Brewzilla false bottom hack - securing the false bottom

[hoppyscotty]

Its a bit of a bug bear of mine that the false bottom of the Brewzilla 35l lifts and bobs around during the boil. This lets alot of hop matter past the false bottom and makes clean up more messy, and lets alot of hop matter through and into the fermenter. Not the end of the world, but I've been looking for a simple and cheap solution for this. I had a bit of a brainwave today and wondered if anyone else has tried this hack? It struck me that a second wire malt pipe support would make the perfect circlip. I did a test fit this evening, and seems to fit nice and snug and doesn't seem to want to pop out. Think I'll give it a go during this weekends brew. I can borrow one off a mates Brewzilla to test it, but they cost £10 for a spare, so not a significant amount of money if its a successful solution.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I never use the false bottom in mine. Early hops go in the hop spider and late additions in nylon fruit and veg bags. After cooling I let everything stand and rest for at least half an hour. After this time all the crap is below the level of the tap which I use to transfer the clear wort to the FV.

 

[Libigage]

Might be a silly question but don't you need any of the crap for fermentation? I was going to let mine settle before transferring it to the FV but was worried I might need it.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Its a bit of a bug bear of mine that the false bottom of the Brewzilla 35l lifts and bobs around during the boil. This lets alot of hop matter past the false bottom and makes clean up more messy, and lets alot of hop matter through and into the fermenter. Not the end of the world, but I've been looking for a simple and cheap solution for this. I had a bit of a brainwave today and wondered if anyone else has tried this hack? It struck me that a second wire malt pipe support would make the perfect circlip. I did a test fit this evening, and seems to fit nice and snug and doesn't seem to want to pop out. Think I'll give it a go during this weekends brew. I can borrow one off a mates Brewzilla to test it, but they cost £10 for a spare, so not a significant amount of money if its a successful solution.

Looks great and that's a bit of a bug bear of mine too. Does it not scratch the hell out of the walls when you're putting it in and out?

 

[hoppyscotty]

There is a risk of scratching as the spring force is quite high once you push it out of the recess. I was concerned about it rotating and springing out but it didn't seem to want to do that. The ends do overlap, so if this trial is successful and it looks like a good mod then I will buy a spare and cut half an inch or so off one of the ends. The scratch risk really comes from prizing it out of the recess with a screwdriver and it slipping.

On the hop spiders and bags, I've never used them. Just too much of a faff and with larger hop additions and hop stands I'm not sure how much flow you're getting through the mesh. If I can get the false bottom to actually do its job then no need for those things.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Might be a silly question but don't you need any of the crap for fermentation? I was going to let mine settle before transferring it to the FV but was worried I might need it.

Not sure if you need it. For me its more about not blocking the pump (not had any pump blocking issues but it sucks through alot of hops) and making clean up easier and avoid scorching on the elements potentially giving harsh bitterness to the wort.

I do subscribe to the view that leaving hops in the fermenter for a long period of time can give 'grassy' flavours so I guess ideally I'd like to avoid drawing hops into the fermenter to avoid them being in there for the entire fermentation, unless you can remove trub. so that might be an improvement or not. In recent brews I have been pitching wort from the brewzilla into the fermenter using the hop spider as a filter to remove the hop matter (also aerates the wort nicely), but cleaning hop spiders is one of the things I want to avoid.

The thing comes with a false bottom and I'd like to use it if I can get it working properly.

 

[Justin Dean]

Dry hops too long in fermenter yes grassy. Hops from the boil that end up in the fermenter not grassy?

 

[Oddersocks]

I place a heavy stirring paddle into the wort when I start the boil heaters. It weighs down the false bottom and prevents this. I remove it all the end of the boil.

 

[Strangey]

Thin rubber tubing ie tap line cut down the center then wrapped around and it sits as snug as a bug in a rug

 

[sifty]

Also have a BZ 35l, and I've never noticed the bottom moving during the boil. Are you just using the 1900W element to keep a rolling boil going...?

I just use a large hop spider. Only takes a couple of minutes with the hose then a wipe out when cleaning everything else post brew...

 

[hoppyscotty]

Dry hops too long in fermenter yes grassy. Hops from the boil that end up in the fermenter not grassy?

I suspect they might be grassy, or adding something to the end flavour. We'll see.

I'm surprised you can get a seal around the FB. I've tried a very thin rubber seal and there is not just enough room and it is so tight that it peels off the seal as you put the FB in place and if you are able to put it in place makes removal very difficult as its just too tight. At least this method you effectively just remove the 'circlip' then the false bottom as normal.

Maybe it varies from unit to unit and some might fit better. Between mine and a mates they both bob about during the boil - you can hear it sometimes. Regarding the elements I am lazy and keep both on, but they are thermostatically controlled so doesn't really matter, they kick in and out as required - having both on means they are on for a shorter time as they heat up the wort more quickly. As said before if you're using a hop spider then not much point in the FB being in place at all so no issue if it bobs about, but I'm not convinced you are getting enough flow through the hop spider and infusion of the hops, especially in hopstand/whirlpool additions where you want the aroma, so avoid using it - though have got into the habit of using it to filter hops out when I pitch into the fermenter but at least then I know I've squeezed everything out of the hops.

