Protofloc clogging hop filter?

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PeeBee
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Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by PeeBee » Fri Oct 06, 2017 4:02 pm

Up until the last 12 months I'd always used Irish Moss. But I started using Protofloc which turns out to be much easier. I use about 1/2 tablet in 45L (1 in 65L) - cutting them is easy as long as you "chop" and don't try to "saw" through them.

But I went back to Irish Moss for a recent brew because I had some left. I was amazed how easily I could runoff the boiler (without attributing this to Irish Moss at the time). Yesterday I'd gone back to Protofloc. Runoff was a disaster, the hop filter completely clogged with 1/4 of the batch still in the boiler. I had to manually scoop hops out and scrape the filter to eventually recover the missing 1/4. The filter is over a metre of stainless steel braided hose in two sections going to the same tap. A mesh "snorkel" protrudes above it to mitigate blockages - just what it did yesterday. When I posted pictures of this filter on another forum it got described as "the Mother of all hop filters". Braided SS hose is not supposed to be suitable for hop pellets but I haven't used them. It's not the first time its clogged, but I'm sure it didn't used to.

So, I start asking myself "is Protofloc responsible for these blockages"? It's visibly effective, dropping loads of rubbish out of the wort. Do I overdose? Although I know people are more careless with it than I am. Is Irish Moss a better bet? Although I've only learnt recently that you supposed to rehydrate Irish Moss - perhaps my use of it has been ineffective in the past.
Cask-conditioned style ale out of a keg/Cornie (the "treatise"): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwzEv5 ... rDKRMjcO1g
Water report demystified (the "Defuddler"; removes the nonsense!): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by Fil » Fri Oct 06, 2017 4:51 pm

Try a 1/4 tab?? I had exactly the same issues with my switch from irish moss using a 1m length of SS braid looping round the kettle base perimeter for my hop filter, brew #1 after the switch had me running a mash paddle over the mesh braid to scrape off? the fine matter sticking the flow??

I then switched kettle and methods to employ a hop spider, brew #1 and 2 with the new bigger kettle i drained the hot break straight into the f\v, since ive been attempting a semi successful whirlpool, but the cone rapidly deteriorates as the liquid level drops with the light insubstantial break material without any hop mass to glue it together.. its a work in progress..

and fwiw i simply spooned in a teaspoon of dry irish moss into my kettle 15 mins prior to the flame off. im pretty sure it hydrates rapidly in the hot liquor?
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by guypettigrew » Fri Oct 06, 2017 8:15 pm

After loads of experimenting I moved to Protafloc granules. I'd discovered 0.75 grams was all that was needed for a 25 litre brew. More clogged the hop filter.

It's easier to weigh out this tiny amount using granules than it is chopping the tablets to get it. At one point I was powdering the tablets and then weighing them out.

Guy

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by Fil » Fri Oct 06, 2017 9:04 pm

guypettigrew wrote:
Fri Oct 06, 2017 8:15 pm
After loads of experimenting I moved to Protafloc granules. I'd discovered 0.75 grams was all that was needed for a 25 litre brew. More clogged the hop filter.

It's easier to weigh out this tiny amount using granules than it is chopping the tablets to get it. At one point I was powdering the tablets and then weighing them out.

Guy
thats a handy number for the back pages of my brew-notebook cheers...
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by PeeBee » Sat Oct 07, 2017 9:37 am

Thanks guys. Confirmed my suspicion it is the Protofloc. I'll try less (1/4 tab), try granules, going back to Irish Moss flake, or even give up entirely on this copper fining lark (that'll be hard having done it unquestionably for 40 years).

So stainless steel braid strainers shouldn't be used with pelleted hops, and mustn't be used with anything but the lightest doses of Protofloc (or Whirlfloc and the like). There's a pattern in this, I like patterns, sort of reduces the mysticism.
Cask-conditioned style ale out of a keg/Cornie (the "treatise"): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwzEv5 ... rDKRMjcO1g
Water report demystified (the "Defuddler"; removes the nonsense!): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by Hanglow » Sat Oct 07, 2017 8:50 pm

That's the same weight you need for irish moss too, it's a surprisingly small amount. less than a tsp fwiw

I've taken to rehydrating irish moss before adding it, it takes a surprisingly long time to rehydrate I've found. I add it to a bit of water before mashing in, then chuck that in with 15mins left of the boil.
Last edited by Hanglow on Mon Jun 01, 2020 10:11 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by donchiquon » Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:11 pm

I've been using stainless braid for 18 months now with pellets and half a protofloc tab without any issues.

Although the braid is a large diameter and you can see the break and pellets trying in vain to clog it!

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by PeeBee » Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:31 pm

donchiquon wrote:
Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:11 pm
I've been using stainless braid for 18 months now with pellets and half a protofloc tab without any issues.

Although the braid is a large diameter and you can see the break and pellets trying in vain to clog it!
...
That IS large diameter braid. I can sense another modification to my brewery. I just need to lay my hands on 1-1/2 meters of it and my hop filter will really be able to claim it is "the Mother of all hop filters".
Cask-conditioned style ale out of a keg/Cornie (the "treatise"): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwzEv5 ... rDKRMjcO1g
Water report demystified (the "Defuddler"; removes the nonsense!): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by donchiquon » Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:33 pm

It does seem to do the trick! :)

Good info on the granules from Guy - I'd been thinking about switching.
Ian

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by guypettigrew » Sun Oct 08, 2017 8:46 am

donchiquon wrote:
Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:33 pm
Good info on the granules from Guy - I'd been thinking about switching.
Thanks.

Like Hanglow with the Irish moss, I rehydrate the Protafloc granules. I weigh them out once the boil has settled down and put them in about 50ml of water. They slowly swell up over the next hour and get thrown into the kettle 15 minutes or so before the end of the boil.

Guy

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by greenwood » Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:52 am

I use loads of protocol and mixture of leafs/pellets . I use bazooka hop strainer and I have 100% free flowing run offs.


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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by tourer » Mon Nov 20, 2017 10:43 pm

Anybody know where i could get that 1" ? stainless braid from.

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by donchiquon » Tue Dec 19, 2017 11:02 am

tourer wrote:
Mon Nov 20, 2017 10:43 pm
Anybody know where i could get that 1" ? stainless braid from.
Sorry - only just spotted your question - here you go @tourer

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Auto-Silicone ... 1438.l2649

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by sbond10 » Tue Dec 19, 2017 11:21 am

So that litrally 2 90 degree elbows fasten onto the braid anythng in the middle

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Re: Protofloc clogging hop filter?

Post by PeeBee » Tue Dec 19, 2017 2:02 pm

sbond10 wrote:
Tue Dec 19, 2017 11:21 am
So that litrally 2 90 degree elbows fasten onto the braid anythng in the middle
It's not a loop, the picture can just give that impression. So one 90 degree elbow. Haven't figured the best fitting for tightening the hose clips to though? Rather than hose clips the "double eared clips" make a nicer job (need a crimping tool though - about 8-10 quid): Such as https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MIKALOR-STAI ... u3WW__P-Xw.

Actually, don't be tempted to have a loop, they are a pain to assemble. I tried to have a loop but it got cut into two lengths instead.

There's nothing inside the braid; it keeps its shape without support.
Cask-conditioned style ale out of a keg/Cornie (the "treatise"): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwzEv5 ... rDKRMjcO1g
Water report demystified (the "Defuddler"; removes the nonsense!): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

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