Those bloody Grainfather silicone seals

[DJDave]

yep ss tea strainer flying through the ether as we speak - sudden vision of pot head pixies wafts across my mind

 

[Deadhead]

Oddly ,today, I had no issues. I filled up the Grandfather to heat up for mash water and put the inner sleeve in. I then pushed the plate down straight and it went into place straight way. I was gobsmacked.

 

[eyuptm]

yep ss tea strainer flying through the ether as we speak - sudden vision of pot head pixies wafts across my mind

Bloody hell, someone else remembers Gong!! Just bought tickets for Steve Village and Gong in November, can't wait!!!

 

[eyuptm]

LOL- Steve HILLAGE...!!!

 

[DJDave]

ah fish rising. Hope its good, doesn't seem to be coming anywhere near East Anglia

I bought t new seals. These seem precisely the same size as old so not stretched or anything but they are stiffer less flexible and seem to work better, but still a pain in the. But I bought them primarily as I wanted back up should plan I had in mind go horribly wrong.

Cut one of the seals into 4 equal pieces to fit around the bottom of the inner grain tube, so the seal is on the tube not the perforated disk, the disk then sits on the seals at the bottom of the tube. You have to use 4 bits as the lugs for standing the raised tube for lauter get in the way.

There is I suspect a greater chance of the disk slipping out the bottom, especially when lifting for lauter, risking third degree burns as hot worst goes in all directions.

However two brew in and all is well.

 

[Peter Scandlyn]

The creativeness here continues to astound (even if it is completely unnecessary.....)

 

[Slid]

"Bend it like Harbey"

Regarding the grain going down the overflow, try getting a little strainer/sieve and placing it over the overflow. David Heath shows this in lots of his vids, have a look at this at around 9min 20sec.

This is a good tip. I started off with a plastic tea strainer that cost less than a quid and then recently bought a ludicrously overpriced SS tea strainer from Lakeland in Bowness-on-Windermere, last but one time I got dragged round it by SWMBO and her (and mine) daughters. The SS strainer is actually much better as it stays in place, but the price was eye-watering for a tight git like me.

FWIW, here is my worst tale of woe on the subject. I still recall the time I was stirring the grain up prior to starting the mash, when I felt a slight tug on the stirring paddle. It was the bloody silicone thingy off the bottom plate. Had to bale the whole bloody issue out and start again, using BIAB bag to separate grain and mashed-in water and all sorts. Real faff, but the beer was unexceptional, so OK really in the end.

 

[Jakeyboi]

10 min ordeal tonight, getting the seal right. Still yet to get it welded in place. Haha slid I’ve had it where the mash paddle suddenly wants to spring back into the mash, not a nice feeling.

 

[weston.front]

Not stirring the grain would help. There is no need as the liquid circulates through it anyway. Now 27 brews in I've always had a good yield and no problems just charging the grain into the mash water and levelling off the top and leaving it at that.

 

[Harbey]

Not stirring the grain would help. There is no need as the liquid circulates through it anyway. Now 27 brews in I've always had a good yield and no problems just charging the grain into the mash water and levelling off the top and leaving it at that.

Don't you end up with big balls (of dough)?

 

[peebee]

Not stirring the grain would help. …

The issue is (apparently) that we mash above "gelatinisation" temperatures and it is this "gelatinisation" that creates the "skins" about the dough balls. I learnt this messing about with "cold mashing" (ooo look … no dough balls). So (slowly) allowing water to permeate through the dry grain without stirring (under-letting?) could work?

There are discussions about on underletting with a Grainfather (but I've no read them).

 

[Justin Dean]

rice hulls will help with recirculation....

 

[itry]

im having a new base grill made that i use that eliminates the rubber seal. and i made a product that gets rid of the top grill and rubber seal. both gone

 

[Harbey]

im having a new base grill made that i use that eliminates the rubber seal. and i made a product that gets rid of the top grill and rubber seal. both gone

Whoa! Pics please! Are you going to go into production and start selling them?

 

[Justin Dean]

Intresting

 

[itry]

Whoa! Pics please! Are you going to go into production and start selling them?

Your Best DIY Equipment? post 59

This also enables you to do small brews with out the extra pipe.

@Harbey

 

[Harbey]

Ooh lovely. So it's a bit like a shower head spraying over the mash? I've often wondered why that's not a thing. So, what about the bottom plate and seal? Looking forward to seeing that.

 

[Session]

Your Best DIY Equipment? post 59

This also enables you to do small brews with out the extra pipe.

@Harbey

This looks really interesting. How does it allow you to do low volume brews without the micro pipe work?

 

[Tombo]

Why not just fit the seal to the bottom plate and then go in and out through the holes in the plate with nylon fishing line and tie off at the end. Would that not keep it in place? Can't see how it could come off then?

 

[The Baron]

Sorry to say this but at nearly£700 for a product where the opposition is not much more than half the price you should really be asking for Grainfather for a FREE solution