I bought a pack of 100% copper pot scrubbers and attached one to the end of my converted keg diptube with a hose clamp. I use whole hops and the thing works great. I gravity drain my kettle to a cfc and then carboy and have not lost suction once. Clean up with a hose (leave the scrubber on the dip tube). I used one scrubber for approximately 340 gallons of wort before I replaced it with a new one.
Before this I tried with much frustration a steel plate false bottom and a copper slot manifold both of which plugged up. I imagine if you used a pump to pull out the wort it would work great too. I have never used pellet hops so I cannot give any advice on that. I have heard of people using scrubbers on a metal racking cane to drain boilers that do not have a drain valve. Bottom line: copper scrubbers work, are easy to install and clean, they are durable, and CHEAP.
If have used pot scrubbers as filters, share your experiences.
Pics for you visual learners. I later lengthened the tube so it goes right to the center of the kettle. There is no liquid left, just soggy hops to dump.
