Have been having problems lately with keeping the IBTS clean. After a deep cleaning and several IBTS and front plate cleans it had gotten to the point that I would get maybe two roasts before the IBTS was out of whack. And everything was getting way too dirty way too soon.
So I decided to go deeper with my cleaning and pulled out the drum and this is what I found -
Cleaning this out pretty much returned operation to normal, but I haven’t been able to figure out a way to keep chaff from collecting (and burning!) in the annular space beneath the drum other than by blowing it out with the vacuum, which makes a mess everywhere. The vac won’t suck this stuff out.
This kind of accumulation happens after a long peiod of time. I remember the first time I did it. I thought it would never stop coming out. When you blow air from the back you will make a mess, but then you can vacuum it. All of this with the faceplate removed, of course. The other solution is what you’ve provided, but I guess removing the drum isn’t an everyday task.
Ahhh - somehow I missed the links you provided, braca.
As regards Jacob’s caution, I have been using the blow side of my vacuum cleaner to blow from the front, not compressed air, so much lower velocity. I don’t think there is any danger of raising the mica fibers in the insulation.
If the Aillio is tilted and gently shaken, won’t these things fall off from the front air intake opening by gravity or is there a reason against doing it this way?
In the very first post it says that “the vac won’t suck this stuff out”, so I doubt tilting it would do the trick. It does stick a bit and needs to be moved. In any case, it certainly wouldn’t move with the faceplate on because you wouldn’t be able to raise the drum (not remove) and get to it. It is practically the chaff that gets sucked in from the front and gets charred under the drum. As I’ve said, it takes a lot of time to get significant quantities of it. Not knowing about it for some time will do that. Especially when, like me, you don’t notice it after the seasoning roasts and some 30kg after that. If you are aware of it and vacuum and gently blow a bit (in this case you don’t need a strong airflow) every time you take the faceplate off for cleaning the IBTS, you should be fine. I’ve hardly encountered much of it after that first time.
Sorry, I’ve missed this. Usually the crevice under the fan, but it will come out if you blow through the fan or even the pulley. In any case, under the fan is my preferred spot. Maybe a gentle blow in other two spots if something got in there while you were blowing it out.
Apart from the mica paper, it isn’t a good idea to blow from the front, because a good amount of char will end up on your pulley, fan and pretty much everything back there. When that happens, you will need to blow from the back, so it’s much easier to begin and end there. There are no obstacles in the front, with the faceplate removed, that the char might stick to.
For everyone else reading this, as with everything else, please be careful and gentle. Brute force is never a good idea.
I’ve taken to doing the gentle blow thing from the front after every roasting session (especially after real chaffy roasts) using the crevice tool on my 1960 Electriolux.
I can do this through the dump hatch with the front still on, If I kind of angle the air stream in from the sides, it seems to blow the mess nicely out the other side. Seems to be pretty clean when I’m done.
So far, no sign that it is blowing schmutz out the back, and, since I’m doing it fairly frequently, not too messy.
Tilting the roaster and trying to get stuff to come out the front is more trouble than the blowing, I think, and not really any less messy.
If you are aware of it and vacuum and gently blow a bit (in this case you don’t need a strong airflow) every time you take the faceplate off for cleaning the IBTS, you should be fine. I’ve hardly encountered much of it after that first time.