I purchased an in-line oxygen stone. Can I leave it hooked up at the pump-out valve during the boil/whirlpool or should I build a tee that I sanitize and add on at the last minute before transfer to fermenter starts?
Not sure I follow the geometry of your equipment, but you definitely want to defer adding oxygen until wort is chilled. Boiling will drive off oxygen. My sequence is to boil, whirlpool, chill, rack, oxygenate, then pitch.
I have the pump setup to whirlpool the kettle or transfer the chilled wort to the fermenter. Let me more clear. I'd like to leave the oxygen stone in place until time to transfer then connect the oxygen and oxygenate while transferring to the fermenter. Is it detrimental to the stone to have boiling wort passing over it the whole time?
Unsure. I use a tiny diffusion stone that only sees chilled wort for a minute or two. It has a warning to avoid touching to prevent clogging its pores. I don't see how heat would hurt it (stainless), but long term immersion in wort & trub might be a problem. Maybe someone with bigger stones has a better answer.
I would personally leave it off the system until the wort is chilled and ready to transfer. The hot sugar liquid running through it without positive pressure then being cooled has the potential to clog the pores on the sentured stone. I've always seen the recommendation to have the oxygen flowing on the stone as it is submerged into the wort as well as removed to keep wort from being sucked into the pores and clogging them.
From Chemistry class: hot liquids are able to dissolve less gas, cold liquids are able to dissolve more gas. Ever notice there's a bigger pssssssh (gas escaping) from a warm Coke than a cold one? Oxygenate cold wort, not hot wort
I would definitely leave it out of the hotside of your brewing, because all the hop particles, and protein slime like stuff you see on the sides of your kettle will come into contact with it, and clog it. Until your wort is on the cold side, keep O2 out of it. After that. Go wild.
I remember reading in "New Brewing Lager Beer" to only oxygenate chilled wort. Don't remember the science behind it, but I'd just take it as truth. That book is one of the best brewing guides ever written.
I have to respectfully disagree. It was fine but he missed. Now Kunze and Narziss, those are the best.
Equally indispensable, but Noonan's book is great. It's a "complete joys of home brewing" vs "how to brew" debate...
