Whirlpool arm - how to use

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sbond10
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Whirlpool arm - how to use

Post by sbond10 » Tue Oct 30, 2018 8:36 am

I'm planning to fit a Powell stainless whirlpool arm, basically it's a long dip tube with a squeezed end and a bulk head fitting.

I'm just wondering how best to use it, I currently have to put my pellets in a nylon bag, flowers are ok in loose.

Recently I've had success in just launching 10-20g pellets in loose with no problems,. Where these end up I'm not sure proberly in the fv.

So my ideas would be bring to bring the wort to the boil add the bittering charge loose then start the pump bring it thru the CFC and back via the whirlpool arm disconnect the CFC after 30 mins and just run direct pump whirlpool arm. My concerns would be the pellet powder getting dragged thru the CFC and either clumping in the CFC or in the arm then me either having a nightmare or a very unbitter beer.

The next idea would be bring to boil turn on pump direct into CFC and arm do this for 30 mins disconnect CFC add bittering hops and just run pump and whirlpool arm add hops as normal keep it going for ten minutes are boil to allow coming . Again concerns about clogging

Third idea is carry on as normal nylon bags for pellets seems pointless spending 20 quid on a whirlpool arm.

Keys points
I biab
The pump is a grainfather one
The hop filter is a Powell spade type one with holes about 3mm (false bottom sized holes) which sits at about 8 litres I tip the kettle normally
I'm gas fired
The only intrusions into the kettle is the filter and the whirlpool arm

Thanks in advance
Sean

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Kev888
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Re: Whirlpool arm - how to use

Post by Kev888 » Tue Oct 30, 2018 12:40 pm

As you no doubt realise, the idea of whirlpooling pellets is to get them into the middle of the kettle, generally to keep the majority free of an outlet towards the edge of the kettle. So in practice, success depends on where the outlet is and how many hops there are compared to the kettle base size. (there is a variation for centre filters, in which hops are gathered over them to form a filter bed, but either whole hops or a very good/big pellet filter is needed there)

The good thing is that you have a CFC rather than plate chiller, so whilst not impossible, it won't be too easy to block - provided you stop emptying the kettle before too much pellet sludge is pulled through at the end. The grainfather pump isn't massively powerful, but nor is a tiny one (like the solar pumps) so should also cope with at least some minor suspended pellet matter too.

You could find that the hop filter cloggs, though - if not with pellets, with sticky proteins etc. in the absence of leaf hops to filter them out. A lot of whirlpoolers therefore don't use a hop filter, but rely on the whirlpool alone to remove the majority of debris.

Theres little point whirlpooling whilst the boil is still on IMO, as the turbulance partially defeats the object. Personally I would allow the wort to settle down (stop moving about) after flame out, then whirlpool for a short while until there a convincing cone of hops forms up in the middle. If you wanted to keep more hops out of the system, you could start the whirlpool manually with a paddle before using the pump.
Kev

sbond10
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Re: Whirlpool arm - how to use

Post by sbond10 » Tue Oct 30, 2018 12:57 pm

powellbrewing.co.uk/product/stainless-steel-hop

This is my fIlter .

So my feelings are is chuck the hops in normally, sanitise the CFC then disconnect and just run the pump just to keep things moving in the kettle. Then at flame out let a trub cone form then reconnect up the cfc, this is to give it enough umph to spin the beer before chilling.
I think I'm gonna go with chuck in the pellets and see what happens approach

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Re: Whirlpool arm - how to use

Post by Bigbud78 » Tue Oct 30, 2018 1:16 pm

I know we have spoken on twitter and you have seen photos of my setup but its easier here with no character limits, I currently use a immersion chiller with no filtering at all.

At the start of the boil I chuck bittering hops in loose, then with 15 mins to go I put in my chiller and start the pump up to start whirlpool. I chuck all my pellet hops in loose depending on recipe, when I flame out I chill down to 75 degrees add hops and then keep the pump running for duration. After 20 mins I turn the chiller back on and chill down to 18 degrees.

Then I'll turn my pump off, disconnect from kettle and connect to FV and pump it all in. I get very little hop particulate in the FV, I get a lovely cone in my Kettle with the chiller helping to hold it together. I was pumping into the fv via my sanitized hop spider but caught so little I no longer bother.

Next brew I'll take photos of the left overs in kettle.

sbond10
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Re: Whirlpool arm - how to use

Post by sbond10 » Tue Oct 30, 2018 1:21 pm

The main reason for connecting up the cfc is to sanitise it and said the main reason for disconnection is purely to give the pump alittle more umph.

Cheers for the advice big bud will deffo give it a whirl

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Re: Whirlpool arm - how to use

Post by HTH1975 » Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:16 am

For balance and comparison, my own simple setup works well with very little debris transferred to the FV. It’s just a large metal mesh hop filter, approx 10” long.

I just let the wort drop clear after chilling. It takes about an hour, then I just slowly start to run off via the ballvalve cracked open slowly (maybe 1/4 of the way on). The hop debris forms a filter at the bottom. If you run off slowly and are careful not to disturb the debris that has settled, you will have no problem.

Alternatively, I used to do exactly the same process, except to syphon the wort from the top using a piece of tubing - easy and it works. Once you get close to the bottom, gently tip the kettle, or just accept the losses.

This doesn’t have to be a complicated process. In fact, the more complex you make it, the more things you have to clean up and also sanitise in the first place.

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