Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Meheen users unite!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • You may be right. I did remove the mufflers from the ejection cylinders too, but perhaps there is a blockage in the cylinder itself, preventing pressure from escaping? I will investigate.

    Originally posted by ColdFusion View Post
    If your old crowner bar was getting caps crimped enough that the go side of your gauge worked then I'd put that back on. Wear shouldn't contribute to holding bottles, which was your original problem. Holding bottles indicates an issue with the ejection cylinders. Either they aren't getting pressure, or the exhaust isn't clear.

    You've obviously tried several things to solve this but IMO you are currently working with a more difficult problem than you started with. Caps passing on the 'no go' side points to the machining being too tight; that seems odd though. You could certainly try loosening the bore but I'd go back to the original crowning bar, as long as the caps pass your gauge.

    Once you go back to the original bar (and I'm sure this is repeating stuff you've already done):
    Check the solenoid in the control panel to make sure it's triggering properly
    Check your pneumatic lines and fittings to the ejection cylinders for obstruction (or just replace them)
    Check the cylinders themselves for operation and for clear exhausting
    If all else fails, try a replacement ejection cylinder to see if that has any effect.

    I feel like this won't be much help... good luck!

    Comment


    • I sent our old crowner bar with a machinist to have it modified to fit the new style ejection cylinders, which were working fine. It should be a relatively easy job, as it just needed a few mounting holes added. I'll swap out the bars and try again. Fingers crossed.

      Originally posted by BrewinLou View Post
      Hey there,
      One the old crowner bar, did you try swapping one of the bottle ejection cylinders out with one that the bottles were dropping out of correctly?

      On the new crowner bar, sounds like it is not quite the same bar. Did you compare all hole distances old bar to new bar with a caliper? Not out of the realm of possibility you received the wrong bar. In all the years of having the line did you ever change bottle mold or bottle supplier? These machines have very tight tolerances on bottle molds. Your old bar may be worn enough that it could take a bit of a different size.
      Ours has always had a small hesitation before the loud snap. I have heard of some problems with the Greek crowns. Our crowner bar is about the only part we have not replaced on our 05'. All else fails go back to start, line up 3 or 4 rows of bottles over ride the index ram and push them forward over ride the fill head make sure they are all in alignment, over ride the crown head make sure they are all in alignment. I would look very closely at the new crowner bar hole alignment, compare it to the old one very closely.

      Comment


      • This may be random, and you've probably already tried this, but the mufflers that are responsible for the air for the movement of the crowner can get gloppy. our old MEHEEN (6 head) was picking up bottles and the next row would crash into them causing train wrecks, or not raising fast enough and not keeping up with index. Try taking them out and running, see if it helps. It will be loud.

        Comment


        • Had that problem too. I rerouted the mufflers that hung directly under the bottle deck off to the side of the line with a little extra tubing and have almost eliminated the problem with them fouling as they stay dry all the time. I spoke to Dave about how lengthening the tubing would effect the line, he did not have a definitive answer so I tried it and have had no problems in years. I made sure each set of tubes for both cylinders were the exact same length just in case.
          Joel Halbleib
          Partner / Zymurgist
          Hive and Barrel Meadery
          6302 Old La Grange Rd
          Crestwood, KY
          www.hiveandbarrel.com

          Comment


          • Cap feed not running smoothly

            Hi all,

            We have a 1995, 6-head Meheen which is not feeding caps smoothly. The magnetic rolling feeder moves with 'jolts', instead of smooth motion. This results in a lot of caps not actually feeding down the chutes, and instead bouncing off onto the floor (messy bottling days!). It also means we usually need an extra person manually feeding the caps to keep the chutes from going empty. The cap feed gets worse with time (not so bad at the start - terrible toward the end of the run).

            Has anyone else experienced this? Any ideas on what might be causing it?

            Cheers

            Comment


            • Air starvation causing cap feed problem

              Quick little follow-up.

