Trub/Hop Filter from BrewersHardware

[Doctor_M]

Im looking forward to see how your setup works jlo!

 

[JLo]

I ran the dual filter setup today. Two Brewers Hardware trub filters with the 0.2 micron screens. I hit flame out, stirred to get a whirlpool going, put the lid on and waited for 5 minutes while I did something else. I came back and opened the system wide up, 8 minutes later I had just over 5.5 gallons in the fermenter.

I knocked out with 6.5 gallons in the kettle, 5 oz of hops with an old ale partial mash. I measured 5.5 gallons in the fermenter. I back flushed the filters before I remembered to take a picture. That will have to wait for next time. I had the high speed pump going and the 1/2" plumbing wide open to push through all the plumbing the dual filters and pull the last drops of sweet wort from the bottom of the kettle.

When compensating for shrinkage of water, I lost .6 gallons, all in all not too bad.

Cleaning is a whole other deal now. With all of the tri-clover fittings and gaskets, I now have a bucket full of sanitizer for all of the tri-clover parts.

 

[TrickyDick]

I ran the dual filter setup today. Two Brewers Hardware trub filters with the 0.2 micron screens. I hit flame out, stirred to get a whirlpool going, put the lid on and waited for 5 minutes while I did something else. I came back and opened the system wide up, 8 minutes later I had just over 5.5 gallons in the fermenter.

I knocked out with 6.5 gallons in the kettle, 5 oz of hops with an old ale partial mash. I measured 5.5 gallons in the fermenter. I back flushed the filters before I remembered to take a picture. That will have to wait for next time. I had the high speed pump going and the 1/2" plumbing wide open to push through all the plumbing the dual filters and pull the last drops of sweet wort from the bottom of the kettle.

When compensating for shrinkage of water, I lost .6 gallons, all in all not too bad.

Cleaning is a whole other deal now. With all of the tri-clover fittings and gaskets, I now have a bucket full of sanitizer for all of the tri-clover parts.

Got any pics? You ran them in parallel setup?
How clear was the wort and how much trub left in kettle (Flat bottom?)
Sounds like they work FAST with pump! Pump sounds like it was between kettle and filters. Is there any filter or anything on the kettle bulkhead valve or just a dip tube.

Thanks!
TD

 

[JLo]

TD check out my pic a few posts back.

I'm using an electricbrewery.com 20 gallon Blichmann electric kettle, the pump came with the Sabco ChillWizard and I upgraded the pump to high speed.

I'm still working out the kinks, ideally I would have the trub filter above the counterflow chiller and pump through most of the process and then let the filters drain dry.

I think I have the parts in the right sequence, maybe just not at the right elevation.

 

[Landshark67]

Regarding larger batches. 20gal +

I been using the trub/hop filter for 20+ batches. The average boil size is 30 gallons. I'm using a Duda Diesel 60 plate chiller.

My goal when purchasing the unit was to use it to protect the plate chiller. The challenge is that I need to sanitize the chiller (typically begin the whirlpool 5min before flame out). At the beginning of the whirlpool, there is a fair amount of hop debris in the kettle so I need the filter to prevent clogging yet allow for enough flow volume to create an effective whirlpool.

To date I have had exactly two brew sessions go smoothly with the filter. BK>pump>Filter>HEX>BK ...the only way to get whirlpool volume going. BK>Filter>Pump>HEX>BK is a disaster. The filter starves the pump if put before making the wort difficult to force through the plate chiller.

The key to the two successful batches was to limit the flow/use time of the filter. 3-4min and then bypass completely. By that time the whirpool is really turning and the cone will form on it's own. From there, it's pump through the plate chiller and into the FV. I run the pump at full flow through the chiller. No clogging and the exit point is 59-61F.

I now manually start the whirpool with a ss paddle and wait a few minutes. It's not what I had hoped for when I bought the unit but it helps prevent clogging. IMO - if you can effectively whirlpool, you may not need the filter. It's decent insurance but not a cure-all for large batches.

One trick is to use a bleeder valve. One at the exit point of the plate chiller to vent trapped air. It seems like the filter/plate chiller combo conspires to trap air.


Brew on!

 

[rvklein]

Regarding larger batches. 20gal +

I been using the trub/hop filter for 20+ batches. The average boil size is 30 gallons. I'm using a Duda Diesel 60 plate chiller.

My goal when purchasing the unit was to use it to protect the plate chiller. The challenge is that I need to sanitize the chiller (typically begin the whirlpool 5min before flame out). At the beginning of the whirlpool, there is a fair amount of hop debris in the kettle so I need the filter to prevent clogging yet allow for enough flow volume to create an effective whirlpool.

To date I have had exactly two brew sessions go smoothly with the filter. BK>pump>Filter>HEX>BK ...the only way to get whirlpool volume going. BK>Filter>Pump>HEX>BK is a disaster. The filter starves the pump if put before making the wort difficult to force through the plate chiller.

