO here on that small of diameter more tearing and flour is made vs cracking the gain of larger diameter roller mills. Again JMO here plus harder for the drive roller to turn the driven roller by way of the grain.

 

[Surly]

I have been having problems with my motorized Barley Crusher. For the first year it ran like a champ! No problems at all. Into the second year it started staling out during the milling. So I would just stop the motor, run the mill backwards for a rotation and then forward until I felt the grain catch and turn the motor back on. This would happen a few times while grinding in about 20 to 40 pounds. Now it seems to happen ALL the F'n time!!!

The setting was factory for a long time and now I have it open to .47. The pulleys are 10" on the mill and 1.5" on the 1725 rmp motor. This was what a few articles stated was the optimum speed.

If I get the gap setting to tight the grain refuses to mill.

Anyone have the same problems and found a way to fix it? I might start thinking about the rollers if this keeps on.

Thanks,

BW

I have had the exact issue. Many have I find.

My rollers should not be worn out. I only have oh, three or four hundred pounds through it.

I hand crank but I don't think that matters with this problem. It is the gap. If it is too close, the grain will not turn the second roller. If too wide, same thing.

I reset mine last night at factory .039 and was not satisfied with the results so set it to .036. I am pleased with the grind but had the thing stop on my one time during a five pound grind. I will wait until next brew day to change anything if even then.

I would suggest looking at the gap again. Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you. This is not an isolated issue.

 

[Brew-boy]

I think he meant .047 and not .47 your grain would fall through with that gap. I have mine set to .035 and once in awhile it will stop on me. I now always start the mill first and this seems to help. I would make sure you have no taper in your gap, check both ends with a feeler gage. You can always call Randy the owner of the Barley Chrusher and he is a stand up guy and will help you.

 

[B-Dub]

Thanks everyone for the many replies.

The rollers have about 1000 pounds run through them so far. So they should be solid and show no ware.

Yeah, .047 is what I meant. I might have to go back to the factory .039 and see how it runs. I only opened the mill because of the new problem with the grain stalling. So I don't know if that will help, but it is worth a try.

The sheave, once it has positive grain through put, spins nice and easy. The motor is new and way over powered for this operation. That being said, it is geared down for the proper rpm. The motor and belt are running great.

I think that is it. Now back to my 13 gallon Triple and 15 gallons of P-Lambic mashes!!

Thanks everyone!!

BW

 

[Sherpa FE]

I had the same problem with mine, I called BC and they walked me through some steps to see if they could get it working, after it not, I sent it back and they replaced it. This is not unheard of for the BC, so I replaced my mill, with a commercial grade mill, and havents looked back.

Hope you get your working properly

 

[TripleHopped]

Help!

I'm bring up this old thread because I didn't want to start a new one and have information about similar problems in different places.

So..

The last few times that I used my Barley Crusher the main wheel will spin and not catch the grain. On occassion it will mill the grain for sometimes one to two seconds. I feel real good about the mill when it mills for 10 to 15 seconds straighy. I try turning the wheel backwards, but that only spins some whole grains down into the bucket.

I have checked the gap and it is the same .039 on both sides.

It took me 45 min to an hour to mill the grain for a 5 gallon batch.

I have sent an email to Barley Crusher.

Any suggestions?

 

[BrewBeemer]

JMO I would of buried that BC long ago if I couldn't get a 100% refund from the manufacture not wanting another homebrewer to go thus these same problems.

 

[bja]

I have sent an email to Barley Crusher.

Any suggestions?

Please let us know what they say. I'm having the same problem.

Since my last brew I have taken the mill apart, cleaned and oiled everything. I'll be brewing again this weekend so I'll let you know if it helped any.

 

[leboeuf]

I have this issue with certain types of grain. For example: Golden promise seeds are f-ing huge and cause my mill to stall a lot. I've also noticed that the seeds in my most recent bag (breiss 2row) were a little larger than my last.

I use a high tech stick that I shove down to the rollers to mix the grain up a bit. Obviously not the best solution, but it gets my Scottish ale brew days going. Maybe one day I'll actually adjust my mill for the situation.....

 

[ScubaSteve]

I'd wait to hear back from BC before throwing them under the bus. It's a reputable product for homebrewing; they offer a great price and guarantee. After all, this thing is for home use, and it'll last the average guy a lifetime. I'm sure you can work something out.

 

[TripleHopped]

Just to make it clear. I did not throw them under the bus. I'm trying to find others that may have had the same problem, and have found a solution.

 

[beerocd]

... and have found a solution.

What was the solution?

 

[Got Trub?]

I just smack the hopper. Happens maybe once a batch but I only do 5g batches. I think the grain for whatever reason just "stacks up" above the rollers and stops feeding in.

GT

 

[BrewBeemer]

i just smack the hopper. Happens maybe once a batch but i only do 5g batches. I think the grain for whatever reason just "stacks up" above the rollers and stops feeding in.

Gt

nice!

 

[TripleHopped]

I just smack the hopper. Happens maybe once a batch but I only do 5g batches. I think the grain for whatever reason just "stacks up" above the rollers and stops feeding in.

GT

That has not worked for me I have tried it. I will even stop the drill and run my finger across the rollers several times just to make sure there is contact between the roller and grains. When I start the drill up again it just spins without crushing any grains.

I have been over at a friends house who has the same grain mill and it works flawlessly.

 

[B-Dub]

I had really good emails with the owner of the BC. He told me to take the mill apart and clean the rollers and oil the bearings. That helped some. Then I taped inside the mill so there was very little gap limiting the grain that could get behind the passive roller.

Now it works okay. What I have found is some grain runs better than others. For instance wheat or English grains seem to stall the mill more. So I either mix the grains up or mill separate and adjust the gap before running the problem grains.

This is a great mill and works very well for me most of the time. I brewed on Monday and used 40 pounds of German Vienna. The milled stopped about 4 times, but I remove the bucket and run the mill backwards then slow forward until it catches, then replace the bucket and turn the motor back on. Seems to work for the most part.

A 3 roller Monster Mill is on my wish list. It seems like it would do a better job for me on big brew days when I mill 60 to 70 pounds and don't want to fuss with adjustments.

BW

 

[Got Trub?]

That has not worked for me I have tried it. I will even stop the drill and run my finger across the rollers several times just to make sure there is contact between the roller and grains. When I start the drill up again it just spins without crushing any grains.

I have been over at a friends house who has the same grain mill and it works flawlessly.

Our problems must be different.

GT

 

[bja]

I had really good emails with the owner of the BC. He told me to take the mill apart and clean the rollers and oil the bearings. That helped some.

I took mine apart, cleaned it and oiled the bearings. Didn't make much difference. It took me over half an hour to crush 20 pounds of grain.

I've had this mill for over 2 years and it worked perfectly until a couple months ago.

 

[TripleHopped]

What was the solution?

I got an email on Friday from BC. I'm posting it so in case anyone has a silimar problem they can try it.

"Thank you for your email, A couple things I would suggest to try is to take a wire brush to the rollers.This will remove any residue that may have built up over past batches.You can also try to take the mill apart and give it a good cleaning. ( no water) try wiping the end of the rollers and the side plates off and reassembling the mill. sometime dust and residue will build up between the rollers and the side plate that will make the idle roller stick. If you do take the mill apart to clean it, one other thing you can do is spin the idle roller 180 degrees, so the side that's on the right is now on the left.If the knurl on the roller is starting to get dull they tend to dull more on one side than the other. So spinning the roller around will give that roller a somewhat fresh knurl.

If after you try these things and if you are still having problems please email me and we will see what we can do to get your mill back to the way it should be."

I will find out later this week if this has solved my problem.