Bulldog Master Brewer

[Derek Smalls]

just done a brew after widening the slots in the sparge plate, it worked a treat and didn't clog, got a decent continuous flow, the sparging with water also went much more smoothly to.

I did a brew on Wednesday and, whilst it seemed to be going smoothly for 30 mins or so, the sparge plate then clogged up. I cleared it, then completed re-circulation with the splash guard in place. It seems I haven’t widened the slots enough. As yet....

On another subject, for the last few brews I've struggled with scorched residue on the heat plate, which has been a pain to get off. I’m pretty careful to have the anti-burn valve open and pumping while the Bulldog is heating up. Anyone else getting this? Any suggestions of how to improve it?

 

[Andrew Taylor]

Hi Derek, I've not had that problem, have you checked there is not a blockage or that the valve tap has not become disconnected from the ball valve. Put some water in the boiler, run the pump and open the valve to check that it's flowing ok

 

[Derek Smalls]

Hi Andrew. Funnily enough I just got around to cleaning the boiler after leaving it to soak for a few days, and the scorched-on gunk came off without too much difficulty. It looked a lot worse than it actually was. But I did notice there was a blockage around the pump, and that turned out to be Irish Moss, which I’d added for the last 10 mins of the boil. Dismantling it at least gave me a chance to give the pipe work a bit of a sweep-out.

On the subject of cleaning, discolouration around the sides of the urn is building up, and I wondered if anyone had a cure for that. Bulldog (on their instructions for their old model) suggest using a lemon in boiling water.

 

[Derek Smalls]

Quote
3. Discolouring
This may be caused by oxidizing of iron in tap water. It can be removed by the following steps:
a) Cut a lemon into four, wrap the lemon in cloth and place in the water tank.
b) Pour water up to the “MAX” water level indicator.
c) Boil the water and make sure the mixture remains inside the unit for about 1 hour.
d) Pour out the water and use a nylon brush to scrub the water tank.
e) To remove the smell of the lemon, boil water again, and dispose of the water.
Unquote

 

[Derek Smalls]

A fortnight ago my 16 month-old Bulldog, after 23 batches of faithful service, blew when the 24th was heading to the boil. The problem focused on the plug and socket at the back of the brewer, the plug having melted in the socket, thereby shorting it.



This kind of reinforces my impression that the Bulldog’s electrics are not the most robust (I had to get a replacement on purchase after getting no life from the original unit when I plugged it in).

However I got hold of a nice lady (Anastasia) at Hambleton Bard who told me to send it to them and they would fix it. I couriered it last Thursday not expecting anything lightning in terms of service but it was back, fixed and operational, 6 days later, complete with a new plug & lead and a new socket.

Kudos and applause to them.

 

[Andrew Taylor]

Hmm, that's not good, I think I have done around 20 brews with mine so I'll have to keep my eye on it, how long was your boil ans was it at full power as I tend to do my boils at the power rating of 1600W rather than the full 2200W.

 

[Derek Smalls]

Hmm, that's not good, I think I have done around 20 brews with mine so I'll have to keep my eye on it, how long was your boil ans was it at full power as I tend to do my boils at the power rating of 1600W rather than the full 2200W.

Yes, me too. Everything I do is at 1600W. I had just finished the sparge, and was heating up to boil. I’d gotten to 84 degs when she blew. I was then obliged to do the boil in my biggest saucepans on the hob!

One thing I’d noticed after the previous 2 batches was that the plug would not come out of the back of the MB, and I’d left it in rather than attempt to force it, because the socket felt as if it would break away from the unit. In hindsight it seems that the melting of the plug had started on previous brews. I suggest you check yours out before you use it again, and also tentatively touch it at moments of high usage, to judge whether or not it’s getting too hot. Maybe we should lower the power rating to 1500 or 1400W?

The first MB I got (the new one which HB replaced) I unscrewed the base to see if I could see the reason why it wasn’t working, and I really thought the internal wiring looked too thin and fragile for the amount of power that goes through there. But, then again, I’m no electrical engineer...

 

[Thatscold]

It pays to make sure the kettle lead is full pushed in. I’ve had similar over heating/melting caused by arcing at the terminals.

 

[Derek Smalls]

That’s a handy hint. Thanks, Thatscold.

 

[Andrew Taylor]

Yes, i am sure the wiring is suitably rated but the issue would be with the higher resistance of the connections between the lead and the socket on the side, the resistance will result in excess heat which could cause the melting.