Barley Crusher Maintenance ( second time in 110 brews )

[Owly055]

I've read all the diatribes against the BC mill, and between me and my neighbor we have put 110 brews through mine. Tonight I took it apart the second time during that period because the non driven roller started slipping. It's been close to zero here, which doesn't help.

Frankly I laugh when I read all the BC hate on the BC thread here..... Is taking it apart to clean and lubricate it every 35 brews "unacceptable maintenance"? On the whole it's served me extremely well and reliably. If the roller starts slipping during a crush..... which of course is when it happens, I simply flick the roller from underneath with my finger (I'm hand cranking" and have it on a stand, not on a bucket with the particle board base.) The problem is grain dust accumulating on the ends of the rollers, and I clean and the ends, and lubricate the bearings with a bit of veggie oil..... and it's good for another 35 brews. The whole process takes about 15 minutes.

Rollers and bearings look like brand new........ Once the grain dust is washed out.

The real key is leaving the mounting bolts just slightly loose....... It allows the end plates and rollers to self align instead of binding due to my base that is not a perfect machine ground surface.

My 2010 Subaru needed a quart of oil today too.... A quart after slightly more than 5000 miles, on a car with only 135,000 miles.. I'll run another few thousand on the 0W30 Mobile 1 oil before I change it........ Should I write Subaru a nasty letter and spew hate all over the net??

H.W.

 

[Rev2010]

OK. So disassemble yours clean it and be happy it's working for you. All the reports are not just people being lazy idiots. The rollers do wear down and when they do a cleaning is not going to fix it. But the biggest issue many complain of is the lifetime warranty but no response when you contact the company.

I've switched to a Monster Mill 2 and much prefer it in many ways over my old BC, and I can't even comment on the longevity as I haven't had it as long as my BC. But my efficiency went up 5% at the same gap setting, it has never once slipped, binded, or failed to grab grain, has a larger hopper, and is easier to change gap settings than my BC was.

Never understood this type of product defense thread. Posts sure, but creating a thread to refute others reports and to defend a product just seems a little odd. And likening the BC complaints to being mad about a car oil change is just silly.


Rev.

 

[augiedoggy]

I've read all the diatribes against the BC mill, and between me and my neighbor we have put 110 brews through mine. Tonight I took it apart the second time during that period because the non driven roller started slipping. It's been close to zero here, which doesn't help.

Frankly I laugh when I read all the BC hate on the BC thread here..... Is taking it apart to clean and lubricate it every 35 brews "unacceptable maintenance"? On the whole it's served me extremely well and reliably. If the roller starts slipping during a crush..... which of course is when it happens, I simply flick the roller from underneath with my finger (I'm hand cranking" and have it on a stand, not on a bucket with the particle board base.) The problem is grown dust accumulating on the ends of the rollers, and I clean and the ends, and lubricate the bearings with a bit of veggie oil..... and it's good for another 35 brews. The whole process takes about 15 minutes.

Rollers and bearings look like brand new........ Once the grain dust is washed out.

The real key is leaving the mounting bolts just slightly loose....... It allows the end plates and rollers to self align instead of binding due to my base that is not a perfect machine ground surface.

My 2010 Subaru needed a quart of oil today too.... A quart after slightly more than 5000 miles, on a car with only 135,000 miles.. I'll run another few thousand on the 0W30 Mobile 1 oil before I change it........ Should I write Subaru a nasty letter and spew hate all over the net??

H.W.

I would say yes it should be unacceptable.... My justification for saying so is Mainly because I have the cheaper $99 clone from china "Cereal killer" and I have put 9 or 10 sacks of 2 row and pilsner and God knows how many lbs of specialty grain through it and not once has it needed any cleaning or maintenance... My rollers still look brand new and spin freely. If you Google worn grain mill you will see just about every thread that comes up is on the barley crusher and people complaining of worn out rollers or sticking rollers..
At one time the barley crusher and Cereal killer did not have bearings but used cheaper bushings instead...I know my cereal killer has bearing as all the ones made in the last two years do and I believe the barley crusher does as well now but I'm not positive. This may help with them locking up but not with the wearing out of the knurling I keep reading about.

