Grainfather Cleaning

[Skippi]

I have been cleaning my Grainfather both prior to brewing and after.

Have been considering if I need to go through the full cleaning process prior to brewing as ultimately I will be boiling the wort. If not, this would save considerable time cleaning with the Grainfather Performance cleaner and then rinsing. Would also make the Grainfather Performance cleaner last longer.

Wanted to know what other Grainfather owners do.
Do you do a full clean both before and after a brew, or is after a brew sufficient ?

 

[Slid]

I only do cleaning after, but my GF unit cuts out at 82C after sparging, so my practices are not really exemplary. Still manage to muddle some great beer, though.

 

[Horners]

I only do cleaning after, but my GF unit cuts out at 82C after sparging, so my practices are not really exemplary. Still manage to muddle some great beer, though.

@Slid I've read your tales of woe before - dud you never push back on the warranty?

 

[Horners]

I have been cleaning my Grainfather both prior to brewing and after.

Have been considering if I need to go through the full cleaning process prior to brewing as ultimately I will be boiling the wort. If not, this would save considerable time cleaning with the Grainfather Performance cleaner and then rinsing. Would also make the Grainfather Performance cleaner last longer.

Wanted to know what other Grainfather owners do.
Do you do a full clean both before and after a brew, or is after a brew sufficient ?

I have only used mine a few times and normally just do the recommended clean after brew day. Today though ahead of brewing which never happened spent half the effing afternoon taking the pump apart to clean out some stubborn hops. Reassembled but then leaking. Will be a miracle if it all still works - 3 hours I will never get back

 

[Slid]

Today was #118 Brew on the GF and #1 was 13/3/2016. So, I did ask for info from the manufacturer and in many other places, but in the end I just changed my brew-day to JFDI and it works OK in that I am very pleased by the end result and not too hassled by the process.

 

[Skippi]

Thanks Sid & Horners.

Sounds like I can get away with only cleaning after a brew. Though I might still do a quick 5 min rinse to flush the counterflow chiller so that I do not contaminate the next brew. Should still cut down the brew day and save a bit on cleaning products.

 

[Ghillie]

I would say cleaning is unnecessary prior to brewing.

Make a good job post brewing, dry thoroughly and then put a bin bag over your unit. That’s what I do, as my unit is left in place on its stand in the garage. Can work on my motorbike and other projects in the garage and not have to worry about anything getting inside the unit.

I also don’t use any fancy cleaners or products. Hot water and elbow grease is enough. Tried sodium percarbonate a few times, but never achieved much with it other than a white film over the inside of the unit.

 

[foxy]

I have been cleaning my Grainfather both prior to brewing and after.

Have been considering if I need to go through the full cleaning process prior to brewing as ultimately I will be boiling the wort. If not, this would save considerable time cleaning with the Grainfather Performance cleaner and then rinsing. Would also make the Grainfather Performance cleaner last longer.

Wanted to know what other Grainfather owners do.
Do you do a full clean both before and after a brew, or is after a brew sufficient ?

Not a Grainfather user but this is what I do, I have some other recirculating vessels, give a good clean with water after the brew, let it dry thoroughly and stow away. Night before next brew put about 5 or 6 litres of water in the vessel heat up to 70 C add a teaspoon of sodium perc or perborate recirculate for 15 minutes. Give a good rinse recirculate some fresh water through the system, empty, and fill with brewing liquor and add salts. All ready for the next day, you will find there is a lot of residual sugars in the return pipes so all manner of things get in there. Even though I did all this one time, while cleaning the vessel after a brew I flushed out a cockroach.

 

[Keruso]

I have been cleaning my Grainfather both prior to brewing and after.

Have been considering if I need to go through the full cleaning process prior to brewing as ultimately I will be boiling the wort. If not, this would save considerable time cleaning with the Grainfather Performance cleaner and then rinsing. Would also make the Grainfather Performance cleaner last longer.

Wanted to know what other Grainfather owners do.
Do you do a full clean both before and after a brew, or is after a brew sufficient ?

You definitely don’t need to clean before only after. After cleaning with the grainfather performance cleaner I rinse out and then add fresh water. Heat to 90c and run through the counter flow chiller to sterilize it before storing ready for next brew. You could run sanitizer through instead but I can’t be bothered, I always run hot worth through the chiller before connecting the cold water.

 

[Skippi]

Seems the general advice is to clean thoroughly after each brew and store carefully.

Due to the fact it is not possible to completely empty the counterflow chiller, I think I will still do a 5 min rinse to flush any remaining fluids (and cockroaches !! ) prior to the next brew and then sanitise by circulating the boiling wort via the pump 10 mins from the end of the boil.

Thanks all for the advise. This should help to reduce the time needed to get a brew done without compromising on the end product.

 

[MmmBeer]

I'm with the majority here regarding just clean after use. A few times I have noticed a musty smell inside the GF when I get it out before use, so I pour a kettle of boiling water in, swish around and pump through re-circ arm before use. As for CF chiller, I use a bicycle pump to remove as much water as possible before putting away.

 

[The Baron]

I do not have the GF but a similar all in one system and just clean and rinse after brewing I then open the pump outlet and turn upside down for the water to drain out of the pump which I have flushed through by holding a hosepipe on the re-circ attachment point. I know this may not bode well with some but I very rarely do a full clean with Oxi or a similar cleaner as as mine is usually clean enough with a standard after brew clean but when essential I will do one if needed. I then store in the garage put the lid on and cover with a brewing towel. If I do not brew for a while I do the sniff test and re-rinse if needed.

 

[Harbey]

I clean and rinse and dry mine after each brew. It's then left with the lid on for a couple or three weeks or so until the next brew when I start by giving it all a quick rinse through - I don't like the idea of not flushing everything out pre brew.

 

[strange-steve]

A quick rinse with hot water on brewday is good enough.

 

[dillz2003]

I clean and dry after a brew. Before brewing I rinse with cold water to flush out any old water sat in the pump and chiller.

Another pre brew tip is to check the pump is primed properly and the flow rate is good. They are supposed to self prime but in my experience a bit of air in there can really reduce the flow rate and it's much easier and less stressful to mess about with when you have 5 litres of cold water in the boiler than when you are trying to get your mash started.