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Cleaning DE-filter

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  • Cleaning DE-filter

    I have a 2 m2 brand new horisontal DE-filter from an European manufacturer. The internal welds are bad (I think that they have not used protecting gas (Naton gas in Sweden) when welding. The manufacturer says that it will work ok if using steam to clean and desinfect. Does anyone have the same experience about these kind of filters?

    Is it ok to print the manufacterers name on this forum?

    Have have read about an american brewery which cut all pipes and rewelded the whole unit.

  • #2
    Poor welding is not good news. Get the manufacturer to cut and re-weld. They may be right that cooking to death with steam will keep it sterile, but I wouldn't want to do that with such a beast anyway as I suspect the hot /cold cycling will distort the filter beds after a short time. The cleaning prior to sterilisation will have to be tip top as the steam will probably bake stuff on. Finally, any poor welding is liable to lead to stress cracking as the inadequate welding leaves pin holes and weaker shallow areas. Because of the small crevices being uncleanable, any chloride in the beer or liquor (especially if you use hypochlorite based cleaning sterilising solutions) will rapidly cause cracks and full depth pinholes to develop.

    Cheers
    dick

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    • #3
      Dick is right about the pinholes. They also make great sites for stress corrosion cracking. Chlorides and other halogens that are present in a hot, wet environment, even in very tiny quanities will accelerate this dramatically, eventually to failure. The high pressures these filters usually run make this a very dangerous operation. I would also add that welding without adequate cover gas will oxidize and weaken the surrounding metal, making effective reweld almost impossible. This manufacturer sounds as though most of his beer filtration experience is with breweries who pasteurize and whose products are of second rate quality. I'd refuse the filter and deal with a first rate fabricator. Good luck!
      Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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      • #4
        Yes, gitchegumee is right - as a pressure vessel the filter is dangerous, and the best action is to refuse to accept the kit and find someone elses kit, or at least get a brand new perfect piece of kit. I think that if the guys cannot be bothered to provide and inert atmosphere and weld properly where they are visible, then you don't stand a chance where they are invisible, such as in pipes on bends. Welds such as these should be ground back, to a smooth, more or less polished finish.

        Cheers
        dick

        Comment


        • #5
          All points above are good (as usual Dick). Additionally, steam is unacceptable as a sterilisant for filters as the high temperatures can quickly disort gaskets resulting in DE bleed through. Bad gaskets can be hard to get at in a filter depending on what type of filter you have. Steam as a sterilisant is also VERY dangerous.

          Your best course of action is a new filter. Your second choice is rebuilding the current filter, but if stress cracks have already developed, the welder doing the repair work may find himself "chasing" the crack; sometimes the heat from the welding caused the crack to lengthen. Your game plan for the mean time is to clean and sterilize the filter immediately following use and sterilize the filter again before use. Clearly this is a good idea for any brewer, but especially so in your case. It may be worth while to pack the filter with sterilisant between runs, as long as you make sure that the sterilisant will not corrode the stainless and that you keep an eye on the effectiveness of the sterilising solution. Very important with this type of scenario is microbiological analysis. If you QC programme shows that there is not a problem caused by the filter, then just keep going ahead with your sanitation programme. If you get positive results for contamination in your tests of the beer post-filter, try to modify your sanitation programme until you get it sorted.

          Lastly, does the filter give you clear, quality product? If you have already purchased it and you aren't having problems with it, don't bankrupt your brewery fixing it! Remember that the Sumerians made beer in clay pots.

          Cheers,
          Matt
          Matthew Letki
          Brewmaster
          Steam Whistle Brewing
          416-362-2337 #228
          Matthew@steamwhistle.ca

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