I agree with not understanding what a car with 135,000 miles has to do with a grain mill that has 35 brews(most of which only 2.5 gallons according to your other thread) worth of use needing maintenance to work correctly. That what every 6 10gallon brews?

 

[pretzelb]

I'm fighting my BC. I had to clean it 4 times in maybe 7 brews. Last time I had to crush twice because no matter how clean it was it would not spin with the narrow gap I wanted. Would a MM be better? No idea, never had one. But doesn't make this experience any less frustrating. Glad cleaning works for you but it isn't for me.

 

[augiedoggy]

I'm fighting my BC. I had to clean it 4 times in maybe 7 brews. Last time I had to crush twice because no matter how clean it was it would not spin with the narrow gap I wanted. Would a MM be better? No idea, never had one. But doesn't make this experience any less frustrating. Glad cleaning works for you but it isn't for me.

One thing I have found with the CK clone which should be the same with yours is the adjustable roller is adjusted and moved with a round cam and each side is adjusted individually... due to manufacturing variances the cams arent alway perfect and it can be very tricky to get both the gap to be even at both ends and the cams to be adjusted in a way where the roller is not cocked causing the end corners to bind against the side with the slightest amount of grain buildup... Its also easy to accidentally get the cams 180 degrees out of phase and still have an even gap at each end if you follow me.

I always adjust mine so both roller turn very freely with no binding or drag before even considering use since it always gets worse if you have even the slightest drag.

 

[kombat]

For me, the issue wasn't cleaning or roller maintenance. The knurling simply wore down. The rollers spun just fine - it just wouldn't "grab" the grain. They'd just spin and spin and spin, and nothing would go through. It reached this point right around 100 brews, so Owly, maybe you should have waited another dozen or so brews before declaring we're all lazy idiots and the BC is just fine. Yours will eventually suffer the same fate as everyone else's.

I switched to a Monster Mill.

 

[MaxStout]

Frankly I laugh when I read all the BC hate on the BC thread here..... Is taking it apart to clean and lubricate it every 35 brews "unacceptable maintenance"? On the whole it's served me extremely well and reliably.

Anecdote /= data

But I'm glad it's working for you.

 

[Rev2010]

For me, the issue wasn't cleaning or roller maintenance. The knurling simply wore down. The rollers spun just fine - it just wouldn't "grab" the grain. They'd just spin and spin and spin, and nothing would go through. It reached this point right around 100 brews

Same exact issue I had. The rollers rolled completely smooth and freely but it just wouldn't grab the grain, it would just spin. I don't have an exact count on how much grain I put mine through but I know it was around 70-75 brews, so I averaged that at 10lbs per brew since I'm most commonly within +/- 2lbs for most of my recipes and that equates to only 700-750lbs of grain. At the common price of $150 for the BC, for failure after 75 batches, that equates to a cost of $2 per batch to crush my grain. $2 is nothing in the overall scheme of things but every extra buck increases the overall cost of my beers so I personally think $2 cost to crush each batch of grain is too much.


Rev.

 

[bja]

I bought my BC about 8 years ago and have brewed 10 gallons every 2 weeks, so a little over 200 batches. Averaging 20 lbs per batch, that's 4000 lbs of grain. My BC still works, sort of. I have a stick that I shove into the rollers to start the non-driven roller when it stops, which is becoming more and more common, and more and more annoying.

 

[RandalG]

The cleaning, taking a wire brush to the rollers and replacing the orings was a quick fix for me right now but I can see the writing on the wall. I think I'll start saving for a monster mill as a long term solution.

 

[kombat]

You get what you pay for.

 

[augiedoggy]

You get what you pay for.

If only that were true and it was that simple..

...Stepping on my soapbox..

