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Post by Fish on Sept 17, 2018 16:49:03 GMT 4
I have taken the ball bearing and spring out of the side pump arm. I don't reckon it serves any purpose other than to get clogged up. Just remember to have the red valve closed if you are going to switch the pump on and not have anything connected. I don't use a hop spider, some blokes do, but I find if I give the wort a good stir to whirlpool it, most of the hops etc pool in the centre and an nice coating covers the pump but doesn't impede pump flow. I find scraping the hot plate with the plastic paddle as the temp gets to the boil, facilitates hitting 100 deg quicker. I use a little bit of detergent around the silicon edge of the bottom plate to get it into the inner basket. (obviously I rinse it thoroughly when it is in.) I put a blichmann throughmeter inline thermometer in the outlet of the counter flow chiller hose. Thats a winner. I find that tweaking the red flow valve on the side can adjust the output temp significantly, ie slightly closing the valve lowers the temp quickly.  |
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Post by Fish on Sept 19, 2018 11:34:49 GMT 4
When I put on my filter, I place it so the rubber end cap is wedged onto the temp probe, so as to stop it falling off if I hit it with the paddle when stirring. ![](http://i.imgur.com/KDtKJpE.jpg") |
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Post by SuperDave on Oct 1, 2018 15:35:20 GMT 4
I too have removed the ball and spring from the pump outlet. Gives a slightly better flow and doesn't get clogged up. Just get in the habit to leave the red ball valve closed at all times, except when using the pump. I can imagine touching the pump button by accident and getting boiling wort in your face won't be much fun.
I found a fine steel mesh kitchen sieve at Carrefour, cut the mesh off the frame and rolled it flat. Cut a hole in the centre and it now fits on top of the mash cylinder bottom plate. It reduces the amount of debris falling through the bottom plate, without reducing mash flow. If you shape it to be a tight fit in the cylinder, you will not have to use that pain in the ass rubber seal on the bottom plate.
 
I found this braided mesh filter at a brew shop and replaced my pump filter with it. Works well and does not get knocked off easily.
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Post by SuperDave on Oct 1, 2018 15:37:57 GMT 4
An alternative to the pump filter is a TrubTrapper, found in most brew shops. It's a fine mesh sieve that will catch all the trub in the centre when you whirlpool. Eliminates the need to use the Grainfather pump filter and is very effective. If inserted before the mash, the mash basket will sit on top of it and the basket will stick up about 1cm above the top of the Grainfather - not a big issue. Otherwise drop it in after mashing and position in the centre with your mash paddle.
 
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Post by SuperDave on Oct 1, 2018 15:49:17 GMT 4
Sometimes, when using the Grainfather mash arm and pipe, the flow of the mash water can gouge a channel in the grain bed and the top mash plate ends up lying at an angle. So, I use a mash spider for mashing. Easy to set up and clean. It eliminates the need for the top plate (and it's bastard rubber seal!), and you can get in to stir up the grain if it looks like a stuck mash is happening. By pulling the centre mash pipe up, with the grain blocker still inserted, there will be no overflow through the centre pipe - ALL the mash water will seep through the grain = better efficiency. Be aware though, that if you get a stuck mash, the pump may run dry. You can also use it for sparging.
 
Unfortunately the guy that makes these has stopped making them.
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Post by SuperDave on Oct 1, 2018 15:51:51 GMT 4
A cheaper alternative is a plastic aerator, available at most brew shops. It works just as well as the mash spider.
 
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Post by SuperDave on Oct 1, 2018 15:56:51 GMT 4
I've never liked the Grainfather counterflow chiller - cheap and nasty. So I use a plate chiller, which is slightly more efficient and easier to handle and clean. I took the pump outlet screw-on fitting off the counterflow chiller and used it to attach a silicon hose onto the pump outlet pipe.
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Post by SuperDave on Oct 1, 2018 16:16:56 GMT 4
I upgraded my old Grainfather controller to the Connect Controller. Now I use the old controller as the temperature control on my HLT for sparge water. Does the job very well. I used a bit of bungi cord to hold it in place.
 
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Post by Fish on Oct 1, 2018 16:51:39 GMT 4
Awesome mods Dave.
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Post by Fish on Oct 21, 2018 8:41:37 GMT 4
Thanks to Dave for pointing out the the wealth of info on the grainfather website. www.grainfather.com If you register with them and go to the brew members tab, you will have a wealth of information/recipes etc. You can use the cloud thingie to send any selected recipe to your bluetooth controller. The function to create recipes is extremely user friendly. Even I can understand it. |
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