Grainfather

[user 4749]

Hi
I have beein brewing with a Grainfather pre connect version I managed to get hold of cheap.
It has been very good apart from grain and hops blocking the filter . I now put the hops in hop socks and it still manages to get grain blocking the filter . Most of my kits are from Malt Miller.
I was wondering are the ugrades camlock , false bottom and overflow filter worth it and will it solve the filter block.
One other query regarding the overflow , should you let the wort go into the overfow or throttle the pump back to stop it when mashing been on google and its gets confusing .

Apart from that what a great hobby and as my wife said kegs seem to be breeding !

 

[uDicko]

(1) The All New LauterHelix in Action - YouTube

I have been using this along with a brewzilla false bottom or something that ended up compatible with the grainfather

Cam lock is great, replaces that rubbish little ball valve on the recirc tube
Overflow filter is also good. Stick it on with the top plate and I try to adjust the recirc flow so its barely trickling down the overflow tube. Think the aim is to get wort through the grain bed. The filter just catches stray grain as it sits just above the wort line when you do it like this.

 

[user 4749]

Thanks, trying to track down a false bottom for the thr Grainfather none in stock anywhere

 

[MmmBeer]

I've been using a GF for just over 2 yearsand only had one serious issue with pump blockage and that was down to knocking the filter off.

What I have done is fitted a small wire gauze sink strainer over the overflow during the mash, always throttle back recirc flowrate to balance wort level and fit filter in upside down (with rubber cap wedged against thermowell).

I do find that pump flowrate can drop during chilling (especially with hoppy brews), I usually squeeze the silicone tubing on the inlet to the chiller a few times and/or turn the pump on and off, which usually helps matters. A gentle scrape of the filter with the paddle helps too.

 

[Norfolk79]

Just wondering, if it’s the older version do you have the original small metal filter, or the newer larger one with the rubber end and connect?

 

[user 4749]

The one with the rubbee end

 

[user 4749]

Inwas just wondering do the malt pioe silicone seals need replaced afetr a while

 

[aamcle]

use a hop spider for flowers and put pellet hops in a biab bag and your blockages will be gone. The other upgrades, Ok if you like that sort of thing but they really will do less for you than practice and good procedures.


aamcle

 

[Alastair70]

(1) The All New LauterHelix in Action - YouTube

I have been using this along with a brewzilla false bottom or something that ended up compatible with the grainfather

Cam lock is great, replaces that rubbish little ball valve on the recirc tube
Overflow filter is also good. Stick it on with the top plate and I try to adjust the recirc flow so its barely trickling down the overflow tube. Think the aim is to get wort through the grain bed. The filter just catches stray grain as it sits just above the wort line when you do it like this.

The Lauter Helix looks like the business, where did you get yours from?

I've been doing the chill to 65C, stir and leave for 15 minutes until now, but the filter still gets a bit bunged during the final transfer to FV.

 

[uDicko]

￡6.77 | beer brew 1M HELIX COIL AND TEE (304 STAINLESS) - FALSE BOTTOM REPLACEMENT FOR MASH, LAUTER, KETTLE
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMVCO0n
Got mine on the slow boat from China

 

[uDicko]

I had to make some modifications to make it fit on the nipple inside the grainfather

 

[Alastair70]

I had to make some modifications to make it fit on the nipple inside the grainfather

Thanks for that. I’m going to order one, if I can’t work it out I might be getting back to you

 

[uDicko]

Not pretty and not what I will keep it as but a 1/2 bsp barb with silicone tube jammed on the nipple and barb.

 

[MartinF]

Inwas just wondering do the malt pioe silicone seals need replaced afetr a while

IMO they need replacing if they fail/break/get lost/get eaten by the dog/cat/mice. I'm still on the original pair of the horrible things after 3 years and have no inclination to replace them until they break. They are readily available so it might be worth buying as spares for when the inevitable happens.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

I whirpool and have never had a problem with a blocked filter, so can't really see the point of a false bottom. I'm not really sure about the point of the camlock conversion for the recirculation pipe either.

 

[MartinF]

View attachment 44889

Not pretty and not what I will keep it as but a 1/2 bsp barb with silicone tube jammed on the nipple and barb.

This is a filter manifold I made for my Electrim boiler a couple of decades ago. The braid was the outer braid from flexible plumbing hose connectors, which I stripped off from the rubber inners. It worked ok as a filter, though the flow rate was slow and the mesh was prone to damage. An interesting experiment but not recommended as a solution.