Those of you using pumps to whirlpool your kettles and transferring wort, what are you using to filter the kettle before the pump? I have a valve, and then just a diptube that pulls from the side/bottom of the kettle. I can get everything but around .3 gallons from the kettle. However.. getting the shit in the pump sucks, and using whole leaf sucks even worse. I can get the wort to whirlpool pretty dang good, and it helps in cooling, since I use a immersion chiller. I have a SS kettle tube, but haven't installed it or modified it to fit, as I really like being able to pull lower into the kettle. Any suggestions ya'll have? Something I can buy or make to fix it? I have a SS 400 micron mesh hop spider that hangs on the side of my kettle, but I'm not really excited to use it, because I feel like I'll lose some utilization.
I don't use a pump....yet, but will be soon I hope and would like to see what you come up with. Not sure but could you use one of thoes copper mesh scrubbers like this one.... Not sure if it would clog enough to restrict pump flow but would be a cheap and easy attempt.
I use a homemade bazooka filter (hot water heater supply line). It is modified with an opening in the middle, this allows it to follow the contour of the kettle so pick up is always on the side instead of the middle. I also have a mesh hop spider and initial use suggests it doesn't allow good circulation. But I'm either using the mesh or nylon paint strainer bag as defense against hop debris. I get fair results from whirlpooling and getting the debris to settle in a cone. All this coupled together keeps the pump chugging . . .
I'm about at my wits end with this damn pump set up I've got. I really, really enjoy the faster cooling by whirlpooling it while using my immersion chiller, but holy shit.. It seems to clog up, and lose it's suction and then I have to turn it off, and try again. I haven't even brewed a friggin' IPA with it yet!! Pellet or whole cone, doesn't matter. I'm wondering if I should remove my dip tube. My past set up was just the valve, and I could whirlpool with my spoon and let it all settle after chilling and pull some pretty clean wort out until the last gallon. I'd end up leaving a bit more than I wanted in the kettle, but it was all working fine. Now with me pulling from the side and bottom edge, it seems I'm pulling more shit into the pump, probably coupled with the suction I'm getting. I can literally empty my kettle save for.. 1.5 quarts or so now. I can't get the tight cone. I got an okay one the other day on the kolsch, but that was because it was trapped in the center a bit more from the immersion chiller. That, and it had hardly shit for hops in it. I have the tube pointing to the left on the intake at the bottom, and the whirlpool it going counter-clockwise if you look in the kettle... Should I pull from the otherside? I really don't want to use my hop spider, but if I have to, it'll damn sure try it and see if it makes me not hate using this pump any more. I've thought about getting a hopback and using that to help filter, but I won't always need to use it for beers that don't need extra hops, so that doesn't fix the situation.
