I had trouble with my BC. returned it and they made it right. Seemed sharper when I got it back and it had the o ring on it again. O ring lasted two crushes and broke but so far after 5 batches the mill is still crushing like a champ.
Conditioning the grain would not help it feed better - probably the opposite as the water makes the grains very slightly more sticky. I don’t have a Barley Crusher, but there have been a few thread over the years that talk about problems with the rollers not spinning. Opening it up and cleaning out the dust seems to be the solution.[/quote]
Even taking it apart doesn’t seem to help for long. I’ve done that several times, and occasionally blow it out with compressed air. The only way it wants to really run well is to open it up to 0.38" - 0.042". But I am reasonably hitting my targeted OGs, so I’m not really concerned. Thanks for the info on conditioning, I’ve never done it.
[quote=“rebuiltcellars”][quote=“mrv”]I first read about it on Kai’s site, braukaiser.com. Basically, you add a small amount of water to your pre-crushed grain, then let it sit so the husk will absorb the water. About 3 oz of water per 10-11 lbs of grain. It allows you to mill tighter without tearing the husk. You want to keep the husk intact to act as a filter.
It also helps with a large amount of malted wheat, even though it doesn’t have a husk.
Do not condition flaked grains, it makes a sticky mess in your mill. :oops: [/quote]
Important note: spray the water onto the grain and mix it well, then let it sit for a bit before crushing. Don’t just pour in a glass of water.[/quote]
+1
Not knowing this, my first attempt at conditioning turned my mill into a dough roller. Think a stuck sparge is bad? Milled about a pound of grain, and then I got nothing but the bdtdtdtdtdtdt of the drill clutch.
I crush at .020" :shock: But for speed; it is essential in order to convert quickly. I am getting 80%+ in 30m.
You would have to point a gun at me to condition malt prior to crushing. I don’t get that at all.
[quote=“zwiller”]I crush at .020" :shock: But for speed; it is essential in order to convert quickly. I am getting 80%+ in 30m.
You would have to point a gun at me to condition malt prior to crushing. I don’t get that at all.[/quote]
The only reason to condition is that it allows you to mill finer than you could otherwise while still avoiding a stuck sparge. Not sure if you are aware, but many big breweries wet mill, with even better results. But you need a very powerful mill to pull that off.
I got curious today and bought a pound of 2 row briess and played with it. in half cup amounts I crushed dry at 45 and conditioned same thing at 35…At 35 had trouble getting it to grind so took apart and cleaned it( Its A used BC mill I bought from a friend ) Set it at 39 and I think I,ll try it at that setting and conditioned…till I get a few batches under my belt looked good to me so wish me luck and I,ll try to let ya know how it goes… I plan to brew on AHA weekend…Tank :cheers: BTW…my chickens love when I ummmmmm Experiment lol
Do you feed your spent grains to the chickens?
Do you feed your spent grains to the chickens?[/quote]
no… got a cousin with a horse that might like thaqt,lol
