Any advice on avoiding a stuck counterflow line? Has happened to me on the last two brews near the end of the chilling process. Seems to be getting gummed up with hops. One batch was with hop pellets and the other whole hops.
Tried using a pipe cleaner on the kettle to dislodge any bits and siphon pumping with H2O to clear out lines, but both times just ended up just pouring the remaining hot wort into the fermenter.
Hop Bags? Screen? What's the answer?
The chiller should always have hot PBW, followed by cold star san cycled through it prior to chilling, that will ensure it's clean for you to start with, and you should make sure to clean it the same way after you're finished because you're an upstanding member who always does the right thing. It's always a good idea to use a bag or those large tea balls for whole leaf hops, as those will always clog the system every single time. A good solution to this issue with either type of hop is to whirlpool, get a buddy to stir the pot this will concentrate the trub in the center of the pot keeping it away from the valve. Another good practice to get in to is to calculate your recipe with more losses factored in, leave a 1/3 to a 1/2 gallon in the pot, so you are only putting good clean, clear wort in your fermenter, toss the rest down the drain, that way your fermenter is full before you even get to the point where you're sucking up trub. It'll lead to to clearer beers anyway.
The chiller should always have hot PBW, followed by cold star san cycled through it prior to chilling, that will ensure it's clean for you to start with, and you should make sure to clean it the same way after you're finished because you're an upstanding member who always does the right thing. It's always a good idea to use a bag or those large tea balls for whole leaf hops, as those will always clog the system every single time. A good solution to this issue with either type of hop is to whirlpool, get a buddy to stir the pot this will concentrate the trub in the center of the pot keeping it away from the valve. Another good practice to get in to is to calculate your recipe with more losses factored in, leave a 1/3 to a 1/2 gallon in the pot, so you are only putting good clean, clear wort in your fermenter, toss the rest down the drain, that way your fermenter is full before you even get to the point where you're sucking up trub. It'll lead to to clearer beers anyway.
The chiller should always have hot PBW, followed by cold star san cycled through it prior to chilling, that will ensure it's clean for you to start with, and you should make sure to clean it the same way after you're finished because you're an upstanding member who always does the right thing. It's always a good idea to use a bag or those large tea balls for whole leaf hops, as those will always clog the system every single time. A good solution to this issue with either type of hop is to whirlpool, get a buddy to stir the pot this will concentrate the trub in the center of the pot keeping it away from the valve. Another good practice to get in to is to calculate your recipe with more losses factored in, leave a 1/3 to a 1/2 gallon in the pot, so you are only putting good clean, clear wort in your fermenter, toss the rest down the drain, that way your fermenter is full before you even get to the point where you're sucking up trub. It'll lead to to clearer beers anyway.
Wow, sorry that posted 3 times, my internet is being real slow and troublesome.
Jpe, I find that the chiller will regularly not pump wort from the eight gallon pots. I have not been able to figure this out. It does fine with the other pots. It's not due to blockagea, which makes the issue more maddening.
PBW should be rinsed prior to sanitation: hot PBW, warm/hot water, then Star-San.
Jeff, is the pump completely primed? Once there's liquid in the line through the impellar, it should pump/flow no matter what (barring any blockage, obviously).
Yep, I prime it right before attempting to chill. This has happened every time for the past four or five months, so I stopped using the smaller pots.