The key to the two successful batches was to limit the flow/use time of the filter. 3-4min and then bypass completely. By that time the whirpool is really turning and the cone will form on it's own. From there, it's pump through the plate chiller and into the FV. I run the pump at full flow through the chiller. No clogging and the exit point is 59-61F.

I now manually start the whirpool with a ss paddle and wait a few minutes. It's not what I had hoped for when I bought the unit but it helps prevent clogging. IMO - if you can effectively whirlpool, you may not need the filter. It's decent insurance but not a cure-all for large batches.

One trick is to use a bleeder valve. One at the exit point of the plate chiller to vent trapped air. It seems like the filter/plate chiller combo conspires to trap air.


Brew on!

I typically sanitize my plate chiller when sparging from the HLT. Then run a little starsan through it right before chilling. I also found whirlpooling with the filter between the BK & the pump impossible but didn't try it after the pump.

I only use the filter pre-chiller.

 

[JLo]

While mashing, I fire up the BK to heat my sparge water. I bring the sparge water to boiling and recirculate at boiling through the plate chiller and trub filters for at least 15 minutes. I then drain the loop and fill the HLT, so far my forced wort tests are coming out clean.

 

[Landshark67]

While mashing, I fire up the BK to heat my sparge water. I bring the sparge water to boiling and recirculate at boiling through the plate chiller and trub filters for at least 15 minutes. I then drain the loop and fill the HLT, so far my forced wort tests are coming out clean.

Thanks for the tip. Easy solution to sanitizing the Plate Chiller.

 

[WortMonger]

I have still been following this thread hoping to get more turned on, but it looks like bk>filtered funnel>grant/pump combo>hex>bk for me still. I have found it very easy to get piece of mind from my $80 presto pressure canner sterilizing my Therminator. From the amount of gunk that comes out of that thing though I think I am still sanitizing rather than sterilizing, but I can live with that. Plus I used it for another purpose the other night and cooked 4 gallons of chili and canned it. I love my p-canner!

I have been looking for a set of filter cones that get consecutively smaller weave so I could just stack them on top of each other in my grant and then pull them as they start to clog. Then once they are all out of the grant towards the end of my recirculating chill, I can add even finer sets to get as much as I need to get out of the final beer. I'm thinking for delicate lagers here since I really don't care about fining that much on most every other beer. Anyone know of a product that would fit in a corny I.D. ?

I use this same configuration of chilling for cleaning, only I reverse the direction of the hex so it is getting back flushed. I get my rinse water very clean and I still catch chunks of grist and other in the funnel filter.

 

[Markd27]

I'd love to order this for my setup, but I can't for the life of me figure out why they don't offer an NPT version. It's crazy to think I'd have to spend $125 + shipping for this, then need to spend another $60 (!) on fittings, that's half the price of the filter.

I'm also considering the HopRocket, which would only cost me $10 for two camlock QD's. I want to use this as a secondary filter to catch grain debris before it hits the Therminator, and I don't think the HopRocket offers fine enough filtration on it's own (without hops or rice hulls or something else in there). So, I may be stuck buying this anyways. I'll be using a stainless hop spider to filter out most of the hop debris in the kettle.

 

[bdjohns1]

I'd love to order this for my setup, but I can't for the life of me figure out why they don't offer an NPT version. It's crazy to think I'd have to spend $125 + shipping for this, then need to spend another $60 (!) on fittings, that's half the price of the filter.

If I were going to hazard a guess, there are a few drivers:

1) This is made from stainless tubing. NPT threads are found on thick-wall pipes. Tri-clamps and other sanitary fittings are what's on tubing normally.
2) Triclamp fittings are the normal fitting in commercial food, beverage, and brewing applications. A lot of home brewers use NPT fittings because they're cheap and available, not because they're the "correct" choice. (I use my "correct" in the "correct at my day job where we can go through >1 million pounds of milk in a day" sense - NPT threads are not on anything that makes direct product contact. Steam piping gets NPT up until the final flow regulator, then it goes TC. That's as close as an NPT fitting gets to products)
3) if you're reached the point in brewing where a $125 filter makes sense, then maybe you should be on TCs.

 

[NoCornOrRice]

I'm thinking about getting one of these. I wonder though could it also be used to:

1.) act as mash tun false bottom in a bottom drain keggle?

2.) If I put a fine hop bag (the kind that keeps pellets in check in the boil) over the filter with a worm clamp, would it act as a small enough filter to make for crystal clear beer after fermentation?

 

[luhrks]

Used the Glacier Tanks 1.5" version on a 2bbl System last night as a test before putting it on my system this weekend. All I have to say is, it worked better than expected. It caught stuff that the false bottoms in both the mash and boil kettles had missed as well as the trub. There was no noticeable speed reduction on the pump in drainage, no sticks, or anything. I think the key here is that the BK had a false bottom already, we weren't relying on it as the only filter.

The batch had 13oz of whole hops in it, most of which was caught by the BK screen, but wow... what we pulled out of the filter was... shocking. This is stuff that would pass into the plate chiller and the fermenter. Some was actually grain that had come all the way from the mash.

