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  • bean cooler - work in progress

    Gday!  Hoping to get some advice on my new bean cooler...

    Im going for the extraction fan sucking air through the beans approach. I wanted an all-in-one solution so I found a 30ltr bucket that I hoped would give me enough clearance above the fan to insert a sieve (or the like) and enough clearance below to exhaust the air.

    There is about 300-350mm clearance below the fan. Ive cut 8x60mm holes at the base - will this be enough - or should I consider doing another row? Or even cutting the whole floor out and making a stand to elevate?

    There is a gap of approx 10mm around the outside of the fan - should I seal this up?

    There is about 90mm above the fan to fit a basket/sieve. The bucket has a lid, which I intend to cut out an insert for the bean cooler basket/sieve – should I have a preference on shape?

    Options on hand:
    -round basket with concaved/curved base
    -square with flat base

    Possible purchase options:
    -round sieve with flat base
    -others?

    Anyhow – here are a bunch of pics, hopefully I’m on the right track!

    Cheers,
    Pete








  • #2
    Re: bean cooler - work in progress

    Hi Pete, when I did my cooling box I used some aluminium fly screem mesh from Bunnings, its fairly cheap, might be worth a try!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: bean cooler - work in progress

      Originally posted by 594C5B5B50535F503E0 link=1240304589/1#1 date=1240306706
      Hi Pete, when I did my cooling box I used some aluminium fly screem mesh from Bunnings, its fairly cheap, might be worth a try!
      Thanks for the tip greenman, yeah that would give me heaps of surface area - Ill check it out!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: bean cooler - work in progress

        Pete I only used two exit holes; I think youve got plenty.

        No need to worry about the gap around the fan from what I can see of your setup.

        I bought a 30cm (IIRC) round flat bottomed sieve from my local junk shop for $5.
        I cut out my bucket lid to accommodate the sieve and it just sits on top of the bucket (no need to seat the lid).

        Yours is looking good.

        Does the red bucket make it cool faster?

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        • #5
          Re: bean cooler - work in progress

          Originally posted by 7C6F6A3D353B340C0 link=1240304589/0#0 date=1240304589
          There is a gap of approx 10mm around the outside of the fan - should I seal this up?
          Try it first for suction if you get any suction from the exit holes then yes you will need to seal it

          Originally posted by 7C6F6A3D353B340C0 link=1240304589/0#0 date=1240304589
          Ive cut 8x60mm holes at the base - will this be enough
          I only have 3 on my cooler

          As for sieves I now use a gold prospecting pan that my father in-law gave me & it works great

          Good neat job by the way

          KK

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          • #6
            Re: bean cooler - work in progress

            Thanks heaps for your ideas guys - looks like flat bottom is the way to go - might do another round of the junk shops, see what I can find.

            It seems I might have gone a little troppo on the exit holes! Oh well, shouldnt have a negative effect.

            Unfortunate about the red, wouldve preferred plain old white!  But you never know - I might save a second or two in cooling!!  :P

            I will check out the suction today.  I quickly fired it up last night - I expected it to vibrate a lot - but its very smooth and quiet.

            Cheers,
            Pete

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            • #7
              Re: bean cooler - work in progress

              Ok - I found a great sized ss strainer with a flat base (junk shop - $3), installed today, going to try it out later today after I clean up the garage...  

              Because the strainer had straight walls, I stretched some black hose around to stop it falling through the opening - not so pretty but functional...

              Here are some picks...


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              • #8
                Re: bean cooler - work in progress

                Looks like mine but I paid $5!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: bean cooler - work in progress

                  Lookin good Pete..... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

                  Mal.

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                  • #10
                    Re: bean cooler - work in progress

                    Very nice unit Pete
                    Also looks like you sealed the gap of the fan circumference

                    I am sure you will get good results with such a unit
                    KK

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                    • #11
                      Re: bean cooler - work in progress

                      Thanks guys - itching to try it out, I was hoping to roast up a batch or two today, but its seriously windy here!! Hopefully tomorrow...

                      Yep, I decided to seal up the circumference around the fan - the black hose fitted nicely.

                      I now understand what Thundergod meant about not needing to seat the sieve - could have just sat it on top with a smaller opening... oh well it might save me from losing a batch of beans if I accidently bump it.

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                      • #12
                        Re: bean cooler - work in progress

                        Just tried out the new cooler – it did a good job (I think) it cooled 550g piping hot beans down to room temp in about a 1:20, at 2min they were cold to touch. That was with basically no manual agitation – they’d probably cool even quicker if I stirred them every 10sec or so...

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: bean cooler - work in progress

                          Originally posted by 5E4D481F1719162E0 link=1240304589/11#11 date=1241247483
                          Just tried out the new cooler – it did a good job (I think) it cooled 550g piping hot beans down to room temp in about a 1:20, at 2min they were cold to touch. That was with basically no manual agitation – they’d probably cool even quicker if I stirred them every 10sec or so...
                          Thats good enough for me
                          I have read somewhere that one should aim to cool the hot beans within 4 minutes

                          KK

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                          • #14
                            Re: bean cooler - work in progress

                            IIRC my source said 2 minutes.

                            But thinking about what you are attempting to do, stop further roasting, providing youve taken a good chunk of heat out of them initially, an extra minute or so only further decreases the temperature to handling range.

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                            • #15
                              Re: bean cooler - work in progress

                              awesome - sounds like Im all set - thanks for your input guys!

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