FAQs

Looking for an answer to a question about our products or services?  Check this list of frequently asked questions.  If you still can't find an answer, use the "Contact Us" form here.


Q: How do I clean my filter?

A: In part, this question depends upon how you have made it not clean, but in general, the first step to cleaning your filter is to use some hot water with some water pressure.  Depending upon how your filter has been soiled, you will want to clean it with the same substances that you use to clean other equipment with which you use your filter.  Because our filters are stainless steel, they are relatively easy to clean and extremely durable.  PBW or powdered brewery wash is our best recommendation for a cleaning chemical as many of our filters are used for brewing.  PBW is environmentally safe and at the right temperature and amount will clean even what you cannot see.  Especially with fine micron filters, its important that you use a good cleaning method to prevent your filter from clogging up from repeated uses.  To learn more about PBW and purchase some, click here.


Q: Why is my brew filter clogging?

A:  The most likely answer is how well your filter was cleaned prior to use.  We find that people sometimes experience clogging after subsequent uses which indicates the filter was not cleaned properly.  See question above on cleaning and the use of PBW.  Keep in mind that just as when you use a hop bag, putting a filter between your hops and boiling wort will cause you to lose some efficiency.  The logic is that keeping hop trub out of your fermenter is more is more valuable than this lost efficiency.  Often times as you bring your freshly sparged wort up to a boil, proteins will rise to the surface.  Its best to place your brewing filter into the pot after the boil begins to add your first hop addition.  Leaving the filter in prior to the boil can cause these same proteins to collect and clog the filter.  Many brewers choose to remove these foamy protein clumps prior to the boil with a spoon.


Q: I'm interested in purchasing a filter, but I am unsure of what micron I should get?

A:  The answer to this question depends upon the purpose of your filter.  Typical filters we make for those in the brewing industry utilize 300 and 400 micron.  For the coffee industry we sell mostly 74 micron and some 100 micron.  We recommend ordering 6" and 12" square samples of specific micron filters to determine what mesh is right for your purposes.


Q:  When I go to place an order, I receive an error message and cannot complete my purchase.

A:  Contact us immediately if you have any issues processing an order.  We are here to help and want to hear from you should you have any problems using our commerce site.  Click here for the "Contact Us" form.


Q:  I have a need for a customized item.  How do I explain what I would like to have made?

A:  First we need to hear more about your idea.  Tell us about what you would like to have made by clicking here.  In most cases, we can create a filter for your specific need by getting dimensions from you.  For more precision fits we may ask that you send whatever vessel the filter is going into to us so we can be as exact as possible.  This is the exception more so than the rule, but the first step is asking us if we can build something for you.  You may be surprised to learn that we have been asked to build your "unique" custom item by previous customers.


Q:  I'm interested in becoming a wholesaler of your products.  How do I apply for an account?

A:  Becoming a wholesaler is as easy as creating an account on our site and contacting us to verify that you are a business owner.  Once we have verified your business, we can turn on your wholesale pricing and send you a reseller price list.  Becoming a reseller does mean agreeing to manufacturer's authorized pricing.  To create an account, click here.  After creating an account, contact us here to request wholesale pricing.  It is imperative that you have created your own account so that we have correct shipping and billing addresses as well as contact information.


Q:  What is the temperature rating on the rubber silicone feet that some of your products utilize?

A:  120 degrees Celsius, 248 degrees Fahrenheit.  But please keep in mind that they are not manufactured to take direct heat from a propane burner.


Q:  My kettle screen from another maker has come apart after 5 years of use.  I have two questions about your Kettle Screen (Product #1080): (1) Can I use whole or pellet hops without clogging and (2) is it spot welded like my old one that has failed?

A)  Our kettle screen is manufactured to be used with both whole leaf and pellet hops.  It is manufactured out of 800 micron mesh, but we can custom make them to most any micron.  Our kettle screen is not spot welded, but rather fully resistance welded.  That's why our screens do not fall apart.


Q:  How many hops will the glass dry hopper, 7" corny keg dry hopper and various sized brew filters hold?

A:  Unfortunately, its not possible to be specific about the maximum content of a dry hopper or a brewing filter because there are simply too many variables to take into account.  When you dry hop or add hops to the boil, pelletized hops expand.  Some of this expansion is based upon how the pelletized hops were processed.  Given that the hops are going to expand, you don't want to pack your dry hopper or brew filter to the brim.  You need to allow for expansion.  Our best answer to the question based on our own use is to recommend the following amounts for the corny keg dry hoppers: 7" CKDH recommended capacity is ~6oz, 11.5" CKDH recommended capacity is ~9.5oz, 15" CKDH recommended capacity is ~12.5oz, 18" CKDH recommended capacity is ~15oz, 21" CKDH recommended capacity is ~17.5oz.

Filling up any of our dry hoppers too much will result in a vessel that is difficult to clean and should probably be soaked if not boiled to remove caked on hop particles. 

Realistically, the reason for wanting to know the answer stems from trying to create a hugely hoppy beer.  While we appreciate this (sometimes too much ;) ), it's probably best to start on the lower end and work your way up to more to discover the tipping point.  Our corny keg dry hoppers come in different sizes for this very reason.  We also have discounts for buying multiple dry hoppers, should you find that one is not enough.

However, the bottom line is that there comes a point when you try to put too many hops in a dry hopper that you are not allowing wort or finished beer to come into contact with the hops.  This also then becomes an efficiency question: am I getting better efficiency by using less hops and not compacting them in the vessel.   

I often use my BIABasket as my hop filter in the boil.  After I am done mashing I dump out my spent grain give the basket a good rinse while my wort is coming up to a boil and then put the basket back in before I make my first hop addition.  At this point, I am limited by the size of the boiling pot.  The only caveat of doing this is being careful to adjust the heat source as boiling can occur outside the basket and shoot up out of the pot.

We've also created the auto siphon filter that enables you to throw dry hops right into a fermenter and than filter during transfer.  This effectively allows for the same dry hopping that a corny keg dry hopper performs, it just requires transfer to another keg or vessel after dry hopping.

On a related note, should you find an overseas knockoff of our products, you should know that in order to send these over in a container in a cost effective manner, some of these products have been created so that they stack inside of each other.  This results in less surface area and space inside of the filter.  

Q:   My filter has some rust on it from not using it regularly. What should I do?

A:  We have found a webpage that has a comprehensive guide to all you need to know.