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strange wear patterns on our flex-flo auger piping

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  • strange wear patterns on our flex-flo auger piping

    We have been having to replace our grist auger tubing about once a year now for the past three or four years. It's not a big ordeal, but I am curious if anyone can tell me why the PVC piping wears in this particular pattern (see the attached picture). It's not even, and almost appears that the auger is flopping around and always wearing the PVC at the same places.

    Click image for larger version

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    Linus Hall
    Yazoo Brewing
    Nashville, TN
    www.yazoobrew.com

  • #2
    My guess is that you do not have enough tension on the auger. Cut a little bit of the flex auger off so you have to stretch it a little bit to reinstall. Call the folks at AG Boy http://www.farmerboyag.com/ and they will be able to walk you through what you need to do. I assume the auger is pretty loud when it is on? When you get the right tension it is much quieter. I hope this helps.

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    • #3
      That looks like the tension of the auger may be a bit off. If I remember correctly (been a while since I installed mine) wear on the outer side of a bend like that indicates that there isn't enough tension on the auger itself - so the metal is rubbing into the plastic of the auger.
      When I installed ours I seem to recall needing the auger itself to be a few inches longer than the length of the run to make sure that the tension was correct - you may want to see if you can find that information and double check it.
      If I had to guess - By the look of the holes in the plastic your auger is just a little bit too long for the run, pushing the metal against the plastic on the outer edges of the turns, shorten up the metal just enough and it should stop wearing through there (of course, if metal is too short, it'll eat through the plastic on the inside of the bends)

      Cheers
      Manuel

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      • #4
        Here are the manuals: http://www.choretime.com/FLEX-AUGER-Fill-Systems-1 Under the "Manuals" tag. Don't worry if yours isn't a Chore Time--they're the same.
        Timm Turrentine

        Brewerywright,
        Terminal Gravity Brewing,
        Enterprise. Oregon.

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        • #5
          And your layout could be wrong....

          These are designed to bend in one direction only. You cannot make left turns coupled with right turns. One direction only. I've run same PVC plastic daily for years and there was never wear like that. And as said, must have tension. But if you don't have correct tension, then usually spring just pushes out the bottom idler. Certainly there is some part of your install that is not done right. Should not have to replace these for many years. At least with a quality Chore-Time. No experience with foreign equipment here. You get what you pay for.
          Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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          • #6
            For sure?

            Originally posted by gitchegumee View Post
            These are designed to bend in one direction only. You cannot make left turns coupled with right turns. One direction only. I've run same PVC plastic daily for years and there was never wear like that. And as said, must have tension. But if you don't have correct tension, then usually spring just pushes out the bottom idler. Certainly there is some part of your install that is not done right. Should not have to replace these for many years. At least with a quality Chore-Time. No experience with foreign equipment here. You get what you pay for.
            We have multiple bends of varying directions (left, right, up, AND down) in 100 feet of chore-time. We ran the auger through the pipe and left it limp, then stretched according to the manufacturer's instructions. I think it was 6 inches per 100 feet, but I'm not sure. With proper tension, it will last a really long time. Ours has moved over 100,000 lbs of grist over several years and doesn't show any wear so far.
            Mike Elliott
            Head Brewer
            Philipsburg Brewing Co.
            Montana

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            • #7
              Thought it was there.....

              Just read through the entire manual for first time in many years.... Nothing about turns in alternate directions. Thought it was there years ago, but if it was then it's not now! My mistake! There is a section on special tightening for LEFT hand turns....

              "Avoid horizontal left-hand turns if possible. The elbow in a left-hand turn is not cushioned by the feed and will wear faster. On systems with a 90 degree horizontal left-hand turn, reduce the stretch to reduce wear."
              Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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              • #8
                Yeah Phillip, I had heard about avoiding left-hand turns as well, and tried to lay out everything in our brewery to avoid any left hand turns. Then I started reading the manufacturer's literature and never could find anything about that.

                We did stretch the spring out - I think it was 3/8" per 10 feet or something. Maybe it needs more tension. I just wondered why it wore in that particular pattern. It's not just thin on the outside of the curve, it's worn through in a specific pattern, like the spring was only hitting the wall once every revolution or something.
                Linus Hall
                Yazoo Brewing
                Nashville, TN
                www.yazoobrew.com

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                • #9
                  When I installed ours, I was completely confused by the "no left hand turns". Left hand from what perspective? I guess I got it right, as our has been running for 10+ years without any wear. Sure, we've had problems--overloading, bits of plastic liner from cheap super-sacks, etc. Make sure it's easy to pull the spring out when you need to clear a jam!
                  Timm Turrentine

                  Brewerywright,
                  Terminal Gravity Brewing,
                  Enterprise. Oregon.

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                  • #10
                    Left looking at the direction of flow....

                    Is what it looks like from the various "approved" layout patterns they show....
                    Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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