11 replies to this topic

[TCBLF]

I purchased a Blichmann Therminator used awhile ago and I am justing getting around to setting it up with my new brew rig. When I bought it I was told it was total clean and backflushed. Well I ran oxyclean thru it and small bits of hop leafs were coming out. should have bought new... So my question what is the best way to get this baby all cleaned out. I'd hate to ruin 10 gallons of wort using a dirty nasty Therminator.Thanks

[gnef]

I remember a thread where one member put it through many stages of cleaning, and eventually gave up and went back to an immersion chiller, so it is pretty difficult to fully clean it out.I believe that member had run all sorts of cleaning agents through it including hot pbw, sodium hydroxide, and I think he may have even baked it. Even after all that, a flush of water would still have bits of pieces coming out.If you don't mind it not being perfectly clean, what you can do is clean it out the best you can, and then bake it to sanitize it before you need it, which will kill anything that is left in there. The only thing is that those particles will begin blocking parts of the chiller and over time reduce the chilling efficiency.

[SWAGMAN]

Has the same problem a while back. First thing I did was back flush with hot water hook up to house system and let run for some time. Check the flow rate each way ( let run into a known size by time).PBW soak helps followed by flush with hot water heated to higher temp than the house system.The main problem is you will always have doubt but a good system of flush and cleaning will put the worries to rest.God BlessSwagman

[BlKtRe]

I back flush with water to remove the wort and any particles. Then make up some hot PBW and back flush that until its loaded. Let rest for an hour or so then rinse with hot water. You can also set up a loop and recirc. constant with the hot PBW. If you dont have a pump then hooking up to the house faucet then submerging in a bucket of hot PBW for a soak works too. Same with using a sanitizer. I haven't had any issues with mine cleaning like this. I have even gotten some pellet hop particles in it without clogging. I actually like my plate better than my CFC. Which Btw, got the same cleaning regime for 8 yrs. that I used it.

[Lagerdemain]

I don't think it's possible to permanently clog one of these stacked plate heat exchangers, though you may occasionally have to do lengthy soaks to get the hop bits soft enough to force them out. If sanitation as close to sterilization as possible is your goal, simply preheat your oven to 500 degrees (or as hot as it will get if it can't get to 500), then roast your heat exchanger for 90 minutes to 2 hours. That will most certainly kill any organisms foolish enough to take up residence in such an inhospitable place.

[tag]

You actually don't need to get it up to 500F. Here's John Palmer's chart on dry heat sterilization from How To Brew: https://www.howtobre...apter2-2-3.htmlI put mine in the oven on 285 for 3 hours on time-bake the night before brewing.I would pump hot PBW or caustic through it for 30 minutes. If you can get an acid cleaner I would pump that through first to help remove beerstone.Either way the oven should kill anything.

[albertv05]

I have been using a Shirron plate chiller for 2+ years with zero issues:1. Sanitize with a loop of starsan 20 minutes prior to use.2. Use3. Flush both ways with water4. Run PBW solution through the chiller from a bucket and run on a loop with an aquarium pump. I let this go over night or so.5. Flush well again and run on a loop with clean water. Let go again overnight or so.6. Empty excess water and bake at 200 in the oven for a few hours to completely sanitize and dry out any remanding water.Sounds like a lot of work but it's really quite simple and effective. I hear caustic could be useful in getting rid of old build up but I can't account for that.

[Lagerdemain]

You actually don't need to get it up to 500F. Here's John Palmer's chart on dry heat sterilization from How To Brew: https://www.howtobre...apter2-2-3.htmlI put mine in the oven on 285 for 3 hours on time-bake the night before brewing.I would pump hot PBW or caustic through it for 30 minutes. If you can get an acid cleaner I would pump that through first to help remove beerstone.Either way the oven should kill anything.

I crank the temp up to 500, not because it's necessary to kill all the microorganisms, but to, as much as possible, reduce the hop debris to as close to an ash-like consistency as possible. I find I get more of the hop bits out that way (obviously flushing afterward).

[No Party JKor]

This is why I went back to an immersion chiller. Zero cleaning.

[drewseslu]

What I did at MBC was at least flushed the HX with hot PBW between every brew. Between batches/brewdays, it got hot PBW recirced both ways for at least half an hour each, warm rinsed, packed with sanitizer, then boiling hot wort was run through at the beginning of KO before chilling H20 was turned on. There were also monthly caustic and acid cycles to keep organic buildup and beerstone down. I had planned to ash out in the pizza oven at around 700dF, but it was deemed too expensive to run it for that purpose Luckily, it was all clean, except for the wild beers.

[shaggaroo]

I crank the temp up to 500, not because it's necessary to kill all the microorganisms, but to, as much as possible, reduce the hop debris to as close to an ash-like consistency as possible. I find I get more of the hop bits out that way (obviously flushing afterward).

+1

[gumballhead]

all great comments.we had to build a rig to clean our kegs. as we did we thought what a great way to clean our Therm also.it's a 5G pale with a Sump pump down at the bottom. we hooked up the hose and back flush and front flush HotPBW and OXI for how ever long we feel like runningthe rinse and rinse and rinse with clean fresh waterback and forth.you can also put in boiling water on the stove and let that soak in also.a hop blocker or bazooka screen on the pick up is a big help along with whirlpooling the wort just before flame out seems to help settle things out before you start the transfer.also putting hops is a sack or bag will also help keep them in Czech.