I think that if you set them up correctly, and don't rely on them as you're ONLY source of filtration in the brewing process, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[oakbarn]

We have 2 of these. I use on AFTER the pump on my Stout MLT before the HERMS. The other one is hooked up to the outlet of the Stout BK.

We do have a false bottom in the MLT and use Hop Socks in the BK.

Mostly grain bits in both after brewing.

On thing we do is precharge all the pumps and filters with hot water and have no air in them. I also have bleeder valves after the outlet valves. (St. Pats mpt with 1/4 in SS valve.)

 

[tyzippers]

We have 2 of these. I use on AFTER the pump on my Stout MLT before the HERMS. The other one is hooked up to the outlet of the Stout BK.

We do have a false bottom in the MLT and use Hop Socks in the BK.

Mostly grain bits in both after brewing.

On thing we do is precharge all the pumps and filters with hot water and have no air in them. I also have bleeder valves after the outlet valves. (St. Pats mpt with 1/4 in SS valve.)

That's a good call on precharging the line, pumps, and filter. I've been fighting with mine for the last few brew sessions and I never thought of that. I really feel like a reject because I are a Mechanical Engineer. I feel like I should know these things. Next brew session I'll be charged with a lot of good ideas! I'm determined to make this thing work! There certainly is some good information in this thread!

 

[oakbarn]

The bleeder valves also help a lot. Once I get a pump charged, I never mess with the supply side.

 

[tyzippers]

The bleeder valves also help a lot. Once I get a pump charged, I never mess with the supply side.

Can you maybe post a few pics of your setup? It sound pretty sweet! I'm interested to see how you have the filter plumbed in.

 

[oakbarn]

I can do that but I will have to set it up. It is something of a rube goldberg machine as I do not want to change hoses once set up and I also pump hot water to top off the fermenter and get out all the wort.

 

[kickflip_mj]

Koi need your help. I am building a 25 gal hard plumbed TC set up. I was going to mount the filter horizontal before the pump. Then I was advised vertical before the pump. Can I mount my filter horizontal after the pump?

 

[oakbarn]

On the supply side it needs to be vertical. I have one mounted sideways after the pump of my MLT and have not had many problems, but it does not fill up with grain. I do not vorloft because of the small amount of grain in the filter. I am thinking of mounting it vertical however as that the way it was designed to be used. I use Hop Bags (the throw away kind) in my BK so I do not have that much trub to begin with. I mostly catch a little of the grain that passed through the first filter into my BK. I may not have 100% of hop utilization but it is not an exact science anyway. I think the Hop variation within a crop would more of a factor than the hop bag loss. I also use a Blickmann Hop Rocket just before my plate chiller. If I am not using Leaf Flavor hops,I fill with SS scrubies as a final filter.

I would e mail Brewers Hardware. THey are the one in the know.

 

[oakbarn]

Great set up. Could you start a thread "My MLT Tippy Build" and give some details and pix of the tippy system. I want to build my own. I have jury rigged one but it does not work all that well.

 

[kickflip_mj]

Thank you for the input. I actually plan on making a thread on my build. I am just planning on getting some traction before I start posting, I just have been stock pilling parts.lol

This week I am going to modify my sketchy tippy dump with pillow blocks and bottom support. Just for you ill try to get that going this week

 

[luhrks]

Thank you for the input. I actually plan on making a thread on my build. I am just planning on getting some traction before I start posting, I just have been stock pilling parts.lol

This week I am going to modify my sketchy tippy dump with pillow blocks and bottom support. Just for you ill try to get that going this week

Is your system electric or gas?

 

[kickflip_mj]

Yeah its gas, 100 percent tri clover, hard plumbed, CIP Automated system. AKA way to much work and money. lol

 

[calebstringer]

I've put mine pre pump, post pump, nothing. Clogs almost instantly. I can run about one gallon through it and then nothing. Not even a trickle out. That last batch was with 2 oz of pellet hops. Open the filter, and not much of anything in it...

 

[oakbarn]

Are you using a hop pre screen? I found pre pump not to work so well. Post pump has been OK with some problems. Do you whirlpool and let settle prior to pumping? We use hop bags, whirlpool and settle, then pump through filter and then Heat Exchanger (dudadiesel). It works most of the time and we have done a barrel that way. I have thought of having 2 with a Y on each end and valves or to have a method to back flow hot water if clogged.

 

[Doctor_M]

Which direction do you have the wort going through it? Have you tried flipping the filter around?

 

[calebstringer]

Which direction do you have the wort going through it? Have you tried flipping the filter around?

I whirlpool, let it settle, then pump through the filter, pre plate chiller.

 

[ZVNJ]

What 24 oz of hops looks like. Didnt plug it.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[TrickyDick]

nice!

I did a enjoy by clone, with free loose hops that I tried whirlpooling. Didn't work. Had to empty the filter at least 7 times, filled with mixed break material and hops. Seems you had better luck. I assume a lot were left in the kettle as well.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew