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siestakey
Joined: 10 Mar 2017 Posts: 49
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Link Posted: Sun May 05, 2019 3:11 pm Post subject: Hop Stopper 2.0 Crushed - fixable? |
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Hi all - I got a new Hop Stopper 2.0 and brewed 2 weeks ago with it and had no issues and am happy to report that it worked like a charm on Brew #1! I brewed yesterday for Big Brew and I noticed that the flow rate into my fermenter went from what I would expect (slow trickle) to barely dripping. It took over an hour to fill at this rate. I noticed my hoses looked crushed as well, so I thought they were not being fed properly. I took my mash paddle and tried scraping some hop matter (4oz in a 12 gallon batch) off of the Hop Stopper 2.0 and still did not get an improvement in flow. I decided to ride it out at this point - which may have been a mistake. Once the kettle was drained the hops were caked on so hard and dry they reminded me of a thick felt. This is when I noticed the Hop Stopper was absolutely crushed flat like a pancake. I'm guessing the pump was pulling so hard for wort it collapsed the mesh.
I was not watching the system when all this happened unfortunately so I don't know if something happened to cause this.
I read the instructions and the Brew day step-by-step to make sure I wasn't doing anything I wasn't supposed to.
Anyone come across this before? Is it possible to fix it to get it to pop back up? I imagine the heightened profile is important for flow. I can get pictures if need be.
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kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11119 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
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siestakey
Joined: 10 Mar 2017 Posts: 49
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Link Posted: Tue May 07, 2019 3:35 am Post subject: |
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I wasn't able to pop them out - they seem like they are creased. I tried a chopstick, wooden spoon and a long screwdriver but the screens are almost creased to the point of no return. I think I'm going to have to toss this one.
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kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11119 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
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siestakey
Joined: 10 Mar 2017 Posts: 49
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Link Posted: Wed May 08, 2019 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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I have tried everything on this and no luck. I'm going to toss it and get another one. Thanks for the assistance!
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ihomebrewsolutions
Joined: 09 Apr 2015 Posts: 19 Location: Knoxville, TN
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siestakey
Joined: 10 Mar 2017 Posts: 49
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Link Posted: Wed May 08, 2019 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks, I'll send a message over.
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siestakey
Joined: 10 Mar 2017 Posts: 49
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Link Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 2:14 am Post subject: |
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I did want to post an update on this - I spoke with the manufacturer and we went over my process and we think what probably happened is that I was pumping the wort out too fast which sucked the hop matter onto the screen. He did recommend whether you are whirlpooling or pumping it through the chiller, no more than 1 gallon per minute should pass through the screen.
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kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11119 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
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siestakey
Joined: 10 Mar 2017 Posts: 49
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Link Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 4:25 am Post subject: |
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Kal - When I read the manual, I took the part about keeping the flow rate at <1 GPM only when whirlpooling. My mistake on this.
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kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11119 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
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Link Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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Any flow through the Hop Stopper should be limited to 1 GPM (max). The Hop Stopper doesn't know if you're recirculating to whirlpool or dumping through a chiller into your fermenter, or spraying your kids with hot wort (). It doesn't understand the difference - All it knows is that it's flow through the Hop Stopper screen.
1 GPM is pretty fast. For example, that would be like trying to chilling 12 gallons of boiling wort through a chiller to the fermenter in less than 12 minutes.
Kal
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siestakey
Joined: 10 Mar 2017 Posts: 49
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Link Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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I was able to brew today and I changed things up as recommended and it worked like a champ. It was definitely my fault on this one.
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kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11119 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
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