              Spoke with a most helpful fellow brewer who gave me a few pointers. The best lead, I suspect, was air starvation on the Meheen unit.

              Upon proper inspection and some reading, the following was found:

              Our compressor unit pressure switch is set at 90PSI, so it cuts out here.
              Pressure at compressor unit during operation = 70-85PSI.
              Hose ID currently in use = 10mm (3/8") (9m long), which will only deliver 173-213L/min (~6-8scf/min) at current operating pressures.

              Recommended air pressure and flow rate for Meheen is at least 15scf/min @ 90PSI, which we were significantly under during operation.

              We're currently looking into changing the pressure switch on the compressor and replacing our hose with 1/2" ID.

              Comment


              • a good practice is to have a air pressure tank somewhere close to the Meheen, so that you can maintain a steady supply of air at the correct pressure. Your air compressor will cycle less often too. You can do this for CO2 supply as well, with an empty beer keg near the Meheen as your CO2 surge tank. Just don't overpressurized the keg (<60 psi).

                You might also have a problem with a sticking Mac valve, or with a plugged air muffler. Try removing the air mufflers from the Mac valve block and see if that changes anything. They become clogged with oil/water sludge over time if you don't have a good water separator on your air compressor. I generally would just take them off and live with the noise.
                Linus Hall
                Yazoo Brewing
                Nashville, TN
                www.yazoobrew.com

                Comment


                • Well folks, it worked. We have been back to business as usual since last Monday.

                  I had the old crowner bar machined to fit the new ejection cylinders and mount, and added a few shims underneath the bar, and bam. Perfect crimping and no bottle pickups.

                  Originally posted by JBedry View Post
                  I sent our old crowner bar with a machinist to have it modified to fit the new style ejection cylinders, which were working fine. It should be a relatively easy job, as it just needed a few mounting holes added. I'll swap out the bars and try again. Fingers crossed.

                  Comment


                  • Crown on one shoot drop late

                    I have a 22oz 2011 Merlin. We are having intermittent problems with one crowner shoots dropping crowns late. Last run we had 22 bottles come off without crowns. We changed the pins and shimmed the bracket holding the pins to lift them to only have the tip of pin holding the crown in place. I believe they are releasing but just hang in the shoot long enough to be late. Fairly random and I can't see any consistently of why are cuase.

                    Any one have any thoughts on a cause and solution, this is driving me crazy. Been happening since day one.
                    Trent
                    Shades of Pale
                    Park City UT

                    Comment


                    • Originally posted by sopbeer View Post
                      I have a 22oz 2011 Merlin. We are having intermittent problems with one crowner shoots dropping crowns late. Last run we had 22 bottles come off without crowns. We changed the pins and shimmed the bracket holding the pins to lift them to only have the tip of pin holding the crown in place. I believe they are releasing but just hang in the shoot long enough to be late. Fairly random and I can't see any consistently of why are cuase.

                      Any one have any thoughts on a cause and solution, this is driving me crazy. Been happening since day one.
                      We had a similar issue shortly after we got our machine. I called up meheen and their solution was so simple I figured there was no way it could be right. Like you I assumed pins were timed wrong or something was malfunctioning. Turns out it doesn't take much in the way of resistance in the chute to slow the cap down enough that it arrives late and misses the slot in the crowning bar. If it only happened on one run, it might have been a stray drop of water or two, and the surface tension was enough to cause the caps to stick briefly. If it's happening more often could be a little burr, rough spot, or in our case it was rust stains from caps that were left in the chutes when we were done bottling, that then got wet during clean up, and sat in the chutes til our next run.

                      In either case, a little piece of scotch brite pad cut to fit in the chute and worked back and forth along the length of the chute cleaned everything up. Then we blew out any debris/dust with compressed air, and wiped shoot clean with alcohol. Haven't had a problem since.

