Milling Grain Question

[Lufah]

Thanks. I think I'll stick with what I'm doing. I'm using the el cheapo corona mill. Clamp it to a bucket and stick a paper bag over it to keep the dust down. I run it with a drill. Works pretty good. It's UGLY. I kinda feel sorry for it like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I'll get a pic sometime and post it.

Travis

[dawgfur]

Isn't grain dust combustible too? I doubt milling homebrew sized batches would pose much of a hazard. I heard about that somewhere and I was just curious.

[Danno]

Many types of dust are combustable including grain dust. Ever hear of a grain silo blowing up in the midwest? Happens all too often.

Back on the topic on nasties in the brew garage. I forgot to add that my dog hangs out there as well although I do wash my hands thoroughly after I pet her.

[ionia_ales]

is that due to fire, or fermentation? I have seen bags of spent grain explode, well seen that they do explode in garbage cans. It's messy.

[George]

Oh yeah, anything really dusty can explode. Coal dust, flour mills, grain silos, hay lofts. It's not as common as it used to be because they've learned to control it, but it still happens. It's almost like a fuel-air bomb: tons of combustables floating in an oxygen-rich environment.

[Bugeater]

Grain dust explosions can be dangerous. Fine grain dust will suspend in the air quite easily and is a bomb waiting to happen. All it takes is a spark. The incidence of grain elevator explosions has been dropping in the last several years due to more stringent safety standards, but they still happen. There was one in Kansas just a couple of years ago that killed half a dozen people and took out most of the windows in town. Here is a link to the picture of that.
http://www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/fire/usar/pdebruce.htm

On the homebrew level, we don't have much to worry about. My system keeps the dust saturated air away from my drill so there is not much chance of spark ignition. Basically, if the dust in the air is not thick enough to cause a little bit of irritation when you breathe, you are probably safe.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[Boo Boo]

I mill indoors, mash indoors, boil outdoors, and ferment downstairs in the basement. Has worked out OK for me so far.

[alemonger]

Grain dust explosions can be dangerous.

The stupidest thing I ever did was dump a trash can full of sawdust on top of an already burning fire. The fire followed the sawdust as it fell up into the trash can and blew it out of my hands.