Another Hop Filter/Stopper

[FutureBrewer]

Hi all,

I'm gearing up for my first all-grain brew tomorrow, so I thought I'd mark the occasion by faffing about making another hop filter.

The first one I made was a stainless hose-braid type attached to a dip-tube (made from two 15mm street elbows.) It was okay, but I wasn't really happy with its performance during my first brew.


Stainless braid filter

So, with the 22mm tube leftover from making my mashtun manifold, a 22mm elbow, 22mm to 15mm reduced coupler and 15mm elbow, I did the following:


Marking out

I marked out 3 sets of holes 5mm apart - the rows are slightly offset from each other.


2.5mm holes

I used a hammer and punch to make locating the drill holes easier (and to prevent the drill bit from slipping.)


Not too shabby!

After soldering - the finished article... The 22mm end cap isn't soldered, so I can clean it out.


In the shiny

Much more befitting a shiny, don't you think?

Yes, it's similar to many other designs on this forum (& thank you all for the inspiration...) But THIS one's MINE, dammit!

Wish me luck for my first AG tomorrow

Cheers,
FB.

[flytact]

Looks good and good luck!

[Horatio]

Looking good! May copy this myself as my 15mm one is getting a little tired after 12 years of use!

[nobby]

I would have drilled more holes all the way round. You dont have that many and it could soon get blocked.

[WishboneBrewery]

Looks like the Hop-stoppers I've made.... work a treat with Whole Leaf Hops.
I need to make something for pellet hops sometime.

[FutureBrewer]

Looks like the Hop-stoppers I've made...

not 'alf... your designs were the main 'inspiration' - cheers mate (and for your Igloo Mashtun...)

I would have drilled more holes all the way round. You dont have that many and it could soon get blocked.

I'll give it a go as it is. I'm trying to minimise the dead space, but I'll report back if I need to add more holes

Cheers,
FB.

[WishboneBrewery]

Looks like the Hop-stoppers I've made...

not 'alf... your designs were the main 'inspiration' - cheers mate (and for your Igloo Mashtun...)

I think it was Boingy or someone I initially copied off With the Hop Filter off-set to one side you can tip the boiler slightly and squeeze that little bit more out

[FutureBrewer]

Did my first AG yesterday and the hop stopper worked a treat! No blockage and minimal dead-space in the boiler


Hop stopper, stopping hops

Cheers,
FB.

[nobby]

I think it was Boingy or someone I initially copied off With the Hop Filter off-set to one side you can tip the boiler slightly and squeeze that little bit more out

I dont see how that will work an off set hop filter will not mininmise dead space. To do that you need a straight filter with holes as near to the tap/ball valve as possible also mounted as near the base as possible.

[far9410]

looks good

[WishboneBrewery]

I think it was Boingy or someone I initially copied off With the Hop Filter off-set to one side you can tip the boiler slightly and squeeze that little bit more out

I dont see how that will work an off set hop filter will not mininmise dead space. To do that you need a straight filter with holes as near to the tap/ball valve as possible also mounted as near the base as possible.

It works by:

• Having holes in the Lower third of the pipe only.
• The boiler can be tilted toward the 'off-set' hop-stopper which increases the depth of wort around it. (Future Brewer's is a little close to the middle for this)
• Having a restricted outlet about 200-300mm lower than the base of the boiler to take advantage of the syphon effect.

The Position of the tap to the base, when getting a syphon, has very little to do with it... handy and clever stuff that there syphon-effect!

[FutureBrewer]

I dont see how that will work an off set hop filter will not mininmise dead space...

+1 to pdtnc's answer... It's not about the offset hop filter. Mine's offset to avoid the element and to sit, holes down, in the lowest point of the boiler.

Future Brewer's is a little close to the middle for this...

I put my hop filter in that particular position because of the boiler design. The Buffalo has a series of ridges or rings in the bottom of the boiler, so that particular 'ring' between the element and the outside one, is the lowest point in the boiler.

The syphon effect sucks the wort uphill to the boiler outlet tap and down a length of pipe - extending down by about a foot below the boiler.

I tested it out before the brew and it left about 0.5 of a litre of liquid. With hops, on brewday, it was only a little bit more (see picture above.)



Cheers,
FB.

[nobby]

I think it was Boingy or someone I initially copied off With the Hop Filter off-set to one side you can tip the boiler slightly and squeeze that little bit more out

I dont see how that will work an off set hop filter will not mininmise dead space. To do that you need a straight filter with holes as near to the tap/ball valve as possible also mounted as near the base as possible.

It works by:

• Having holes in the Lower third of the pipe only.
• The boiler can be tilted toward the 'off-set' hop-stopper which increases the depth of wort around it. (Future Brewer's is a little close to the middle for this)
• Having a restricted outlet about 200-300mm lower than the base of the boiler to take advantage of the syphon effect.

The Position of the tap to the base, when getting a syphon, has very little to do with it... handy and clever stuff that there syphon-effect!

I hadn't thought about a syphon effect, could well work. I still think having the holes as near the tap as possible and mounting the tap as low as possible will work just as well if not better. You then just tilt the boiler towards the tap and let the wort drain out. You can then put someting under the boiler and leave it tilted and wait for the last bit to drain out of the hops. A syphoning ettect would not get this last bit out.

[WishboneBrewery]

I get ya, I tend to run off very slowly so the hops drain as much as possible. Usually no more than a mug full left after digging hops out.