If it was then the cereal killer wouldnt be less expensive than the barley (or barely?) crusher and a Harley Davidson wouldnt still be as expensive as when its parts were actually made here and the same cars wouldnt be sold at different pricepoints depending on the badges thrown on them after they come off the assembly line..
You pay for marketing and "support" hope that it has some correlation to the products quality is more like it... A wise consumer does their homework on the products they buy and a lazy consumer shops by branding and price thinking if they just pay more and buy well known namebrands they have heard of they are doing good... and this is why the buying and selling of defunct company namebrand rights to companies rebranding counterfeit crap under once well known brand names is such popular practice today to profit off of those with the "you get what you pay for " mentality from years ago when the brand names actually had some correlation to the product that bear them. The truth is its a crapshoot in many cases whether your actually getting anything more than the same generic chinese product only doctored up and marketed as something else at 3+ times the price...

I just ordered a bunch of parts for my girlfriends ford on ebay for less than 1/3 of the "genuine ford " parts cost.... The ironic part is they shipped from an axle manufacturer in Detroit that has been making them for over 70 years and is the largest manufacturer in Detroit of axles and steering/suspension components... Meanwhile much of the oem work they did (likely for companies like ford) has now been farmed out of the country... I also find it ironic that Ford themselves doesnt follow their own preaching of using genuine OEM replacement products since they use bootleg aftermarket supplies for the equipment I've serviced there. But this is the way businesses work these days... They preach one thing and do another. The joke is on the honest consumer who believes business is the same as it was 50 years ago. Those are the people that pay twice as much for a korean made deawoo because it says chevy on the side and turn their noses up to the people driving a Toyota that happened to be made in Kentucky... There are more ignorant consumers than ever because of all the deception and assumptions today. if there was ever a time when "you get what you pay for" was less true it would be today.

I also would be wondering what magical things the $1,000> control panels do for all the extra money vs my $300 budget build and why these magical advantages cannot be seen in any of the you tube videos Ive seen on them or described... They might have advantages to those that need to be spoonfed everything they need to know what it is they are buying and how to operate and keep their system operating but to those with more reasonable expectations there is not always a clear advantage if any to some of the pricey options...

stepping off soapbox now...
sorry it just bugs me every time I hear that statement... If we lived in a perfect world and profit wasnt the main goal of all business over pride and making an honest buck with an honest effort than I might agree with you but...

 

[CA_Mouse]

Well said Augie!

We go through this nearly daily with all consumable products. If the consumer would do a little homework they might find that the store brand or 'generic' peanut butter comes from the same small town that the 'Big Brand X' comes from, difference being the price only. Or the box of cereal or crackers or bread...

It's not you get what you pay for, it's you pay what you are told is better.

As George Carlin said... New and Improved! Which is it? If it's new, how can it be improved?

 

[kombat]

It's 2016. The market is efficient. We have things like Yelp and online reviews and forums like this. Overpriced junk gets found out pretty darn fast, and they can no longer charge disproportionately. Certainly, there is a segment of the population that is ignorant to the reality, or that is solely motivated by the cachet factor associated with the perceived upscale brands (the Lexus vs. Toyota buyers), but for the most part, at least for companies that have been getting away with it for a long time, things cost more because they are better.

 

[Jayjay1976]

If only that were true and it was that simple..

...Stepping on my soapbox..

If it was then the cereal killer wouldnt be less expensive than the barley (or barely?) crusher and a Harley Davidson wouldnt still be as expensive as when its parts were actually made here and the same cars wouldnt be sold at different pricepoints depending on the badges thrown on them after they come off the assembly line..
You pay for marketing and "support" hope that it has some correlation to the products quality is more like it... A wise consumer does their homework on the products they buy and a lazy consumer shops by branding and price thinking if they just pay more and buy well known namebrands they have heard of they are doing good... and this is why the buying and selling of defunct company namebrand rights to companies rebranding counterfeit crap under once well known brand names is such popular practice today to profit off of those with the "you get what you pay for " mentality from years ago when the brand names actually had some correlation to the product that bear them. The truth is its a crapshoot in many cases whether your actually getting anything more than the same generic chinese product only doctored up and marketed as something else at 3+ times the price...

