Mon Oct 24, 2005 1:31 pm
I invested in the March 809 pump & a Therminator. After a couple of 'dry' runs with boiling water to work out some kinks with the plumbing, I am satisfied with the results. 5 Gallons of 1.045 wort down to 64F as fast as I could pump it out of the kettle. The only drawback, as with all counterflow and heat exchangers, is all of that cold break you manage to bring into the fermenter. I used a boil screen at the bottom of the kettle, plus a screen in the plumbing, just after the kettle valve (before the pump), to help minimize the solids, but there's still a decent amount in there.. Anyone else who's doing plate or counterflow chilling have some tips for filtering hot wort?
For that next batch of super clear lager, Jamil's immersion/recurculation method might be one of the best ways to 1. cool super fast, 2. leave the cold break behind.. Now that I have the pump anyways, Perhaps I'll try that next.