The false bottom is there and part of the intended design and if it can be made to work as intended then great. No point having it at all if its bobbing around. I'll give it a whirl, what's the worst that can happen? either success and its all good, or nothing and I'm back to square 1.

 

[Philthebrewer]

My solution was to attach stainless steel extension "legs" to the existing feet of the bottom plate. These are simply nuts and bolts which raise the level by a couple of centimetres. This gives correct clearance above the outlet pipe and has the added advantage of weighting down the plate enough to ensure that it does not float out of place. Easy peasy.

 

[hoppyscotty]

I'm amazed the addition of a few bolts and raising the FB addresses it. I had assumed that the lifiting of the FB was due to the boiling process and rising hot water from the heating elements living the FB as its restricted due to the holes in the FB so requiring a more positive locking or fixing mechanism. I'll see how I get on with my solution on this brew and try your's next time. Thanks.

 

[Griff097]

I'm amazed the addition of a few bolts and raising the FB addresses it. I had assumed that the lifiting of the FB was due to the boiling process and rising hot water from the heating elements living the FB as its restricted due to the holes in the FB so requiring a more positive locking or fixing mechanism. I'll see how I get on with my solution on this brew and try your's next time. Thanks.

I've never had that problem, I have 2 35L brewzillas and do two batches at a time one thing I noticed if you put hop pellets straight into the kettle then they tend to clog the bottom plate, only once I had it so bad it wouldn't drain into the FV and I had to use a paddle to scrape the holes clear.
I was using a hop spider but hop utilisation was much reduced.
I'm wondering if your false bottom is clogging causing the rattling, as I have never had that rattling myself?

 

[hoppyscotty]

During the boil process the FB doesn't really need to do any filtering as hopefully the hops are all in suspension floating and bobbling about in the boiling wort giving up all their bitterness or aroma, however I too have had the clogging issue as you use the pump to transfer to the fermenter but have not really considered it a problem as you can just scrape an opening up and its no problem really...also the whirlpool arm helps as it arranges most of the hop matter into a nice cone in the centre of the FB leaving a rim of about an inch wide of no hops or just a very thin layer.

I even thought that if my 'circlip' thing works I could slide some tight fitting rubber or silicone tubing around it and get a proper watertight seal around the circumference of the FB further sealing it and preventing hops from being sucked around the gap between the FB rim and the vessel sides.

The Brewtools system has a nice gadget that contains the whirlpooled hop cone behind a screen and preventing any hops at all from moving out to the edge of the FB which might be a future development if I can think of a way to achieve that. Wish Brewzilla did all this development before launching the product in the first place....but then it wouldn't be such good value and they obviously know how some Homebrewers like to tinker with their kit. Gives us something to mull over while we sit around during the mash and boil steps.

 

[Griff097]

During the boil process the FB doesn't really need to do any filtering as hopefully the hops are all in suspension floating and bobbling about in the boiling wort giving up all their bitterness or aroma, however I too have had the clogging issue as you use the pump to transfer to the fermenter but have not really considered it a problem as you can just scrape an opening up and its no problem really...also the whirlpool arm helps as it arranges most of the hop matter into a nice cone in the centre of the FB leaving a rim of about an inch wide of no hops or just a very thin layer.

I even thought that if my 'circlip' thing works I could slide some tight fitting rubber or silicone tubing around it and get a proper watertight seal around the circumference of the FB further sealing it and preventing hops from being sucked around the gap between the FB rim and the vessel sides.

The Brewtools system has a nice gadget that contains the whirlpooled hop cone behind a screen and preventing any hops at all from moving out to the edge of the FB which might be a future development if I can think of a way to achieve that. Wish Brewzilla did all this development before launching the product in the first place....but then it wouldn't be such good value and they obviously know how some Homebrewers like to tinker with their kit. Gives us something to mull over while we sit around during the mash and boil steps.

I left the whirlpool are on and pumping through most of the last boil trying to get a hop cone, but just the usual mess on the false bottom.

 

[hoppyscotty]

You use the pump during the boil? I tend to turn on the pump a few seconds after I turn the elements off just to let the wort settle and stop bubbling/rolling and all through the cooling of the wort and get a nice hop cone every time, even when I add heavy whirlpool additions. I don't think the pump is powerful enough to establish a whirlpool while the wort is boiling.

 

[Griff097]

You use the pump during the boil? I tend to turn on the pump a few seconds after I turn the elements off just to let the wort settle and stop bubbling/rolling and all through the cooling of the wort and get a nice hop cone every time, even when I add heavy whirlpool additions. I don't think the pump is powerful enough to establish a whirlpool while the wort is boiling.

I've tried it all ways, including that one and was beginning to wonder if it was only any use for whirlpool additions, but I gather that a paddle in an electric drill is far superior anyway.
On the whole I am happy with the Brewzilla, but there are a few niggles I find frustrating.

 

[hoppyscotty]

I've had the false bottom do a full 360 flip on me just with a not particularly vigorous stir during the boil so who knows what would happen if you got a paddle in there on a drill.

Ideally I'd like to go the hop back route if a had a few hundred quid kicking about for a hop missile/rocket and a plate chiller but thats not an option. but luckily for me the brewzilla whirlpool arm seems to work fine.

Are you using pellet hops or fresh leafy hops? I would imaging with he latter it would struggle.

 

[Griff097]

Pellets.

You using both elements through the boil and what wort volume generally?