Spaceman Spiff
Member
It can be as cheap as 600. There's no reason to not use it. Or at least get 2-3 fucking HEPA filters in the damn room.
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Home Brewing for 20+ years AMA!
- Thread starter OG_Brewer
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It can be as cheap as 600. There's no reason to not use it. Or at least get 2-3 fucking HEPA filters in the damn room.
TheScholarOfBrew
Member
Got a recommendation for flowhood??
Spaceman Spiff
Member
Not really. I would think that one of the Chinese ones would be sufficient. I could be wrong. I would definitely get a large HEPA filter for a small closed room to supplement it.
I know a user here that deals with HEPA filters and air quality control in hospitals
Get one custom made for micology for capping vials works perfectly
There are a few website in the USA selling them
For a home brewer is plenty, if it works for a mixologist it will work for you 9000% those fucking mushroom and spores are super tricky a lot more than our stuff
TheScholarOfBrew
Member
Yeah, I definitely want one. I just like knowing my shit's gonna be ultra clean. Filters are fine and all, but it'd be cool if I know my environment's perfect.
Jin23
Member
Order a 6" hepa 14 and a pre-filter from china for 30$. Buy a fan for 50 -100$. Create a wooden enclosure.
You've also got flow hoods that sell for 150$, albeit small, but enough for filling vials.
OffendHand
Member
When talking about vacuum filtration, if you're not using disposable bottle-top filters, what size would you recommend for getting done with your filtration in a timely manner?
I'm asking because I tried using a filter + vacuum flask setup that used a 45mm filter paper (I autoclaved the filter paper and everything downstream of the filter prior to use), and it was slooooooooooooow. As in, slow enough that my vacuum pump died. And yes, it was def. holding high vacuum in the flask; there was no air leaking out.
If I am using disposable bottle-top filters, and standard GL-45 media bottle, are there any dispensers that are inexpensive, can be autoclaved, and won't break down due to the benzyl alcohol or benzyl benzoate? I know that the Scilogex dispensers do fail--the plastic gets brittle and falls apart within 3-4 cycles--and the BrandTech Dispensette does not fail, but also costs >$500.
I’ve always used 0.22um vacuum filters, I’m sure you could get away with using a 0.45um filter if it was for personal use and you were confident your brewing technique was clean and sterile. Have you tried using an electric vacuum pump with a bottle top vacuum filter?
Unfortunately the Scilogex do tend to get fragile over time but for what they cost they are worth it compared to the prices of others. I’ve used a Scilogix bottle top dispenser for years before it got brittle and broke. Just made sure to clean it thoroughly after each use and not let finished product sit inside it.
Unfortunately the Scilogex do tend to get fragile over time but for what they cost they are worth it compared to the prices of others. I’ve used a Scilogix bottle top dispenser for years before it got brittle and broke. Just made sure to clean it thoroughly after each use and not let finished product sit inside it.
AlexDavis43
Member
OffendHand
Member
Sorry, let me rephrase - The filtration unit that I have is intended to use a 47mm diameter filter membrane. You can select different membranes materials--PES, nylon, PTFE, cellulose--as well as pore size (.01μm, .22μm, .45μm, even 1μm and larger for pre-filtering). Flow rate with both hydophilic and hydrophobic .22μm PTFE filter is incredibly slow.
I have used disposable bottle top filters that screw on to media bottles, and those have a better flow rate (or, they do when you don't use PES filter membranes), but for fairly small batches, disposable filters get expensive pretty fast. And yes, I had been using an electric pump, right until it started blowing smoke; it was under full load so much the last time I was trying to filter that I killed it.
It sounds like I should go back to pre-sterilized disposable filters, and eat the cost.
I think that the Scilogex lasted about five batches for me, and that was cleaning it immediately after use--rinsing, in an ultrasonic with soap, rinse again--and running it through a steam autoclave.
I never had much luck with the screw on bottle top filters as they would always crack at and start leaking during filtration. I moved to the single piece bottle top filters with a nylon membrane that sit on top of your media bottle and creates a vacuum to hold the filter in place and never had any issues. The downside was having to sit there and babysit it.
The perilstatic pump with the capsule filters is the best way to go if you are doing larger batches.
Much like the OP i have been brewing for over 20 years. But as i am a 1 man operation and a 1 user customer so i have not had the need to go much past the old school ways. Never needed to make much more the a couple hundred ml's a year. I usually make enough of any one substance to last me a couple years. It takes me maybe an hour from start to finish to make up a batch of product.
