Using shop-vac to clean spent grain from mash tun

[TrainSafe]

I've been using my shop vac to suck the grain from my MLT for the last few batches. It is easier than taking the MLT out to the compost pile.

Here's a question for those of you who vacuum your spent grain:

Do you leave your filter in or take it out?

So far, I've been leaving it in, but it takes about 1-1/2 to 2 weeks to dry after each use. Haven't tried going filterless yet, but I think I might. What do you do?

 

[Hammy71]

Doesn't it start to reek? After a day my spent grains stink. I couldn't imagine after a couple of weeks.

 

[Begin2Brew]

I take mine out. Just watch when it gets full or you could spray grains all over the friggin place, not that I know from experience, just saying it could happen...

 

[TrainSafe]

Hammy,

I empty it the same day. It is just easier to hall the shop vac up stairs than my e-HLT.

 

[sudbuster]

I've been using my shop vac to suck the grain from my MLT for the last few batches. It is easier than taking the MLT out to the compost pile.

Here's a question for those of you who vacuum your spent grain:

Do you leave your filter in or take it out?

So far, I've been leaving it in, but it takes about 1-1/2 to 2 weeks to dry after each use. Haven't tried going filterless yet, but I think I might. What do you do?

I'm a really OLD brewer, so you, being a youngin' need to help me out a little here. You say instead of taking the spent grain out to the compost, you suck it up in your shop vac. Then what? You take it out to the compost? Now the shop vac is messed up, so you clean that? If you use a filter, it's still messed up and you are out the price of a new filter. Like I said before, you need to help this old man out a bit.........

 

[Golddiggie]

I've been scooping the spent grain (from the mash tun keggle) into 5 gallon buckets (how many depends on the batch). I get almost all of it out that way. The rest is easy to carry to where I can dump it out.

I'm going to see about getting a sink installed (utility sink) in the basement where I am. With that, I'll be able to set up for brewing down there (already have the rest planned out, just need the sink green light from the house owner).

 

[TrainSafe]

Hi sud,

I understand your sentiment. At first I thought the same thing. I had heard of others using the vac (and even some folks buying a dedicated vac for this propose) so I tried it. It was easier for me.

I have a 20 gallon kettle in my electric brewery that is in the very back corner off my basement. It would be troublesome to unhook it and lug it through the house. The shop vac quickly removes every kernel of wet grain and leaves me ready to go for the next batch.

I have a dedicated sink adjacent to my brew pots that I added a washdown sprayer (the kind used for pre rinsing in commercial kitchens) that makes it easy to rinse my pots without carrying them around the house.

It works for me. YMMV.

 

[TrainSafe]

I take mine out. Just watch when it gets full or you could spray grains all over the friggin place, not that I know from experience, just saying it could happen...

Thanks. I was wondering how much it would spray grain and figured it was easier to ask here then to experiment.

 

[sudbuster]

Hi sud,

I understand your sentiment. At first I thought the same thing. I had heard of others using the vac (and even some folks buying a dedicated vac for this propose) so I tried it. It was easier for me.

I have a 20 gallon kettle in my electric brewery that is in the very back corner off my basement. It would be troublesome to unhook it and lug it through the house. The shop vac quickly removes every kernel of wet grain and leaves me ready to go for the next batch.

I have a dedicated sink adjacent to my brew pots that I added a washdown sprayer (the kind used for pre rinsing in commercial kitchens) that makes it easy to rinse my pots without carrying them around the house.

It works for me. YMMV.

Cool! Thanks for explaining your brewing setup. Makes it easier for old farts like me to comprehend the situation. Good luck to the solution to your problem.

 

[dcarter]

What a great idea! My shop vac is SS and has wheels so this would be perfect for me. Especially since I use about 55 lbs of grain per batch. I will go filterless though.

 

[jcaudill]

Wow I'm "young" and I'm even old school - I just scoop it out with a scoop and put it in the grain bag. And I have 25 gallon kettles!

 

[nickw85]

Not to get too far off topic but I sense a back in my day quote. Being 27 I know nothing about back in the day.

What vacuums are you guys using? Which ones have failed to do the task? Do you guys recommend a minimum HP rating?

"Back in my day it was 2 miles to the compost heap. Uphill both ways in the snow." -Some imaginary old guy-

 

[TrainSafe]

Lol!

I just use my Rigid shop vac and it works great. Nothing special. I bet it takes less than 90 seconds.

I'll check the HP rating tonight.

 

[rekoob]

How about removing the "normal" filter and using cheese cloth or pantyhose to cover the filter basket? That will keep small stuff from flying out. Rinse it off after your done and should dry in an hour or so.

 

[camiller]

I believe the operators manual for my shop vac suggests that for wet, take the paper dust filter out but leave the foam filter. Honestly though, I like the suggestion that rekoob had.

 

[najel]

Hm, I haven't tried this with spent grain, but in our Shop Vacs, the filter can just be washed out with water. Maybe that is a special filter and not all Shop Vacs come with that?

 

[jturie]

Check out one of BobbyM's older youtube videos--he shows the shopvac in action in his keggle MLT. Looks like it works great. I've got a dinky little thing that's barely good for general suckage work, so I need to kill it before the SWMBO will allow me to buy a bigger one....