I just ordered a bunch of parts for my girlfriends ford on ebay for less than 1/3 of the "genuine ford " parts cost.... The ironic part is they shipped from an axle manufacturer in Detroit that has been making them for over 70 years and is the largest manufacturer in Detroit of axles and steering/suspension components... Meanwhile much of the oem work they did (likely for companies like ford) has now been farmed out of the country... I also find it ironic that Ford themselves doesnt follow their own preaching of using genuine OEM replacement products since they use bootleg aftermarket supplies for the equipment I've serviced there. But this is the way businesses work these days... They preach one thing and do another. The joke is on the honest consumer who believes business is the same as it was 50 years ago. Those are the people that pay twice as much for a korean made deawoo because it says chevy on the side and turn their noses up to the people driving a Toyota that happened to be made in Kentucky... There are more ignorant consumers than ever because of all the deception and assumptions today. if there was ever a time when "you get what you pay for" was less true it would be today.

I also would be wondering what magical things the $1,000> control panels do for all the extra money vs my $300 budget build and why these magical advantages cannot be seen in any of the you tube videos Ive seen on them or described... They might have advantages to those that need to be spoonfed everything they need to know what it is they are buying and how to operate and keep their system operating but to those with more reasonable expectations there is not always a clear advantage if any to some of the pricey options...

stepping off soapbox now...
sorry it just bugs me every time I hear that statement... If we lived in a perfect world and profit wasnt the main goal of all business over pride and making an honest buck with an honest effort than I might agree with you but...

This is some deep truth. People need to read this again.

 

[day_trippr]

Now that you applied the paddles to this thread, they might!

 

[bob1852]

I finally threw my Barley Crusher in the garbage. They wouldn't honor their supposed lifetime warranty (kept making excuses and kept telling me different repairs to try myself [which I did all of them] before providing an address to send it back, and then told me I'd be on the hook for shipping both ways...fine, whatever).

It didn't work anymore and was taking up too much space in the garage, so I just tossed it.

Figured the shipping costs alone would be better spent towards a new mill that actually works longterm.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I finally threw my Barley Crusher in the garbage. They wouldn't honor their supposed lifetime warranty (kept making excuses and kept telling me different repairs to try myself [which I did all of them] before providing an address to send it back, and then told me I'd be on the hook for shipping both ways...fine, whatever).

It didn't work anymore and was taking up too much space in the garage, so I just tossed it.

Figured the shipping costs alone would be better spent towards a new mill that actually works longterm.

Who were you dealing with? Just want to be sure I never do any business with them.

 

[Yesfan]

Who were you dealing with? Just want to be sure I never do any business with them.

Barely Crusher themselves, I assume. I guess you click on the contact us link on their page. LINK

Found this webpage too reviewing "the 5 best grain mills reviews". Only one of the mills was one geared for home brewing and it was the Barley Crusher. LINK

A horse **** page if you ask me. They label the mill as the "Northern Brewer Barley Crusher" mill. Interesting to know if Northern bought out Barley Crusher. I doubt it with the other mils NB has and I would bet BC owners wouldn't have any problems getting their mills fix if they had to go through Northern. The "review" (if you call it that) came out a few days ago. It's just a click bait page to advertise, so I gave it a 1/2 star rating when asked.

I have the Barley Crusher and it's still going. If I have any of the issues other report, then I blame myself than the mill as about the only maintenance I ever do is use an air hose to blow out the grain dust. I feel like I'm living on borrowed time with it though. When mine gives up the ghost, I'll just buy another grain mill before shipping mine in for repairs.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, rather than tossing out my old BC, I reversed the rollers, set the gap for wheat and rye malts (.025"), and run it in reverse when I have either of those malts in a grain bill, sparing the need to re-gap my CK mill twice on those brew days and avoiding the harder grains as well.

I stick the BC in the CK mill cabinet when not in use so it doesn't even take up any space. It still amazes me how well it works - backward - when it had totally lost the ability to mill grain in the normal direction...

Cheers!