Stir plate speeds

[Merleti]

What speed or rather how should look( with a vortex or not) when using a stir plate for making yeast?

 

[S0meB0dy]

As long as you can see a dimple on top of your starter you should be good to go. You don't need a rapid vortex to keep the yeast in suspension.

 

[acefaser]

Mine can make a vortex large enough to reach the stir bar. Once it touches the bar it causes the bar to become off balance and loose its speed. It sends bubbles everywhere and doesn't produce a larger vortex. I find my 12 volt computer fan is more than enough to spin up to 5 liters. You only need it to form a vortex and spin the fluid to get aeration. Once the yeast starts growing the liquid actually becomes thicker and I can turn my stir plate all the way up without it causing the vortex to hit the stir bar. I would think if you got the vortex about half way down the liquid that would be more than enough.

 

[Merleti]

Thank you all for the info. I first started it out with a dimple and 3 hours later noticed it wasn't there. So I turned it up again up to high to get a dimple back. When I woke up I had about 75ml of yeast running down the bottle and yeast up in the air lock. I do not think I stirred it to much from what you described, but I still have to ask did I?

 

[Snafu]

You did awesome, sounds like a good fermentation, but... in the future I'd ditch the airlock. Just use a square of alum. foil. Those lads need some air! Cheers and good luck on the brew. FWIW, I keep my vortex dimple about 1" into the wort.

 

[smakudwn]

I set mine to have a small dimple. No big vortex, although I'm sure that doesn't hurt.

 

[fxdude]

I've heard a dime size dimple in the middle is a good rate.

 

[Merleti]

Great thank you all.