Grainfather

[Simon_]

@ all. thanks for all the answers. So, I guess I have to buy a hop spider a a new pump filter  

You won't need a hop spider. The new filter works well.

[DEMPSEY]

So,
1 finish the boil,
2 switch off the pump,
3 stir good and hard for a minute,
4 let the wort stop spinning and let it settle,
5 switch on the pump to run hot wort through the counterflow and back to the grainfather for 2 minutes,
6 connect the cold water to the counterflow and begin cooling wort.
7 confirm cool wort temp as it return's to the grainfather and when it is 20 C redirect it to the fermenter.

[Simon_]

Here's how I do it

1 10-15 minutes before end of boil, connect the wort chiller and turn on the pump, recirculating into GF to sterilise the chiller
2 connect the cold water to the counterflow
3 finish the boil
4 stir good and hard for a minute,
5 turn on cold water, move the wort-out tube to the fermenter (turn off the pump briefly if you can't do this without spilling)
6 confirm cool wort temp as you take a gravity reading. It should be around 20c depending on your water temp. If it's too high increase the water flow
7 when it's finished transferring I put it in the ferm chamber and connect a temp probe. When it's at my pitching temperature I pitch

[DEMPSEY]

So you connect and run the counterflow before end of boil. How do you get to stir the hot wort with the counterflow sitting on top of the grainfather.

[Acott]

1 10-15 minutes before end of boil, connect the wort chiller and turn on the pump, recirculating into GF to sterilise the chiller

I find that if I connect the chiller before the end of the boil it kills the boil and it takes a couple of minutes to get it back, so I've just been connecting it as soon as the boil is over and recirculating it for 5 minutes before chilling, this has been working well for me.

[Simon_]

If I'm making a lager and I want it much colder than you'd get from the tap water I connect in a pre-chiller. This is copper chiller in a bucket with ice water connected between the tap water and the CF chiller.

Recirculating back into the GF is fine for sterilising the chiller but it's pointless for getting down to pitching temp any quicker. The easy part is getting it to drop from the hottest temp. The harder part is to get it to drop the last few degrees. The best way to get it down the last couple of degrees is to increase the water flow.

[Simon_]

So you connect and run the counterflow before end of boil. How do you get to stir the hot wort with the counterflow sitting on top of the grainfather.

I have the chiller propped up on a stool beside the GF No lid.
This is the dumbest part of the intended GF operation.

[Martin]

Thanks guys.

I was trying to cool the wort down by recirculating back into the GF which obviously was a bad idea and contributed massively to the total brewing session time.  I'm going to order the new pump filter, take your advice as for the brewing steps and see how it goes then.

Two things that I'm impressed with - the clarity is amazing and the OG was much higher than expected.

[Leann ull]

By recirculating back into your boiler and letting it stand to do not catch more of the cold break instead of having it all go into your FV?

[Pheeel]

They actually recommend you don't recirc beyond the 5 minutes for the chiller. I do it after the boil

[Pheeel]

Here's the video where they go into it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJNI6hp8GnA&feature=youtu.be

[neoanto]

By recirculating back into your boiler and letting it stand to do not catch more of the cold break instead of having it all go into your FV?

I was reading I think on Brulosophy.com that the cold break isnt bad to get in the fermenter and may be good, i think he did an experiment and the cold break one cleared up faster.

[DEMPSEY]

By recirculating back into your boiler and letting it stand to do not catch more of the cold break instead of having it all go into your FV?

I was reading I think on Brulosophy.com that the cold break isnt bad to get in the fermenter and may be good, i think he did an experiment and the cold break one cleared up faster.

It's what commercial brewers do,even the good,the bad and the ugly
They know what they are doing don't they

[Martin]

As for the Grainfather Cleaning Solution - wouldn't OXI do the same job? Is the dedicated GF cleaner worth the money?

[Simon_]

You have to use something that is safe for the 304 stainless steel but iMake have said that PBW is fine.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2x0sxs/i_am_imker_swanepoel_industrial_designer_for_the/covw3nh

I only run that stuff through it very rarely. Mostly washing up liquid and elbow grease