Plate Chiller - possibly stupid question.

I promise, I searched and couldn't really find the info I'm looking for.

I want to go to a plate chiller, but I am not sure how I am supposed to handle the hop matter / cold break in the kettle. I can't imagine it should enter the chiller, but I am not sure how to get that all out while the wort is still 190+ degrees.

Thanks!

This is one of the many things I HATED about using a plate chiller... I now use a 50' x 1/2" IC properly and chill 11 gallons in as little as 15 minutes.

There are many types of ways you can filter all that out from the kettle. I personally use a stainless steel braided hose and it works marvelously. First time I sent a batch through the plate chiller I didn't have anything to filter out the gunk.... and it was a terrible experience.....

It depends somewhat on your kettle, but you have a couple of options. You can get a good whirlpool going, which should deposit most of the solids in the center of the kettle, letting you siphon or drain without picking it up. I personally haven't had much success doing that, but plenty of other people have.

You could also bag your hops. It won't keep everything out of your fermenter, but it constrains the bulk of the material. That's the method I use, and I haven't clogged my plate chiller yet.

jakenbacon said:

There are many types of ways you can filter all that out from the kettle. I personally use a stainless steel braided hose and it works marvelously. First time I sent a batch through the plate chiller I didn't have anything to filter out the gunk.... and it was a terrible experience.....

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Did you buy a brewing specific one, or make one out of a toilet hose from the hardware store? I made the one for my mash tun, but the pre made brewing specific ones seem just as cheap.

I LOVE my plate chiller :cross: I made a simple filter with some stainless steel mesh and split rings. Most importantly, it is easy to disassemble for a thorough cleaning.

easy-inexpensive-kettle-hop-filter-taco-stopper

i wouldn't go back to immersion or counterflow after i upgraded to my plate chiller.. my hop spider keeps what seems like 95%+ out of it and my pickup tube is off to the side so nice clean wort is the only thing getting chilled.. just have to be sure to clean well after use, but it is great having a single pass to drop the temp from boiling to ~70degrees and filling the carboy in one step... i usually do 3 batches in a brewday so it saves loads of time

OP, hope you don't mind me asking another question here...


Those that use plate chillers, are you using gravity feed or pumps?

I have a pretty good hop spider and can keep most of the stuff in the brew. Those that are using gravity feed, how do you sanitize it?

Am correct in assuming that it is the hop debris rather than the break material that causes problems with clogging a plate chiller? So if using pellet hops and a spider, I would be ok? Would it matter info wee gravity feeding vs pumping through the chiller?

Adding whirlfloc around 5 minutes left in boil followed by a 5 to 10 minute whirlpool leave the majority of hot break in a nice pile in the middle of the boil kettle.

You can also add a hop back or randle with false bottom between BK and plate chiller to reduce BK material from entering the chiller. If you don't want to add hops to the hop back, use rice hulls per Tasty McDole. You can find several pictures of his setup with detailed instructions on his Facebook page or on the Brewing Network's forum.

In order to remove cold break and hop material that reside in the chiller, you can use an auto-siphon hooked up to the chiller to flush and back flush with hot water, PBW and StarSan after brewing in your kitchen sink. There are a few videos of this method on YouTube, and this methid works excellent for me. I flush mine in my laundry room sink, but you can get by using a 5 gallon bucket if you'd like.

To sterilize the chiller, you can recirculate during the last 15 minutes of boil.

I've never had an infection with a plate chiller, nor have I plugged chiller during cooling wort. I have cooled with plate chillers using gravity, but I use a chugger pump now since I recirculate my mash.

I love my plate chiller, and will never go back to IC. I recommend using DudaDisel and getting the largest surface area instead of multiple plates. If you're using gravity to feed, get the least number of plates to reduce the pressure drip from the chiller. I can cool 5 gallons of 190F wort in 5 minutes using the DudaDisel B3 - 23A 30 plate chiller. It's amazing. If I bought again I would get the 1/2" NPT fitting over the hose barb.

EDIT: I don't use a hop spider to block hop material and have no issues. I do use a pump to push the wort through the chiller, but I still had no issues the few times I chilled using only gravity, which is the only time it would be an issue. You'd have to have one hell of a clog if you can't push wort through your chiller with a March/chugger pump. I do feel I minimize my issues with a whirl pool to get a nice trub pile; I'll post apicture when I get home.

meltroha said:

Did you buy a brewing specific one, or make one out of a toilet hose from the hardware store? I made the one for my mash tun, but the pre made brewing specific ones seem just as cheap.

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Came off a water line like you speak of, super cheap and easy, I think mine is 12 inches?

WDT said:

OP, hope you don't mind me asking another question here...


Those that use plate chillers, are you using gravity feed or pumps?

I have a pretty good hop spider and can keep most of the stuff in the brew. Those that are using gravity feed, how do you sanitize it?

Click to expand...

Gravity fed

mvcorliss said:

Am correct in assuming that it is the hop debris rather than the break material that causes problems with clogging a plate chiller? So if using pellet hops and a spider, I would be ok? Would it matter info wee gravity feeding vs pumping through the chiller?

Click to expand...

Yes I believe hop debris is the main culprit, but now that you mention it, the ss braid does filter out a ton of break material as well. It really does do a marvelous job ....

krenshaw said:

i wouldn't go back to immersion or counterflow after i upgraded to my plate chiller.. my hop spider keeps what seems like 95%+ out of it and my pickup tube is off to the side so nice clean wort is the only thing getting chilled.. just have to be sure to clean well after use, but it is great having a single pass to drop the temp from boiling to ~70degrees and filling the carboy in one step... i usually do 3 batches in a brewday so it saves loads of time

Click to expand...

This is my setup, and what I do (along with a whirlpool) to keep stuff out of my plate chiller. I'll never go back to an IC.