                      Comment


                      • scotch brite

                        Originally posted by GlennL View Post
                        We had a similar issue shortly after we got our machine. I called up meheen and their solution was so simple I figured there was no way it could be right. Like you I assumed pins were timed wrong or something was malfunctioning. Turns out it doesn't take much in the way of resistance in the chute to slow the cap down enough that it arrives late and misses the slot in the crowning bar. If it only happened on one run, it might have been a stray drop of water or two, and the surface tension was enough to cause the caps to stick briefly. If it's happening more often could be a little burr, rough spot, or in our case it was rust stains from caps that were left in the chutes when we were done bottling, that then got wet during clean up, and sat in the chutes til our next run.

                        In either case, a little piece of scotch brite pad cut to fit in the chute and worked back and forth along the length of the chute cleaned everything up. Then we blew out any debris/dust with compressed air, and wiped shoot clean with alcohol. Haven't had a problem since.
                        How did you run the scotch brite down the chute? The fit is tight especially below the pins. Did you work from the top of the chute or from the bottom and top with a screwdriver or rod?

                        I was thinking about how I could clean this up and see if that solved the problem. I've looked down the chute and don't see anything that stands out but again hard to really see as the chute is mostly covered.

                        Thanks for the tip.
                        Trent
                        Shades of Pale
                        Park City UT

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by sopbeer View Post
                          I have a 22oz 2011 Merlin. We are having intermittent problems with one crowner shoots dropping crowns late. Last run we had 22 bottles come off without crowns. We changed the pins and shimmed the bracket holding the pins to lift them to only have the tip of pin holding the crown in place. I believe they are releasing but just hang in the shoot long enough to be late. Fairly random and I can't see any consistently of why are cuase.

                          Any one have any thoughts on a cause and solution, this is driving me crazy. Been happening since day one.


                          Check to see that the rivets that hold the chutes in place haven't back out and are clipping your crowns. This has happened to me before and causes the slightest of delays, but enough to cause problems.

                          Comment


                          • Pressure Sensor

                            Hey all,

                            I had to replace one of the WIKA pressure sensors (S-10) in our 2014 6-Head - it was specifically the bottle pressure sensor, the 'A' sensor. However after install I checked them both on the manual override screen and with nothing hooked up to either, I was reading 0psi bottle pressure, but 25psi liquid pressure. I swapped the female connectors and continue to read 25 psi liquid pressure. This leads me to believe there is some other issue further 'down stream.' I checked the wiring on the connector and it is correct - the only troubleshooting advice from Wika.

                            Anyone have any thoughts? I am waiting for a call back from Meheen, as they have no one available for tech support today.

                            Thanks!

                            Campbell Morrissy
                            Mother Road Brewing Co.

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by sopbeer View Post
                              How did you run the scotch brite down the chute? The fit is tight especially below the pins. Did you work from the top of the chute or from the bottom and top with a screwdriver or rod?

                              I was thinking about how I could clean this up and see if that solved the problem. I've looked down the chute and don't see anything that stands out but again hard to really see as the chute is mostly covered.

                              Thanks for the tip.
                              Cut the scotch brite to slightly larger than the width of the chute, so it gets in tight against the sides on it's own - as you mentioned there's not much room to manipulate it. We also removed the bar that the holds the pins (it was easy like 2 bolts i think) so you can get from top to bottom in a single pass and clean the area under the pins. I used something non-marring (like a dowel, just to avoid the risk of further scratching) that fit in the open slot on top of the chute and used that to apply pressure to the scotch brite pad and move it back and forth along the length of the chute.

                              Comment


                              • Beckett Pump

                                Has anyone come up with an alternative to the crappy plastic immersion pumps that come with the meheen? Ours don't take much abuse before the plastic 1/2" npt fitting breaks off the volute making it unusable and irreparable.

                                I've tried contacting Beckett for replacement volute with no luck. There are lots of submersible pumps out there, but which one to use?

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X